Prairie State Wire

The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) has extended the deadline for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) applications to December 13, 2024. This extension applies to individuals in Cook, Fulton, Henry, St. Clair, Washington, Will, and Winnebago Counties affected by severe weather events in July.

These DUA benefits were made available following a major disaster declaration by President Biden on September 20, 2024. The assistance is funded federally through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Eligible claimants may receive up to 35 weeks of DUA benefits as long as their unemployment results from the disaster. Applications are assessed weekly. To apply for these benefits, individuals should contact the IDES call center at 217.558.0401 and mention they are seeking DUA benefits for the specified counties.

Before applying for DUA benefits, claimants must be deemed ineligible for regular state unemployment insurance benefits. IDES will assess eligibility and payments on a case-by-case basis.

To qualify for DUA benefits, individuals must be unemployed or self-employed workers whose job loss directly resulted from the declared disaster. They must also be U.S. nationals or qualified citizens who do not qualify for regular unemployment insurance and have worked or been scheduled to work in one of the affected counties.

Other eligible individuals include those unable to work due to physical damage at their place of employment or an injury caused by the disaster and those who became primary earners due to a household head's death related to the event.

For further information about IDES services and news updates, visit IDES.Illinois.gov.