Only 11 workers deemed eligible for Chaba aid

A week before the deadline for application, only 11 local workers have so far been deemed eligible for federal aid distributed to individuals whose missed or lost work as a result of Supertyphoon Chaba.

Employment Services and Training director Alfred Pangelinan, who runs the Disaster Unemployment Assistance program in the CNMI, said the successful applicants stand to receive amounts corresponding to the length of time they were out of work after Chaba hit the islands in August.

Pangelinan said all of these workers are from Saipan. The Department of Labor has yet to receive information from its Tinian and Rota offices.

The amounts approved so far range from one week to 13 weeks worth of earnings, he said. He estimated that the workers would be getting over $5,000 total.

Under the program, resident workers may receive up to $250 for each week that they lost wages as a result of the typhoon.

The biggest amount will be granted to a self-employed individual who has been out of business since the typhoon. The businessman could get compensation for up to 26 weeks in lost earnings, provided that he presents proof of his efforts to get the business running.

The number of successful applicants is far lower than the over 500 potential applicants that the Labor Department had expected to avail of the federal aid.

According to Pangelinan, his office received over 100 calls from people inquiring about the requirements and application procedure. However, only about 40 people actually registered with the agency. At least seven of these applicants have been found ineligible, while the rest are awaiting review.

Pangelinan said some applicants were disqualified because they failed to meet the one-week unemployment requirement set by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which administers the program.

Applicants who missed work in order to clean up or fix their home following the typhoon were also deemed ineligible. Pangelinan explained that the unemployment must result from damage to the jobsite, not the worker’s home.

The Department of Labor has been accepting applications for the assistance since Nov. 1. The last day for submission of applications is next Tuesday, Nov. 30.

“I remind everyone who has been affected by the disaster to submit application on or before Nov. 30. Anyone who files a claim after the deadline will have to present justification for the late filing. At no cost will we accept applications after Feb. 26 [when the 26-week program period ends],” Pangelinan said.

The Disaster Unemployment Assistance program was made available to Commonwealth residents as a result of President Bush’s declaration of the CNMI as a major disaster area.

Those who may qualify for the federal grant are workers and self-employed individuals whose employment have been lost or interrupted as a result of the typhoon.

The assistance is limited to U.S. citizens or nationals who:

* were living and working in the affected areas at the time of the disaster;

* were unable to get to their jobsite or self-employment location because they must travel through the affected area and were prevented from doing so as a result of the disaster;

* were to begin employment or self-employment, but were prevented by the disaster;

* became the breadwinner or major support of a household because of the death of the previous head of household due to the disaster;

* could not work or perform services in self-employment because of injury sustained as a direct result of the disaster.

* could not work or perform services because of physical damage or destruction to the jobsite as a direct result of the disaster; or

* lost a majority of income or revenue because the employer or self-employed business was damaged, destroyed, or closed by the federal government.

Documents required for processing of applications include previous year’s income tax return, Social Security card, payroll records or earnings statement of the last payday prior to the disaster, and a copy of business license, if applicable.

Aside from the financial assistance, the Division of Employment Services & Training will provide help through its referral and job placement program.

“As the Disaster Unemployment Assistance Program is temporary, the referral and job placement assistance will assist unemployed workers in obtaining employment,” according to the Labor Department.