Last week, the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce announced that individuals working in Aiken, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Cherokee, Edgefield, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, Lexington, Newberry, Oconee, Pickens, Saluda, Spartanburg, and Union counties are eligible for SC Unemployment Benefits due to Hurricane Helene. These benefits are called Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA). If you are a resident of those counties and your employment has been affected by Hurricane Helene and its aftermath, you can apply for SC unemployment benefits ($150 to $326 a week) for the time period of September 29, 2024 to April 5, 2025.
For example, if your work location is shut down due to the loss of power or damage to the building from falling trees and you become unemployed, you can apply for these SC unemployment benefits through SC DEW. The coverage is not limited to only W-2 employees. The DUA benefits cover small business owners and 1099 contractors who have lost personal income as a result of the storm. These new benefits cover a far broader range of individuals than traditional unemployment benefits, which are normally limited to W-2 employees who lose their job due to no fault of their own.
The deadline to apply is Monday, December 2, 2024. You can apply by using the MyBenefits Portal on the SC DEW’s website. You’ll need to show documentation to establish your prior employment or self-employment, such as paystubs. Those documents can be uploaded through the portal at the time of your application. SC DEW is a stickler for deadlines, so don’t delay in making your application.
Other examples provided by SC DEW for who may be covered include the following:
Individuals who are unemployed due to the disaster, and do not qualify for regular unemployment insurance benefits.
Self-employed individuals and small business owners who lost income due to the disaster.
Individuals who were prevented from working due to an injury caused by the disaster.
Individuals who have become the major supplier of household income due to the disaster-related death or injury of the previous major supplier of household income.
Individuals who are 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.
Individuals who were to commence employment or self-employment but were prevented by the disaster.
If you have any questions about the unemployment process, please feel free to reach out to our office at 864-233-4351 or contact us through our website here.
