Disaster Unemployment Assistance benefits available for communities affected by storms and flooding in February 2025
According to a press release, the availability of Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) benefits are available for people in Mercer, McDowell, Wyoming, and Mingo counties, which were named major disaster areas, due to flooding in the state in February 2025 was announced by Governor Morrisey and WorkForce West Virginia.
Major Disaster Declaration approved by President Trump for counties in West Virginia
Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) applies to losses beginning the week of February 16 for eligible people impacted by the severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides and mudslides. Full-time workers, part-time workers, and self-employed part-time individuals can be eligible for benefits.
The last payable week of this emergency benefit ends August 30 as long as your unemployment or loss of self-employment continues as a result of the disaster. Eligibility for DUA benefits will be determined on a week-to-week basis for each week you file your claim.
Scott Adkins | Acting Director of WorkForce West Virginia
People who live or work in the mentioned counties and lost their job because of the storms and aftermath of the storms can apply for federal unemployment benefits, however any claims will need to be filed before April 28, 2025. The disaster number is #DR-4861.
FEMA teams head to McDowell County
The benefits will be available to people who are self-employed, including farmers, who are not often included in unemployment insurance benefits. Individuals who apply for the DUA benefits will need to show proof of past earnings, such as business records or bank statements and income tax forms, no more than 21 days after filing the application.
People who were unemployed due to the severe storms will need to contact WorkForce West Virginia by phone 304-558-3340 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. or by email ucpolicy@wv.gov.
People who are eligible for DUA benefits include:
Those who are unable to reach their job or self-employment location because they need to travel through the affected area and are prevented from doing so by the disaster.
People who were to commence employment or self-employment but were stopped by the disaster.
Individuals who became the breadwinner or major support for a household because of the death of the head of the household due to the disaster.
Those who cannot work or perform services in self-employment because of an injury caused as a direct result of the disaster.
Testing offered in McDowell County for well water affected by flooding
Unemployment is a direct result of the major disaster if the unemployment was caused by:
The physical damage or destruction of the place of employment.
The physical inaccessibility of the place of employment due to its closure by the federal, state or local government in immediate response to the disaster.
Lack of work, or loss of revenues, if, before the disaster, the employer or self-employed business received at least a majority of its revenue or income from an entity in the major disaster area that was damaged or destroyed in the disaster or an entity in the major disaster area closed by the federal, state or local government.
Not only does WorkForce West Virginia help file DUA claims, they also offer reemployment services, such as job search assistance, resume services, and job placement.
Additional information, or to report fraud, can be found by calling 1-800-252-JOBS (5627).
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Commentary: There's an upside to the Trump tariffs
Many CEOs have been scrambling this year to rewire supply chains and minimize the impact of President Trump's new tariffs. The import taxes have dented profits at dozens of big companies and led many economists to downgrade their forecasts for growth and hiring. The tariffs aren't all bad, however. Trump and his aides have been crowing about the new revenue the tax hikes are bringing in, and there's now an important third-party endorsement of that view. Rating agency S&P Global updated its credit assessment of the United States on Aug. 18, citing new tariff revenue as a modest positive in America's otherwise shaky fiscal situation. S&P called new tariff revenue "robust" and said it has the potential to offset other actions likely to worsen the US debt profile. If that helps stabilize US debt relative to the size of the economy at current levels, the US economy might be fine. The US debt picture is still ugly. Total federal debt recently surpassed $37 trillion. The portion traded by investors in financial markets is equal to about 100% of GDP, an unprecedented level outside of wartime. The tax-cut legislation Trump signed into law in early July will add at least $4 trillion more to the national debt during the next decade. At current levels, Trump's tariffs could bring in nearly $300 billion per year in new revenue. That would cut the expected annual deficit in 2025 from $1.9 trillion to $1.6 trillion. That's not a huge improvement, but Trump's tariff revenue is still the most substantial new source of federal revenue in years. Read more: What Trump's tariffs mean for the economy and your wallet It's also notable that one of the rating agencies has anything positive to say about America's finances, which have been steadily deteriorating since 2001, the last time there was a budget surplus. S&P shocked financial markets in 2011 when it downgraded US creditworthiness from AAA to AA+, the first such downgrade ever. Two other rating agencies, Moody's and Fitch, have also knocked the US out of the top tier since then. S&P rates 11 countries higher than the US, including Canada, Australia, Singapore, and eight European nations. The US still has unique advantages. S&P notes that the US economy has grown far faster than other advanced economies since the COVID downturn in 2020. Reasons for US outperformance include "strong civic society, political respect for property rights and the rule of law, and success in promoting innovation and new technology." The primacy of the US dollar, which accounts for about 60% of the world's government reserves, is a priceless edge. Without saying so outright, the S&P analysis includes some stern warnings for Trump. The agency repeatedly cited the Federal Reserve as a unique enabler of stability and prosperity and noted that any interference with that could have dire consequences. America's AA+ rating "could come under pressure if political developments weigh on the strength of American institutions and the effectiveness of long-term policymaking or independence of the Federal Reserve," S&P said. The agency has cited US political dysfunction as a concern before, but the heavy emphasis on Federal Reserve independence is new. Read more: How much control does the president have over the Fed and interest rates?That seems an obvious reference to Trump's efforts to browbeat the Fed into sharply cutting interest rates and otherwise gain more control over Fed policymaking. Unlike any other president, Trump has repeatedly berated Fed Chair Jerome Powell and threatened to fire him. Powell and the Fed have so far resisted Trump's pressure campaign, but that could change over time as Powell and other Fed policymakers serve out their terms and Trump nominates replacements. S&P also referred to the importance of "transparent and timely statistical information" to the dynamism of the US economy. That sounds like an oblique reference to Trump's recent firing of the economist overseeing the jobs report after it showed a startling slowdown in hiring. Trump falsely claimed the data was "rigged" and nominated a partisan replacement who suggested suspending the monthly jobs report. S&P is indicating it would view such a move as credit-negative. The Trump tariffs remain a risk in themselves. S&P foresees relatively weak GDP growth of 1.7% this year and 1.6% in 2026, down from 2.8% in 2024. That slowdown comes in large part from the added cost and uncertainty of Trump's tariffs, plus a slowdown in labor force growth due to Trump's strict immigration policies. Most forecasters agree that Trump's policies will bring slower growth, with fewer jobs and perhaps higher inflation. The blessing for Trump and for most Americans is that the US economy is a dynamo that's hard to repress, even with questionable policies. Trump and most other presidents credit themselves for a resilient economy that would do just fine without them, and maybe perform even better. Rick Newman is a senior columnist for Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Bluesky and X: @rickjnewman. Click here for political news related to business and money policies that will shape tomorrow's stock prices. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
San Francisco Chronicle
29 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
DC unemployment rate is the highest in the US for the third straight month
WASHINGTON (AP) — The seasonably adjusted unemployment rate in Washington, D.C., was the highest in the nation for the third straight month, according to new data released Tuesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. D.C.'s jobless rate reached 6% in July, a reflection of the mass layoffs of federal workers, ushered in by President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, earlier this year. An overall decline in international tourism — which is a main driver of D.C.'s income — is also expected to have an impact on the climbing unemployment rate in the District. Neighboring states also saw an uptick in unemployment rates in July — with Maryland at 3.4% (up from 3.3%) and Virginia at 3.6% (up from 3.5%), according to the state-by-state jobless figures. Since the beginning of Trump's second term, federal workers across government agencies have been either laid off or asked to voluntarily resign from their positions. Those actions have drawn litigation across the federal government by labor unions and advocacy groups. In July, the Supreme Court cleared the way for Trump administration plans to downsize the federal workforce further, despite warnings that critical government services will be lost and hundreds of thousands of federal employees will be out of their jobs. The latest D.C. Office of Revenue Analysis figures show that payments made to unemployed federal workers have been climbing month-over-month. In April, unemployed workers received $2.01 million in unemployment payments. By June, that figure reached $2.57 million. The DC Fiscal Policy Institute argues that the federal worker layoffs will exacerbate D.C.'s Black-white unemployment ratio. The latest nationwide unemployment rate according to the BLS is 4.2% — South Dakota had the lowest jobless rate in July at 1.9%. In addition, international tourism, a major source of D.C., to the U.S. is declining. Angered by Trump's tariffs and rhetoric, and alarmed by reports of tourists being arrested at the border, some citizens of other countries are staying away from the U.S. and choosing to travel elsewhere — notably British, German and South American tourists, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council. A May report from the organization states that international visitor spending to the U.S. is projected to fall to just under $169 billion this year, down from $181 billion in 2024 — which is a 22.5% decline compared to the previous peak. The latest jobs numbers come after the Republican president and a group of GOP governors have deployed National Guard troops to D.C. in the hopes of reducing crime and boosting immigration enforcement. City officials say crime is already falling in the nation's capital.
New York Post
29 minutes ago
- New York Post
Nvidia developing more powerful AI chip to sell in China: report
Nvidia is developing an AI chip for China that is more powerful than the H20 model it is currently allowed to sell in the region, according to a report. The new chip, tentatively named the B30A, is a less advanced version of its Blackwell B300 design, which is blocked from sale in China by export restrictions, two sources familiar with the company's plans told Reuters. It's likely to deliver about half of the raw computing power of the B300 – after President Trump signaled he'd be open to allowing a new chip into China that's '30 to 50% off' in terms of power, adding that the H20 has grown 'obsolete.' Advertisement 3 Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang speaks about new products as he delivers the keynote address at an AI conference in March. AFP via Getty Images Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Tuesday said he wouldn't be surprised if CEO Jensen Huang wants to sell a new chip to China. 'I'm sure he's pitching the president all the time,' Lutnick told CNBC's 'Squawk on the Street.' 'I've listened to him pitch the president, and the president listens to our great technology companies, and he'll decide how he wants to play it.' Advertisement Nvidia is aiming to send samples of the new chip to Chinese clients for testing as early as next month, the sources told Reuters. 'We evaluate a variety of products for our roadmap, so that we can be prepared to compete to the extent that governments allow,' an Nvidia spokesperson told The Post in a statement. 'Everything we offer is with the full approval of the applicable authorities and designed solely for beneficial commercial use.' Advertisement 3 Nvidia is aiming to send samples of a new chip to Chinese clients as early as next month, according to a report. REUTERS Trump recently announced an unprecedented deal for Nvidia and AMD to give the US government 15% of revenue from their sales in China – in exchange for permission to recommence sales of the H20 and AMD's MI308. Nvidia built the H20 model specifically to bypass Biden-era export controls, but the company was ordered to halt sales in April. Trump said last week that he asked for a 20% cut of Nvidia's China sales, but that Huang negotiated it down to 15%. Advertisement Keep up with today's most important news Stay up on the very latest with Evening Update. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters It's unknown whether Nvidia would receive regulatory approval for the sale of these chips, as there are still strong national security concerns around handing China a lead in the AI race. And there's growing distrust of Nvidia in China as state media claim their chips pose security risks, though Nvidia has maintained this is false. 3 Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang at an AI summit in July. AFP via Getty Images But Nvidia doesn't want to lose its share of the Chinese market to domestic rivals like Huawei. About 13% of Nvidia's revenue in the past financial year came from China.
