Government Assistance
Additional Government Assistance
After a federal disaster declaration, FEMA assistance is available to those affected by the disaster. Find more information regarding FEMA assistance here. Below is information on additional government assistance that may become available after a federal disaster declaration.
Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA)
The DUA program provides assistance to people who lost their job or had an interruption in work hours as a result of a disaster.
To qualify for DUA you must meet both of the conditions below:
- Your job must have been lost or interrupted as a result of a presidentially declared disaster, and
- You must not be eligible for regular unemployment insurance benefits.
If you lived, worked, or were scheduled to work in the declared disaster area, you may qualify for assistance if you meet any of the following conditions:
- No longer have a job or place to work.
- Can’t reach your job site.
- Can’t work because of damage to the job site.
- Were about to start a new job but, due to the disaster, the job no longer exists.
- Can’t work because of an injury caused by the disaster.
- Became the major support for a household because the head of household died due to the disaster.
You must be available and able to work, unless you meet one of these two conditions:
- You have an injury caused by the disaster, or
- You are taking steps to return to self-employment.
Find more information about DUA here.
Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP)
The D-SNAP provides assistance to low-income households that had food loss due to a disaster.
You may qualify for D-SNAP if you had one of the disaster-related expenses:
- Home or business repairs.
- Temporary shelter expenses.
- Evacuation or relocation expenses.
- Disaster-related personal injury, including funeral expenses
- Lost or no access to income due to the disaster; includes reduced, terminated, or delayed receipt of income, for a large part of the benefit period.
- In some cases, food loss after a disaster like flooding or power outages.
If you’re a current SNAP client, you can request a supplement when your state operates a D-SNAP if you meet the conditions below:
- You currently get benefits that are less than the monthly maximum, and
- You have losses from the disaster.
Find more information about D-SNAP here.
Source: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) / Forms of Assistance