West Virginia workers whose jobs or self-employment were interrupted by August flooding can now seek Disaster Unemployment Assistance in Fayette, Harrison and Kanawha counties. Gov. Patrick Morrisey and WorkForce West Virginia announced the availability on October 16, setting a December 7 filing deadline, according to the state announcement and MetroNews’s October 17 report.
The program covers qualifying employment losses directly connected to severe storms and flooding from August 14–18, not every subsequent period without work. The federal disaster notice confirms that incident period and the October 7 presidential declaration. The governor’s office identifies the declaration as DR-4953.
Who may qualify
Disaster unemployment assistance fills a gap for people who cannot receive regular unemployment insurance, including eligible self-employed workers. The U.S. Department of Labor’s program explanation and WorkForce’s guidance both make that distinction. WorkForce must assess regular unemployment eligibility before someone can receive DUA; residence in an affected county alone does not establish entitlement.
Potential qualifying circumstances include a workplace that cannot be reached, a job that could not begin because of the disaster, or a disaster-caused injury preventing work. Both the federal explanation and state guidance describe those situations. They also recognize a household member who must seek work after the disaster causes the death of the household’s main provider.
Documents and continuing claims matter
Applicants should prepare employment and earnings records. The October 16 announcement requires proof of past earnings within 21 days after applying and gives examples including business records, bank statements and tax forms. Labor Department documentation guidance separately explains the importance of substantiating employment and income, including how missing records can affect continued payments or the calculated benefit.
Scott Adkins, WorkForce’s acting commissioner, said full-time, part-time and self-employed workers may qualify. The last payable week ends April 10, 2027, but that is not a promise of payments through that date for every applicant. Eligibility is assessed week by week while unemployment remains directly attributable to the disaster, according to the state release and MetroNews.
There is also a separate step after the initial application. WorkForce’s published instructions say DUA payment requests use paper forms covering two-week periods; claimants cannot request those payments online or by telephone. Completed forms can be emailed or delivered to a local office by the date shown. The agency instructs workers to report gross wages in the week the work was performed, rather than when the paycheck arrives. These are administrative requirements in the agency’s guidance, not new conditions created by the October announcement.
For filing instructions, the state announcement directs affected people to ucpolicy@wv.gov or 304-558-3340, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m.; MetroNews reports the same contact information. WorkForce’s application guidance stresses that DUA and FEMA assistance require separate applications. A disaster-related claim should therefore be directed to the agency responsible for that benefit rather than assuming one application covers every recovery program.
