Nearly two months after flooding swept through Vermont, the state Department of Labor has begun issuing the first disaster unemployment assistance payments to business owners and independent contractors, the department said Friday.
Business owners have complained that the department has taken weeks to process payments as they weather continued financial hardship. At a press conference Wednesday, Gov. Phil Scott called the delay a “source of frustration.”
Disaster unemployment assistance is different from regular unemployment assistance in that it is for people not on payroll, such as the owners of very small businesses. The maximum payment is $750 a week, just like regular unemployment assistance.
The Department of Labor said in a press release Friday that the first payments had been issued Thursday. At that time, the department said, 128 people had applied.
The department reminded Vermonters that they still have some time left to apply. The deadline is Sept. 29.
To submit a claim, people must call the Vermont Unemployment Insurance Claimant Assistance Center at (877) 214-3330. For help with an existing claim, people can call (877) 214-3332 or email labor.disasternunemployment@vermont.gov.
