§5177 — Title 42 The Public Health and Welfare | U.S. Code

Summary

The President can give short-term unemployment help to people who lost their jobs because of a major disaster and who are not eligible for any other unemployment payments or waiting-period credit. The help can cover the weeks they are out of work or until they find suitable work, but it cannot last more than 26 weeks after the disaster was declared. Weekly payments cannot be higher than the State’s maximum weekly unemployment benefit. The President must work with States that have a system to run the program through their existing agencies. States must provide reemployment services under their own laws for people getting this help, and they will not be paid back from these disaster funds. If a State does not offer those services, the President may provide them under other laws. The deadline to apply for this help is the same as the deadline for help under section 5174. Late applications may be accepted if the person has a good reason and applies before the disaster assistance period ends.

Title 42, §5177

The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The President is authorized to provide to any individual unemployed as a result of a major disaster such benefit assistance as he deems appropriate while such individual is unemployed for the weeks of such unemployment with respect to which the individual is not entitled to any other unemployment compensation (as that term is defined in section 85(b) of title 26) or waiting period credit. Such assistance as the President shall provide shall be available to an individual as long as the individual’s unemployment caused by the major disaster continues or until the individual is reemployed in a suitable position, but no longer than 26 weeks after the major disaster is declared. Such assistance for a week of unemployment shall not exceed the maximum weekly amount authorized under the unemployment compensation law of the State in which the disaster occurred. The President is directed to provide such assistance through agreements with States which, in his judgment, have an adequate system for administering such assistance through existing State agencies.

(b)(1)A State shall provide, without reimbursement from any funds provided under this chapter, reemployment assistance services under any other law administered by the State to individuals receiving benefits under this section.

(2)The President may provide reemployment assistance services under other laws to individuals who are unemployed as a result of a major disaster and who reside in a State which does not provide such services.

(c)(1)With respect to a major disaster for which assistance is provided under this section and section 5174 of this title, the application deadline for an individual seeking assistance under this section shall match the application deadline for individuals and households seeking assistance under section 5174 of this title.

(2)The President may accept an application from an individual described in paragraph (1) that is submitted after the deadline described in paragraph (1) if—

(A)the individual has good cause for the late submission; and

(B)the individual submits the application before the date on which the period during which assistance is provided under this section for the applicable major disaster expires.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This chapter, referred to in subsec. (b)(1), was in the original “this Act”, meaning Pub. L. 93–288, May 22, 1974, 88 Stat. 143. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 5121 of this title and Tables.

Prior Provisions

A prior section 410 of Pub. L. 93–288 was renumbered section 413 by Pub. L. 100–707 and is classified to section 5180 of this title.

Amendments

2024—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 118–44 added subsec. (c). 1988—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 100–707, § 106(f)(1)–(3), inserted “for the weeks of such unemployment with respect to which the individual is not entitled to any other unemployment compensation (as that term is defined in section 85(b) of title 26) or waiting period credit” for “is unemployed” before period at end of first sentence, substituted “26 weeks” for “one year” in second sentence, and substituted “occurred” for “occurred, and the amount of assistance under this section to any such individual for a week of unemployment shall be reduced by any amount of unemployment compensation or of private income protection insurance compensation available to such individual for such week of unemployment” in third sentence. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 100–707, § 106(f)(4), inserted heading and amended text generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “The President is further authorized for the purposes of this chapter to provide reemployment assistance services under other laws to individuals who are unemployed as a result of a major disaster.”

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2024 Amendment Pub. L. 118–44, § 3, Mar. 18, 2024, 138 Stat. 456, provided that: “The amendment made by section 2 [amending this section] shall apply only with respect to amounts appropriated on or after the date of enactment of this Act [Mar. 18, 2024].”

§5177 Unemployment assistance