Little Rock, AR – Arkansas’ Secretary of Commerce, Hugh McDonald has announced that as a result of Presidential Disaster Declaration FEMA-4698-DR, the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services (ADWS) is accepting applications for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) from individuals in Cross, Lonoke, and Pulaski counties whose employment or self-employment was lost or interrupted due to the severe storms and tornadoes that occurred on March 31, 2023.
Applications for DUA must be filed by May 4, 2023. Applications filed after May 4, 2023, will be considered untimely, unless the individual provides good cause for filing after the deadline.
DUA is available to individuals who: RELEA
Worked or were self-employed, or were scheduled to begin work or self-employment;
Can no longer work or perform services because of physical damage or destruction to the place of employment as a direct result of a disaster, which can also include the physical inaccessibility of the place of employment due to its closure by the federal, state, or local government in immediate response to the disaster;
Establish that the work or self-employment they can no longer perform was their primary source of income;
Do not qualify for regular unemployment insurance benefits from any state;
Cannot work or resume self-employment because of an injury as a direct result of the disaster; or
Became the breadwinner or major support of a household because of the death of the head of the household.
Individuals will need their Social Security number, a copy of 2022 Federal income tax forms or check stubs, or documentation to support they were working or self-employed when the disaster occurred. To receive DUA benefits, all required documentation must be submitted within 21 days from the day the DUA application is filed. DWS will work with claimants who may be experiencing difficulties locating tax returns or paystubs due to property losses.
To file for DUA, individuals may go online at https://www.ezarc.adws.arkansas.gov and file their UI application. Select “Laid off – Weather” as the reason for separation.
After completing the UI application, individuals will need to click the DUA link to download the DUA application. Email the completed form to ADWS.DUA@arkansas.gov.
Paper applications for both UI and DUA will also be available at the mobile Workforce Centers and Workforce Centers in Little Rock, Benton, Jonesboro, Searcy, Conway, Forrest City, and West Memphis.
Find more information, including Workforce Center and mobile Workforce Center locations, visit https://bit.ly/ArkansasDUA.