Disaster Unemployment Assistance Available to Tennesseans

If you lost your job or had work hours reduced or interrupted as a result of Tropical Storm Helene, you may be eligible for Disaster Unemployment Assistance from the State of Tennessee.

You can apply for disaster unemployment benefits if you live in, work in or travel to your job through Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi or Washington County. These benefits will cover Sept. 29 to April 5, 2025, if your unemployment continues to be a direct result of the storm.

The deadline to apply is Monday, Dec. 2.

To apply,visit TN.gov/Jobs4TN or call 877-813-0950 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. CT Monday through Friday. If you file online, specify on your application that you were impacted by a disaster.

Eligibility

You may be eligible for Disaster Unemployment Assistance if:

• Your place of employment was damaged or destroyed
• You can't get to work because the disaster left roads damaged or closed
• You cannot perform work or self-employment because of an injury caused by the disaster; or
• You became the major household support because of the death of the head of household due to the disaster.

And:

• You worked, were self-employed or were scheduled to begin work or self-employment in the disaster area;
• The work or self-employment you can no longer perform was your primary source of income; and
• You have applied for and used all regular unemployment benefits from any state, or do not qualify for unemployment benefits.
  • Regular unemployment insurance and disaster unemployment benefits cannot be paid at the same time.

The Disaster Unemployment Assistance program is funded by FEMA and operated by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.