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AZ Dept. of Economic Security approves disaster unemployment assistance for Watch Fire victims

Vehicles lined up during a morning briefing for the Watch Fire on July 13, 2024.
InciWeb
Vehicles lined up during a morning briefing for the Watch Fire on July 13, 2024.

Earlier this week, Arizona’s Department of Economic Security announced that disaster unemployment assistance (DUA) is now available for members of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, where those affected by a fire that burned over 2,000 acres in July will benefit.

DUA is specifically meant for people whose ability to work was disrupted or lost directly because of a major disaster. In this case the federal aid will benefit those affected by the Watch Fire, which burned for roughly a week.

Applicants must have been working, self-employed or about to start a job that was affected by the fire. That includes anyone injured, unable to reach their job, or who became head of household due to a death the disaster caused.

Approved after President Joe Biden declared the fire a major disaster in early October, the benefits will be calculated similarly to regular unemployment insurance and go out weekly for up to 38 weeks.

Applications are open now, but the deadline to apply is Dec. 16. Visit des.az.gov/dua for more information.

Kirsten Dorman is a field correspondent at KJZZ. Born and raised in New Jersey, Dorman fell in love with audio storytelling as a freshman at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in 2019.
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