Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development

For more information, contact:
Larry Sorenson, UI Division, 608/264-6817

Madison, Wis. -- Workers in four Wisconsin counties who lost jobs or wages because of last week’s heavy rains in southern and southeastern Wisconsin now may apply for federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance, a state agency said today.

The State Department of Workforce Development (DWD) said it is accepting applications from persons working in Milwaukee, Sheboygan, Waukesha and Rock counties if the Aug. 5-7 storms and their aftermath prevented them from working as scheduled.

The weekly benefits which can be paid when claims are approved range from $91 to $290, said Maureen Hlavacek, the agency’s unemployment insurance administrator, and may be paid for up to 27 weeks, depending on the impact of the flooding on work schedules. Those with only partial unemployment would receive less.

Workers have until Sept. 14 to apply for the special benefits.

To be eligible, workers must have been unable to work for some period beginning Aug. 9 due to flooding.

Those eligible for the special unemployment payments include people who, as a direct result of the flooding:

• were unable to reach their regular place of employment, or

• were to begin new employment but could not go to work, or

• lost work because of an injury.

Also included are those who became the major support of a household because the head of the household died as a direct result of the flooding.

These special benefits are based on a person’s earnings during a "base period" that coincides with their most recent tax year. As a result, people will be asked when they file their claims for earnings data from their 1997 federal tax returns. They should have the returns readily available when they call in their claim. All claims will be taken by telephone only.

Applications may be filed until the deadline Monday-Friday between 7:45 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. by calling 1-800-822-5246 (or 438-7700 in the Milwaukee area). A special (TTY) toll-free number for use by the hearing- and speech-impaired is 1-888-393-8914.

This special jobless aid is financed by the federal government and administered by the state agency under an agreement.