Kokua Line: What's the deadline for disaster unemployment aid? [The Honolulu Star-Advertiser]

Aug. 27—Question: Are there enhanced unemployment benefits for Maui fire victims?

Answer: Maui residents who have lost work because of the wildfires may qualify for regular unemployment insurance benefits or disaster unemployment assistance, but not both at the same time, according to the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

DUA is for Maui wildfire victims who don't qualify for regular UI. It's available because of the major disaster declaration issued by President Joe Biden. DUA is federally funded, but the claims are processed through the DLIR.

"Disaster Unemployment Assistance is available to workers, business owners, and self-employed individuals who were working or living in Maui County at the time of the fires and became unemployed or had their work hours reduced or interrupted because of the disaster and do not qualify for regular unemployment insurance," the DLIR website explains.

DUA applications must be submitted by Sept. 25. Weekly benefits ranging from $254 to $763 will be paid to eligible claimants for the weeks from Aug. 13 through Feb 10.

People who think they qualify for DUA can apply via huiclaims.hawaii.gov/#/ or in person at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa Monarchy Ballroom at 200 Nohea Kai Drive in Lahaina, a DLIR news release said. Applicants must supply required documents. Before applying, claimants can get help with the process at the Maui Claims Office in Wailuku or at the American Job Center in Kahului, it said.

Some Maui residents who apply for DUA actually might be eligible for regular UI, which the DLIR will determine. "If you worked for Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart, or similar web platforms, Hawaii UI considers you to be an employee of these companies and you may qualify for regular UI benefits. Additionally, officers/owners of a corporation or Limited Liability Company (LLC) taxed as a corporation and (who) received payment or are entitled to receive payments are also considered to be employees and may be eligible for regular UI benefits," the DLIR website says.

As for regular UI, many workers who lost their jobs due to the Maui wildfires have already submitted UI claims and should continue to certify them as instructed by the DLIR. UI-eligible displaced workers who have not already submitted a claim can do so at huiclaims.hawaii.gov/#/.

Regular UI, which is funded by employers via payroll taxes, pays a maximum of 26 weeks worth of benefits within a claimant's benefit year.

People with questions about DUA or UI can call 833-901-2272, 808-762-5751, 833-901-2275 or 808-762-5752. Or find more information on the DLIR website, labor. hawaii.gov/.

Q: Is there any way to help family members replace birth certificates that burned in the Maui wildfires?

A: Yes, you should be able to place the order for them online, at vitrec. ehawaii.gov. "The most expedient way to replace a vital record when all forms of identification have been lost, is to have a relative request the replacement online, by mail, or in person. A relative may make the order on behalf of the person needing the replacement by uploading a copy of their own government ID (if born in Hawaii) to establish a relationship to the impacted individual.

"If the assisting relative was not born in Hawaii, additional documents may need to be shown to verify the relationship. Permitted relatives can include a grandparent, parent, child, sibling, aunt, uncle, or cousin and the request need not come from within Hawaii. For example, a child on the mainland who was born in Hawaii could request birth certificates for her parents and get them mailed to her parents in Hawaii. This would be done by filling out an online application with a copy of her own identification, thereby establishing a connection to her parents which DOH can check by looking at its records. She can then direct the delivery of the vital record to an address her parents are able to receive mail," the state Department of Health explains on its website.

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Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email [email protected].

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