Vermont residents who have lost their jobs temporarily or permanently as a result of last week’s flooding are eligible for unemployment insurance benefits, according to Labor Commissioner Michael Harrington.
To open a claim, individuals can call the Department of Labor call center. But Harrington is urging potential beneficiaries to hold off on applying until Wednesday, when applications become available on the department’s website.
“I’m encouraging as many of those people who can to wait so we don’t overrun our call center where folks are waiting in the queue for hours on end or just can’t get through at all,” Harrington said during a remote press conference Monday morning with other administration officials.
He emphasized that waiting until Wednesday to file will not slow the payment of benefits.
Employers do not need to notify the Department of Labor of temporary or permanent layoffs, according to Harrington. He said that the work search requirement for unemployment insurance would be waived as long as an employer or the claimant communicates to the department their intention to reopen or return to work within 10 weeks.
For those who do not meet the criteria for traditional unemployment, the Disaster Unemployment Assistance program will be made available “in the coming days and weeks,” Harrington said. Qualifying individuals could include independent contractors, those who may not have met wage criteria, and those whose employers did not have unemployment insurance.
As soon as authorization is received from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Department of Labor to launch the Disaster Unemployment Assistance program, Harrington said, the department will release information about eligibility and benefits on its website.
