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MADISON – The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) announced today that federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) is available for eligible workers in Forest, Outagamie, Vilas, and Winnebago Counties due to severe storms and tornadoes that occurred July 27, 2026.
Gov. Tony Evers declared a state of emergency in Wisconsin on July 28, 2026, and requested a formal federal disaster declaration for the affected counties on Aug. 26, 2026. The formal declaration was issued by the President on Oct. 7, 2026. This declaration provides Wisconsin with federal recovery resources such as the DUA program, which provides temporary income support to workers unemployed as a direct result of the major disaster and who do not qualify for regular Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits. The DUA period begins Aug. 2, 2026.
Applications for the DUA program must be filed by Dec. 7, 2026.
Individuals may be eligible for DUA if they:
- Are an unemployed or self-unemployed worker whose unemployment was a direct result of the major disaster; and
- Are a U.S. citizen, a U.S. national, or authorized to work in the U.S. (qualified alien); and
- Are not eligible for regular UI benefits from any state; and
- Have worked or were self-employed in, or were scheduled to begin work or self-employment in, Forest, Outagamie, Vilas, and Winnebago Counties; and
- Received their primary income from the work or self-employment they can no longer perform due to the disaster.
In addition to individuals who lost their jobs directly due to the disaster, individuals eligible for DUA may also include those who:
- Can no longer work or perform services because of physical damage or destruction to their place of employment as a direct result of the disaster or because they cannot reach their job or self-employment location because they cannot travel through the affected area due to the disaster; or
- Were to start work or self-employment but were not able to because of the disaster; or
- Cannot work or perform services, including self-employment, because of an injury caused as a direct result of the disaster; or
- Became the breadwinner or major support of a household because of the death of the head of the household because of the disaster; or
- Cannot work or perform services, including self-employment, due to the closure of a facility by the federal, state, or local government due to the disaster; or
- Lost work or revenue if their employer or self-employed business received a majority of its revenue or income from an entity damaged, destroyed, or closed because of the disaster.
All DUA applicants must first apply for regular UI benefits before being considered for DUA benefits. Individuals will not receive DUA benefits if they are eligible for regular UI benefits during this disaster. Monetary loss due to property damage or crop damage does not automatically entitle an individual to DUA benefits.
DUA benefits are based on earnings for the most recent tax year. As a result, applicants may be asked to provide their earnings from their most recent federal tax returns when filing a DUA claim. Applicants will also need to provide their Social Security number (SSN). The first potential week payable for DUA benefits is the week ending Aug. 8, 2026.
Workers in Forest, Outagamie, Vilas, and Winnebago Counties, including those self-employed in farming or other businesses, must apply for benefits by Dec. 7, 2026. Applications filed after this date will not be considered timely, unless the individual provides good cause for filing after this date.
File as soon as possible by applying online at my.unemployment.wisconsin.gov. Applicants who need help using online services or are unable to go online should call the DUA Hotline at (608) 318-7100 during business hours.
Learn more about Disaster Unemployment Assistance.
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