Workers who lose their jobs due to a natural or other disaster can seek assistance through several federally supported programs. In many cases, disaster-affected workers will be served by permanent programs and systems that provide assistance to workers who involuntarily lose their jobs. In some cases, entities located within geographic areas affected by disasters can qualify for additional support that is limited to serving disaster-affected workers. This report discusses two income support programs and two employment service programs. In each benefit category, there is a broader permanent program and a more-targeted program for disaster-affected workers. Unemployment C ompensation 1 (UC) provides a weekly cash payment to workers who are involuntarily unemployed and meet other criteria. States administer UC benefits with U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) oversight. UC is financed via payroll taxes paid by employers: UC benefits are funded by state unemployment taxes (SUTA) and UC administration is funded by a federal unemployment tax (FUTA). UC benefits are considered entitlements for eligible workers and are required to be paid promptly. Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) provides a weekly cash payment to individuals who become unemployed as a direct result of a major disaster and are not eligible for UC benefits. DUA is funded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and administered by DOL through each state's UC agency. Dislocated Worker Activities under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA-DW) provides federal formula grants to states to provide training and career services to workers who involuntarily lose their jobs and meet other criteria. WIOA-DW grants are funded via discretionary appropriations to DOL and administered by state workforce agencies and local partners with DOL oversight. Disaster Dislocated Worker Grants (DDWGs) provide competitive federal grants that support temporary disaster response jobs for workers who are unemployed as a direct result of a disaster. DDWGs are awarded by DOL to the state and local partners that receive WIOA-DW funds. In terms of scale, the primary infusion of funds for disaster-affected workers will typically come from increased numbers of UC payments and, to a lesser extent, the availability of DUA benefits. Because UC and DUA outlays increase as the need grows, these funds can be responsive to the scale of a disaster. Conversely, WIOA-DW and DDWG funds are typically limited by annual appropriations and therefore may be less scalable than UC and DUA, which are entitlements for individuals. This report focuses on programs that provide assistance to workers on the basis of job loss due to a disaster. Other programs that may support such disaster-affected individuals but do not have job loss as an eligibility criterion are not included. Similarly, this report does not discuss programs that may assist workers who lost their jobs due to a disaster but establish eligibility based on criteria other than job loss, such as being low-income. Since some of the systems that support disaster-affected workers are permanent and have general eligibility criteria, benefit receipt is not contingent on a disaster meeting specific criteria. For example, disaster-affected workers may qualify for UC on the basis of becoming unemployed due to conditions created by a disaster (e.g., the place of business is closed because of a disaster), but benefit receipt does not require the presence of a specific type or magnitude of disaster. Similarly, the WIOA-DW system serves workers whose job loss is due to a disaster as well as workers who lose their jobs for other reasons. DUA and DDWG are contingent on disasters being declared as such. DUA benefits are available only to those individuals who have become unemployed as a direct result of a declared major disaster as determined under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act ( P.L. 100-707 , the Stafford Act) and if the disaster declaration includes the notice of availability of DUA benefits. DDWG assistance can be awarded in response to a disaster or emergency declared under the Stafford Act or "an emergency or disaster situation of national significance that could result in a potentially large loss of employment, as declared or otherwise recognized ... by a federal agency." The joint federal-state UC program is permanently authorized and provides income support through weekly UC benefit payments to eligible unemployed workers. The DUA program provides income support to individuals who become unemployed as a direct result of a major disaster and are not eligible for UC benefits. These unemployment insurance programs are entitlement programs funded through direct spending; benefits provided through these programs are not limited by appropriations. Consequently, these programs may be responsive to unemployment caused by disasters. Created under the Social Security Act of 1935, UC is a joint federal-state system that provides unemployment benefits to eligible individuals who become involuntarily unemployed for economic reasons and meet state-established eligibility rules. States administer UC benefits with oversight from DOL. Although federal laws and regulations provide some broad guidelines on UC benefit coverage, eligibility, and benefit determination, the specifics of benefits are determined by each state. This results in essentially 53 different UC programs. The UC program is financed by federal payroll taxes (FUTA) and state payroll taxes (SUTA). The 0.6% effective net FUTA tax paid by employers on the first $7,000 of each employee's earnings (no more than $42 per worker per year) funds federal and state administrative costs, loans to insolvent state UC accounts, the federal share (50%) of Extended Benefit (EB) payments, and state employment services. States levy their own payroll taxes (SUTA taxes) on employers to fund regular UC benefits and the state share of the EB program. SUTA is "experience rated" in all states; that is, the SUTA rate is based on the amount of UC paid to former employees. Generally, the more UC benefits paid to its former employees, the higher the tax rate of the employer, up to a maximum established by state law. The experience rating is intended to ensure an equitable distribution of UC program taxes among employers in relation to their use of the UC program, and to encourage a stable workforce. If economic conditions, such as recession, require the payment of UC benefits such that SUTA revenue is inadequate, states may have insufficient funds to pay for their UC benefits. Federal law, which requires states to pay these benefits, provides a loan mechanism within the Unemployment Trust Fund (UTF) framework that an insolvent state may opt to use to meet its UC benefit payment obligations. States must pay back these loans. If the loans are not paid back quickly (depending on the timing of the beginning of the loan period), states may face interest charges and the states' employers may face increased net FUTA rates until the loans are repaid. The UC program pays benefits to workers who become involuntarily unemployed for economic reasons and meet state-established eligibility rules. The UC program generally does not provide UC benefits to the self-employed, those who are unable to work, or those who do not have a recent earnings history. Additionally, states usually disqualify claimants who lost their jobs because of inability to work, voluntarily quit without good cause, were discharged for job-related misconduct, or refused suitable work without good cause. In order to receive UC benefits, claimants must have enough recent earnings (distributed over a specified period) to meet their state's earnings requirements; and be able to, available for, and actively searching for work. The UC program provides income support to eligible workers through the payment of weekly cash benefits during a spell of unemployment. UC benefits are available for a maximum duration of up to 26 weeks in most states. UC benefits may be extended at the state level by the permanent law Extended Benefits (EB) program if high unemployment exists within the state. After regular unemployment benefits are exhausted, the EB program may provide up to an additional 13 or 20 weeks of benefits, depending on worker eligibility, state law, and economic conditions in the state. The EB program was established by the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 (EUCA; P.L. 91-373). Workers who become unemployed as a result of a disaster may qualify for UC. For example, if a natural disaster damages a place of employment and the condition of the facility prevents the employees from working, the displaced workers may qualify for UC if they meet all the eligibility requirements. The UC program generally does not provide benefits to the self-employed, individuals who are unable to work, or individuals who do not have a recent earnings history. However, when a major disaster is declared, victims who would typically be ineligible for UC may be eligible for DUA. In cases where a disaster creates increased unemployment, a state may be more likely to meet the criteria to trigger onto an EB period and, thus, provide EB benefits to eligible individuals in that state. The DUA program provides income support to individuals who become unemployed as a direct result of a major disaster and are not eligible for UC benefits. First created in 1970 through P.L. 91-606, DUA benefits are authorized by the Stafford Act. DUA benefits are funded through the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The DRF is funded annually through appropriations and is a "no-year" account, meaning that any unused funds from the previous fiscal year (if available) are carried over to the next fiscal year. In general, when the balance of the DRF becomes low, Congress provides additional funding through both annual and supplemental appropriations to replenish the account. DOL administers the DUA program and coordinates with FEMA to provide the funds to the state UC agencies for payment of DUA benefits and payment of state administration costs under agreements with DOL. Based on the request of the affected state's governor, the President may declare a major disaster. The declaration identifies the areas in the state eligible for assistance.