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Deadline to apply for disaster unemployment assistance extended for May storm victims

The neighborhood of Sunshine Hills was one of the hardest hit after an EF-4 tornado touched down in London, Kentucky.
Karyn Czar/WUKY
The neighborhood of Sunshine Hills was one of the hardest hit after an EF-4 tornado touched down in London, Kentucky.

Kentucky’s request for a 30-day extension to the Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) registration period for those impacted by the severe storms, straight-line winds, and tornadoes that hit the state May 16-17 has been approved.

Governor Andy Beshear announced that the deadline has been extended until Aug. 22, 2025, for disaster survivors in all counties that were designated and approved for Individual Assistance.

If you were living or working in the affected areas and became unemployed or had work interrupted as a direct result of the severe storms, you are eligible to apply for unemployment benefits.

DUA is available to individuals who:

  • Worked or were self-employed, or were scheduled to begin work;  
  • Can no longer work or perform services because of physical damage or destruction to their place of employment as a direct result of a disaster, which can also include 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; 
  • Establish that the work or self-employment they can no longer perform was their primary source of income; 
  • Do not qualify for regular unemployment insurance benefits from any state; 
  • Cannot work or resume self-employment because of an injury as a direct result of the disaster; or 
  • As a result of the disaster, became the breadwinner or major supporter of a household because of the death of the head of the household.

Benefits are available for up to 27 weeks of unemployment beginning May 18, 2025, until Nov. 22, 2025, as long as the individual’s unemployment continues to be a direct result of the disaster.

To file a claim, visit the Kentucky Career Center website at kcc.ky.gov or call 502-564-2900 to file their initial claim. The deadline to apply for assistance is August 22, 2025.