Residents whose take-home pay was impacted by the February winter storm can now apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) through the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC).
Workers who lost their jobs and self-employed individuals who have been unable to work due to damage sustained from the winter storm may be eligible for DUA benefits.
DUA is an unemployment insurance benefit made available especially for victims of disaster and is available to individuals who:
- Have applied for and used all regular unemployment benefits, including Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) and Extended Benefits (EB), from any state, or do not qualify for unemployment benefits
- Worked or were self-employed or were scheduled to begin work or self-employment in the disaster area
- Can no longer work or perform services because of physical damage or destruction to the place of employment as a direct result of the disaster
- Establish that the work or self-employment they can no longer perform was their primary source of income
- Cannot perform work or self-employment because of an injury as a direct result of the disaster
- Became the breadwinner or major support of a household because of the death of the head of household, or
- Were unable to reach their job or self-employment location because they must travel through the affected area and are prevented from doing so by the disaster.
Applications must be submitted by March 26, 2021. When applying, specify that the application is related to the damage caused by severe storms.
To learn more and apply, go to TWC’s website or call a TWC Tele-Center at 800-939-6631 (7 a.m. – 7 p.m.︱7 days a week).
