Some Kentuckians out of work due to floods can apply for special unemployment payments
Disaster unemployment assistance will be available to people who are out of work in 11 Kentucky counties because of flooding, landslides and related weather from earlier in February.
Gov. Andy Beshear announced on Friday that both unemployed and self-employed people in Breathitt, Clay, Floyd, Harlan, Knott, Lee, Letcher, Martin, Owsley, Perry and Pike counties can apply for assistance if they became unemployed or had their jobs interrupted because of the natural disaster that began with the storms of Feb. 14.
President Donald Trump approved Beshear’s request for an expedited major disaster declaration in those counties Feb. 25, allowing for individual assistance and public assistance for local governments to be made available. The state said other counties could be added based on further assessments of the damage.
The unemployment assistance is available to people who lost their primary source of income because they were injured in the disaster or because the disaster destroyed or damaged their workplace.
People who “became the breadwinner or major supporter of a household because of the death of the head of the household” in the disaster can also apply, Beshear’s office said in a news release.
“In order to qualify for DUA benefits, claimants in eligible counties must show that their employment or self-employment was lost or interrupted as a direct result of the disaster and that they are not otherwise eligible for regular unemployment insurance benefits under state or federal law,” the release states.
“Farmers and other self-employed individuals who traditionally are ineligible for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits may qualify for DUA.
“To receive DUA benefits, the federal program requires individuals to provide documents, including a copy of their most recent federal or state income tax forms or check stubs, a bill showing their physical address at the time of the disaster and a photo ID. All required documentation must be submitted within 21 days from the date the individual’s DUA application is filed.”
The benefits include up to 28 weeks of unemployment, through Aug. 30, 2025, “as long as the individual’s unemployment continues to be a direct result of the disaster,” the news release stated.
The deadline to apply is April 25. To apply, visit the Kentucky Career Center website or call 502-875-0442.
Individuals and business owners who suffered losses in the disaster in the 11 designated counties can also apply for help by visiting DisasterAssistance.gov, calling 800-621-3362 or by using the FEMA App.
Every one of Kentucky’s 120 counties reported flooding after 3 to 8 inches of rain fell on the state beginning the night of Feb. 14, prompting more than 1,000 emergency rescues in the first 24 hours.
Kentucky’s death toll from the flooding and frigid temperatures that followed it stood at 23 as of Wednesday.
