Politics & Government

Deadline Nears to Apply for Disaster Unemployment

Those who have lost their jobs due to Hurricane Sandy have until Feb. 4 to apply for assistance.

New Jersey residents who are now unemployed as a result of Hurricane Sandy are reminded that they have until Feb. 4 to file an application for Disaster Unemployment Assistance, or DUA, Gov. Chris Christie's office announced recently.

The unemployment funding was made available through the Federal Emergency Management Agency through the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development immediately after the late October storm to affected individuals who did not qualify for regular unemployment insurance.

The DUA covers self-employed individuals and hourly workers and is available to those living or working in the state at the time of the disaster and have lost employment as a direct result.  

Find out what's happening in Toms Riverwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Those who qualify for DUA but have not yet filed for benefits are invited to apply online at www.njuifile.net, or by calling a New Jersey Reemployment Call Center, of which there are several throughout the state: 

  • Union City:        (201) 601-4100          
  • Freehold:          (732) 761-2020
  • Cumberland:     (856) 507-2340
  • Out of State:     (888) 795-6672

Affected residents could receive benefits for up tto 27 weeks after Oct. 28, though DUA claims filed after the Feb. 4 deadline may not be eligible. According to a release, all DUA applications must be received or postmarked by the state Division of Unemployment Insurance on or before Feb. 4.

Find out what's happening in Toms Riverwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Of the 4,205 claims received by the Division of Unemployment Insurance to date, 2,058 are collecting the benefit, and another 1,189 are still under review.

DUA applications are available on the Division of Unemployment Insurance website at: http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/ui/aftrfile/dua.html

For information regarding other FEMA services please call the FEMA emergency number at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired.

More Information also is available at www.disaster assistance.gov and www.fema.gov.

The state Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s website is located at: www.nj.gov/labor.

Visit www.Jobs4Jersey.com, which is the state's web-link to the best online tools for finding employment, sending resumes to potential employers and accessing data on new career paths and training.


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