Disaster Unemployment Assistance has been approved for Cheshire, Grafton, Hillsborough, Merrimack, and Sullivan Counties in New Hampshire. Call NH Employment Security (NHES) at 1-800-468-1608 to open a claim, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m, Monday through Friday.

Richard S. Brothers, Commissioner of NH Employment Security stated, “Individuals, including self-employed individuals who were living or working in the affected areas at the time of the major disaster, may be eligible for assistance under either the Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) Program or the Unemployment Compensation Program. We encourage these individuals to file for this assistance as soon as possible, and at least before December 2, 2005.”

Disaster Unemployment claims must be filed by December 2, 2005.  Individuals eligible for DUA may also include:

• Individuals who were unable to get to their job because they were required to travel through the affected area and were prevented from doing so by the disaster.
• Individuals who were about to commence employment but were prevented from doing so because of the disaster.
• Individuals who became the breadwinner or major supporter for a household because of the death of the former head of household in the disaster.
• Individuals who cannot work because of an injury caused as a direct result of the disaster. DUA is a wholly federally financed program which provides assistance to those individuals suffering the loss or interruption of employment, which has been their principal source of income and livelihood as a direct result of a major disaster and who are not eligible for Unemployment Compensation under the regular Unemployment Insurance Programs.

DUA is available to eligible individuals starting with the week ending October 15, 2005.  It is available to an individual as long as the individual’s unemployment caused by the major disaster continues, but no longer than 26 weeks after the declaration of the major disaster.  Applicants filing DUA claims will be asked about their work history for the last 18 months and may be asked to provide paperwork that shows their earnings.

NHES staff is providing employment services and DUA unemployment information, referrals to suitable work opportunities to assist individuals who are unemployed as a direct result of the disaster at the temporary FEMA emergency office at 25 Roxbury Street in Keene, in addition to the Keene NHES office on 109 Key Road. Commissioner Brothers stated, “Our staff is assisting in the temporary FEMA office with anything and everything they can do for these people, in addition to their regular duties.”

For more information, call the DUA Coordinator at 603-656-6607.