Chaves County Eligible for Disaster Unemployment Assistance from Severe Storm and Flooding

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Chaves County Eligible for Disaster Unemployment Assistance from Severe Storm and Flooding

President Joseph R. Biden authorized Federal disaster aid for the State of New Mexico making Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) available to businesses and residents whose employment or self-employment was lost or interrupted as a direct result of the severe storm and flooding in Chaves County that took place on October 19-20, 2024. The President acted upon a request by New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.

The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions is accepting applications for DUA from workers and self-employed individuals in Chaves County who have been unable to work due to this disaster. Applications may be filed by calling the Unemployment Insurance Operations Center at 1-877-664-6984, Monday through Friday, 8am-4:30pm until the deadline of December 31, 2024.

The process to apply for DUA benefits includes two steps:

An individual must first apply for Standard Unemployment Insurance. This may be done online anytime 24/7 at https://www.jobs.state.nm.us or by calling the Unemployment Insurance Operations center at 1-877-664-6984, Monday through Friday, 8am-4:30pm.

If an individual is not eligible for Standard Unemployment Insurance, they may then apply for DUA by calling the Unemployment Insurance Operations Center or in person at any New Mexico Workforce Connection Center.

Individuals who lost work or employment due to the designated disaster must file DUA applications by established deadlines. DUA is available to those who:

Worked or were self-employed or were scheduled to begin work or self-employment; and

Do not qualify for regular unemployment benefits, or Extended Benefits (EB) from any state; and

Were 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; or

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; or

Cannot physically access the place of employment due to its closure by the federal, state, or local government in immediate response to the disaster; or

Can establish that the work or self-employment they can no longer perform was their principal source of income; or

Cannot perform work or self-employment because of an injury as a direct result of the disaster; or

Became the breadwinner or major support of a household because of the death related to the disaster/fire.

Applications filed after the deadline will be considered untimely and DUA benefits may be denied unless the individual provides good cause for filing after that date; therefore, claimants should file as soon as possible.
Proof of employment/self-employment must be submitted no later than 21 days after filing for a DUA claim. The following documents are examples of documents that may establish sufficient proof of employment depending on the individual’s case:

Payroll voucher closest in date to the last work week

Employment and earnings statement from employer with name, address and contact information

Statement written from employer

Business records (bank statements, business receipts, licenses, advertisements, invoices, appointment books, financial statements)

Notarized statement from the person with name, address, and contact information who can verify your self-employment and unemployment.

If an individual is self-employed, their 2023 federal income tax return and schedules can serve as proof of prior wages but does not substantiate their proof of employment at the time of the disaster.
Individuals should refer to the list above of acceptable forms of proof of employment.

DUA is available for weeks of unemployment beginning October 20, 2024, until May 3, 2025, as long as the individual’s unemployment continues to be a direct result of the disaster.

DUA applications are only being accepted in person or by phone. If an individual applies for benefits by phone or in person, they will automatically receive their benefits via debit card unless they had a previous claim where they received direct deposit. A claimant can change their payment method to direct deposit at any time by logging onto their claimant homepage on the Unemployment Insurance Tax & Claims system at https://www.jobs.state.nm.us.

Additional information regarding the DUA program is available on the NMDWS website at https://www.dws.state.nm.us/DUA.

Locations to file a DUA Claim
Individuals who are applying in person for DUA may go to the New Mexico Workforce Connection in Roswell located at 67 University Blvd or any New Mexico Workforce Connection Center (https://www.dws.state.nm.us/Office-Locations) Monday through Friday 8am-5pm.

Career Consultants at Workforce Connection Centers are available to assist individuals with reemployment services including job search, job referrals and placement, and customized skill development such as interviewing and resume writing.