ATLANTA --  As a result of the March 2008 tornado outbreak in Georgia, Disaster Unemployment Benefits are available to people who worked for an  employer in the affected counties and who lost income because of the tornadoes.  Workers do not have to live in the affected county, but their place of employment must be located in the affected county. 

Workers in Fulton County have until Monday, April 21, 2008, to file initial claims for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) benefits to compensate for loss of income directly resulting from the severe storms and tornadoes of March 14-16, 2008. 

Workers in  Bartow, Burke, DeKalb, Floyd, Jefferson, and Polk counties have until Wednesday, April 23, 2008, to file initial claims for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) benefits to compensate for loss of income directly resulting from the severe storms and tornadoes of March 14-16, 2008.

DUA is a federal program established to help workers whose primary income is lost or interrupted as a direct result of a disaster declared by the President.

Federal DUA differs from the state's regular unemployment insurance in that it also provides benefits to self-employed business people, farmers, diversified farming operators, loggers, commission-paid employees, and others who are not eligible for Georgia's regular unemployment insurance benefits. The maximum weekly benefit amount is $320.

In applying for benefits, applicants will need a social security number. Self-employed applicants should be prepared to provide information related to their previous year's earnings, such as income tax forms or quarterly estimated income tax records.

Under certain circumstances, DUA benefits also may be available to family members who become the primary breadwinners of households where the head of that household died as a direct result of the disaster. Proof of the death of the head of household, such as a death certificate or affidavit, should be presented at the time the claim is filed.

To obtain additional information or file a claim, potentially eligible workers should contact any Georgia Department of Labor career center Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

The two career centers located closest to the downtown Atlanta area are the North Metro Career Center at 2943 North Druid Hills Road and the South Metro Career Center at 2636-14 Martin Luther King Dr. The phone numbers are (404) 679-5200 and (404) 699-6900, respectively.

For Bartow, Burke, DeKalb, Floyd, Jefferson, and Polk counties   DUA claims may be filed at any of the Georgia Department of Labor career centers. Bartow County is served by the Cartersville Career Center at 19 Felton Place in Cartersville, (770) 387-3760; Burke and Jefferson counties are served by the Augusta Career Center, 601 Greene St. in Augusta, (706) 721-3131; DeKalb County is served by the DeKalb Career Center, 3879 Covington Highway in Decatur, (404) 298-3970 and the North Metro Career Center, 2943 North Druid Hills Rd. in Atlanta, (404) 679-5200; Floyd County is served by the Rome Career Center, 462 Riverside Parkway in Rome, (706) 295-6051, and Polk County is served by the Cedartown Career Center, 321 West Avenue in Cedartown, (770) 749-2213.

Legal assistance with disaster unemployment claims for low-income households in Bartow, Burke, Floyd, Jefferson, and Polk counties  is available from the Georgia Legal Services Program, www.GLSP.org.