Lost wage recovery available

In the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac, help is available for people left out of work. The Louisiana Workforce Commission announced Saturday that Lafourche Parish residents impacted by the storm would be eligible for disaster unemployment assistance.

Those eligible for disaster unemployment have until Oct. 2 to submit applications for assistance. The LWC-administered program is available through Federal Emergency Management Agency funds. Claims can be filed online at www.laworks.net. Persons without Internet access may call (866) 783-5567 for filing assistance.

Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolph said that damage to property and disruption to normal activity is difficult enough without having to worry about lost employment income.

“It [has] been about a week since hourly wage people have been able to receive any money,” Randolph said. “So, they will be assisted by the emergency food stamp program as well as [other programs].”

Disaster assistance is available for individuals that were left unemployed beginning Sept. 8 and extending to March 2, 2013. Benefits will not be paid for any unemployment period before or after those dates.

Assistance is reserved for U.S. nationals and qualified aliens who worked or were self-employed in a region declared as a federal disaster area, can no longer work because physical damages or destruction resulting from a disaster to their place of employment or establish that self-employment, that was a primary source of income, can no longer be performed as it was prior to the disaster.

Applicants must not qualify for unemployment in any other state, cannot perform work or self-employment because of an injury or were incapacitated as a direct result of the disaster.

The applicant may be the designated breadwinner or major support of a household because of the death of the proceeding head of household.

Persons applying for assistance cannot be self-employed due to federal rules. The claimnant must have lost a majority of income because the owner of self-employed business was damaged, destroyed or closed by the federal government.

Officials with the LWC noted that suffering a monetary loss because of property of crops does not automatically entitle an individual for disaster unemployment assistance.

To receive disaster unemployment assistance, individuals must provide Social Security numbers, proof of employment such as name and address of employer and proof of wages including pay stubs. Self-employed individuals must provide business and financial records, including federal income tax returns for 2011.