Columbia, S.C. – Governor Henry McMaster and S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) Executive Director Cheryl Stanton today announced that residents in Dillon, Horry, Marion and Marlboro counties are now eligible for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) funds, which will be made available through the unemployment insurance benefits system. Residents in these four counties are eligible for DUA due to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) decision to amend the federal disaster declaration to include individual assistance eligibility in those counties. Other counties may be added to the disaster declaration as emergency managers assess damage throughout the state.

The DUA program makes funds available to assist people who became unemployed as a direct result of Hurricane Florence. It also is available to small business owners and the self-employed, including 1099 contract workers, who lost personal income due to the disaster.

If your job has been affected by Hurricane Florence go to DEW's Website and click the MyBenefits Login in the top right corner to apply through the unemployment insurance (UI) benefits system. For help, call 1-866-831-1724. The deadline for applying October 24, 2018 – 30 calendar days from the date that DEW announced the availability of DUA in the county.

If you have already filed a UI claim related to Hurricane Florence there is no need to file again.

If you have not yet filed, applications filed after the deadline will be considered untimely and DUA benefits may be denied. Applicants may be asked to submit information about their employment and other documentation to support the claim that they were working or self-employed when the disaster occurred. In some cases, additional documentation may be required.

Workers or business owners meeting the following criteria may be eligible for benefits:

• Individuals who are unemployed due to the disaster, and do not qualify for regular unemployment insurance benefits.
• Self-employed individuals and small business owners who lost income due to the disaster.
• Individuals who were prevented from working due to an injury caused by the disaster.
• Individuals who have become the major supplier of household income due to the disaster-related death or injury of the previous major supplier of household income.
• Individuals who are 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.
• Individuals who were to commence employment or self-employment but were prevented by the disaster.

Please check DEW's Website for updates to this program.