LIHUE — Are you a not-for-profit or private for-profit business that reduced work hours and/or staff, or shut down as a consequence of the April 2018 flooding?
Are you an individual currently under- or unemployed due to your employer reducing work hours as a consequence of the April 2018 flooding?
If you answered “yes” to either question, you may be eligible for free employment relief through a U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) Disaster Dislocated Worker Grant. This program offers workforce funding to qualified Kauai County businesses that are willing and able to employ eligible individual dislocated workers.
On Tuesday, 2 to 4 p.m. at Hale Halawai Ohana O Hanalei, Kayla Rosenfeld, statewide rapid response coordinator, will brief North Shore residents on the grant. Rosenfeld will explain the grant provisions, eligibility requirements, permitted grant activity and permitted worksites. A question-and-answer session will follow the briefing.
In addition to explaining the grant provisions, the goals of this community briefing are to: 1) determine businesses of record (employers) and individual eligibility; 2) identify disaster recovery worksites; and 3) enroll eligible participants into the grant program.
After the briefing, staff from the American Job Center Hawaii will be on site to help applicants determine their eligibility for the Disaster DWG program. Business owners, self-employed individuals and farmers interested should bring all the following documents to the meeting:
w Recent state General Excise Tax documentation;
w Recent state and federal tax returns;
w Hawaii Compliance Express certification;
w Layoff or reduced hours letters to employees;
w Farmers: Letter from product distributor indicating a decrease in production.
Under- or unemployed individuals should bring all the following documents to the meeting:
w Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) stub or letter;
w Paystubs or other payroll records for those who have not filed DUA claims;
w Letters from employers indicating reduced work hours or layoff;
w Valid picture ID;
w Original Social Security card or original/certified birth certificate;
w Selective Service registration (males 18 to 25 years old);
w Utility bill (cable, electric or water).
