Disaster Unemployment Assistance Available for Three Additional Counties Affected by Hurricane Helene

Columbia, S.C. – Governor Henry McMaster and S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce Executive Director William Floyd have announced that individuals living or working in Chester, Kershaw, and Orangeburg now may be eligible for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) funds made available through the unemployment insurance benefits system.

These additions now bring the total list of eligible counties up to 26, along with the Catawba Indian Nation. The full list is the following: Abbeville, Aiken, Allendale, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Cherokee, Chester, Edgefield, Greenville, Greenwood, Hampton, Jasper, Kershaw, Laurens, Lexington, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Union, and York Counties; and the Catawba Indian Nation.

They have all been identified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as being potentially eligible to receive DUA for the period of September 29, 2024, through April 5, 2025. The DUA program provides funds to assist people who became unemployed as a direct result of Hurricane Helene, the effects of which began September 25, 2024. DUA is also available to small business owners and the self-employed, including 1099 contract workers, who have lost personal income due to the disaster.

If you lost work or were unemployed as a direct result of Hurricane Helene, then please go to the MyBenefits Portal to apply for unemployment insurance and determine your eligibility for DUA. You can also visit dew.sc.gov and click the MyBenefits Login in the first circle of the homepage to apply through the unemployment insurance benefits system. For help, please call 1-866-831-1724.

The deadline to apply for DUA benefits for Abbeville, Allendale, Hampton, Chester, Kershaw, Jasper, McCormick, Orangeburg, Richland, and York counties, as well as the Catawba Indian Nation, is Monday, December 9, 2024.

Please note that all other counties previously listed still have an application deadline of Monday, December 2, 2024.

Any DUA applications filed after the deadline will be considered untimely and benefits may be denied. Applicants will be required to submit proof about their employment and other documentation to support the claim that they were working or self-employed when the disaster occurred. You will have the ability to upload any documents required in your MyBenefits Portal account under the Documents tab.

Workers or business owners in the eligible counties who meet the following criteria may be eligible to receive a minimum of $150.00 and up to a maximum of $326.00 per week in DUA benefits:

• Individuals who are unemployed due to the disaster, and do not qualify for regular unemployment insurance benefits.
• Self-employed individuals and small business owners who lost income due to the disaster.
• Individuals who were prevented from working due to an injury caused by the disaster.
• Individuals who have become the major supplier of household income due to the disaster-related death or injury of the previous major supplier of household income.
• Individuals who are unable to reach their job or self-employment location because they must travel through the affected area and are prevented from doing so by the disaster.
• Individuals who were to commence employment or self-employment but were prevented by the disaster.