Individuals affected by the High Park and Waldo Canyon wildfires can apply for assistance.
The Colorado
Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) has announced availability of Disaster
Unemployment Assistance (DUA) to help workers who lost their jobs, and
self-employed individuals who are unable to work, recover from the effects of
the High Park and Waldo Canyon wildfires that began on June 9,
2012.
Affected individuals who live or work in El Paso and Larimer Counties must submit applications for DUA
by August 8, 2012. Claims filed after the deadline will be considered untimely
and benefits denied, unless the individual provides good cause for filing late.
The first possible week of DUA compensation is the week beginning June 10, 2012,
and ending June 16, 2012. Benefit payments may continue through December 29,
2012, as long as the unemployment continues to be a direct result of the
disaster.
DUA is available to people
who:
- Do not qualify for regular state unemployment benefits.
- Worked or were self-employed or were scheduled to begin work or self-employment, but were unable to do so because of the disaster.
- Can no longer work or perform services because of physical damage or destruction to the place of employment as a direct result of the disaster.
- Cannot reach their place of employment as a direct result of the disaster.
- Have been prevented from work or self-employment because of an injury as a direct result of the disaster.
- Establish that work or self-employment they can no longer perform was their primary source of income.
- Have become the major support of a household because of the death of the head of the household.
To file a claim for DUA, applicants may visit a local Disaster Recovery Center (DRC), the Pikes Peak or Larimer County Workforce Centers or call the Wildfire Unemployment Resource phone line at 1-888-843-8382 (outside Denver-metro area) or 303-318-9038 (Denver-metro area). The Wildfire Unemployment Resource phone line requires applicants to leave a message with their name, social security number, callback number and best time(s) to return the call.
- The Waldo Canyon DRC is located at 105 North Spruce Street Colorado Springs, CO 80905
- The Pikes Peak Workforce Center is located at 1675 Garden of the Gods Road in Colorado Springs (719-667-3700).
- The Larimer County Workforce Center is at 200 West Oak Street, Suite 5000, in Fort Collins (970-498-6600).
To receive DUA benefits, you must provide documentation
to support that you were working, were self-employed, or had prospective
employment at the time of the disaster. Self-employed individuals must provide
federal tax forms (including all schedules) for the 2011 tax year. The
documentation must be submitted within 21 days from the day the DUA claim is
filed.
In addition to DUA benefits, individuals may contact
their nearest workforce center to receive job-search assistance. A full list of
all workforce centers is available online. Visit www.colorado.gov/cdle and click on
Workforce Center Services.
Additional information is available online at www.colorado.gov/cdle.
