Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Secretary Nancy A. Walker announced today that Pennsylvanians living or working in Lycoming, Potter, Tioga, and Union counties who were directly impacted by Tropical Storm Debby may now apply for temporary Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA). The deadline to apply for DUA benefits is November 12, 2024.

In response to the August disaster, Governor Josh Shapiro quickly issued a Commonwealth proclamation of disaster emergency for 21 counties on August 9, 2024, and amended it to 28 counties on August 20, 2024, to provide immediate response and recovery assistance to affected Pennsylvanians. The Governor's disaster declaration allowed the Commonwealth to quickly draw down funding and to provide state agencies with the resources needed to assist counties and municipalities with ongoing recovery efforts.

On September 4th, Governor Shapiro and PEMA Director Randy Padfield visited Westfield, Tioga County to meet with Pennsylvanians impacted by catastrophic flooding from the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby. Governor Shapiro visited with impacted residents on Potter Brook Road; stopped by a local business currently closed due to flooding; and met with firefighters and first responders at Crary Hose Company. The Governor was joined by Rep. Clint Owlett and Tioga County Commissioners Shane Nickerson, Sam Vanloon, and Marc Rice.

Most recently, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania received a federal major disaster declaration on September 11, 2024Opens In A New Window, which includes DUA benefits for those affected by Tropical Storm Debby in the counties of Lycoming, Potter, Tioga, and Union. The incident period for the storm spans August 9–10, 2024.

“Disaster Unemployment Assistance is a temporary program for Pennsylvanians who were unable to work due to the damage caused by Tropical Storm Debby," said Secretary Walker. “Individuals who meet the eligibility requirements must submit their applications by November 12, 2024. I urge Pennsylvanians who live in, work in, or travel through these four affected counties and whose employment has been directly impacted by the storm to apply for these benefits as soon as possible."

DUA Eligibility

Pennsylvanians eligible to apply for DUA assistance must live or work in one of the following counties: Lycoming, Potter, Tioga, or Union.  All claims will be verified with the affected employer.

The temporary DUA benefits are only available for individuals, including those who are self-employed and those who are unemployed as a direct result of damages caused by Tropical Storm Debby.

Individuals eligible for DUA benefits are those who work or live in one of the federally declared counties and lost their jobs directly due to the disaster. Those eligible may also include:

• Individuals unable to reach their job because they must travel through the affected area and are unable to do so because of the disaster;
• Individuals who were to begin employment but were prevented doing so by the disaster;
• Individuals who became the major support for a household because of the death of the head of the household as a result of the disaster; or
• Individuals who cannot work because of an injury caused as a direct result of the disaster.

Unemployment is a “direct result" of this storm if the unemployment resulted from: (1) the physical damage or destruction of the place of employment; (2) the physical inaccessibility of the place of employment due to its closure by the federal, state, or local government in immediate response to the disaster; or (3) lack of work, or loss of revenues, if, prior to the disaster, the employer or self-employed business received at least a majority of its revenue or income from an entity in the major disaster area that was damaged or destroyed in the disaster or an entity in the major disaster area closed by the federal, state, or local government."

Applying for DUA

Pennsylvanians whose employment is impacted for the reasons listed above under “DUA Eligibility" should file a claim online at www.uc.pa.gov.

Before an individual can be deemed eligible for DUA, L&I must first establish that the individual is not eligible for regular Unemployment Compensation (UC) benefits under any state or federal law.

Please note that DUA claims filed after the deadline may not be eligible for payment, except in certain circumstances.

The Disaster Unemployment Assistance program is part of the federal disaster assistance process but is administered by L&I.

Pennsylvanians experiencing job loss due to the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby or otherwise can always contact L&I directly for assistance through the Department's UC helpline (888-313-7284), by email (UCHelp@pa.gov) or the live chat.