DUA DOWN, BUT NOT OUT
DUA (Disaster Unemployment Assistance a.k.a. Help Before Xmas) UPDATE:
GUAMBLOG HAS RECEIVED NUMEROUS REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION REGARDING THE LONG-AWAITED/DELAYED DISASTER UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. HERE'S WHAT WE KNOW (as of Damenggo, Nub. 5, 2023)...
Similar to the successful Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, DUA is intended to help many who are still struggling to economically recover from the typhoon Mawar that swept thru Guam 5 months ago.
Here's 4-day old information regarding the DUA program: The first round of checks has only just now gone out, weeks later than expected. Be patient. Don't waste your time emailing or calling. Just....wait.
Highlighting the enormous decline in local news media reach, info regarding DUA is out there, but pretty hard to find without a lot of effort. DOL does a lot right; but communications is not one of them. Apparently, the agency is without a PIO or marketing team at this time - or, at least one that knows how to do the job.
Additionally, as of Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023, it appears that the DOL (hireguam.com portal) for filing claims, is experiencing issues that will not permit claimants to fill out the weekly benefits claim form. Claimants instead receive a message that they've already filed for the week of June, 3, 2023.
DUA DOWN. People trying to file their weekly DUA benefits claim, as required, are met with this bizarre snafu instead of the normal form questionnaire. No one at DOL seems to reply to "hotline" emails or phone calls any longer, so it's unclear if anyone at the agency is even aware of this issue yet. People have until Nov. 10, 2023 to file last week's claim.
There' no way to contact DOL to find out if they're even aware of the issue, as no one replies to the DUA emails or picks up the DUA phone "hotline". Try again later - you have 6 days left to file last week's claim.
Please LIKE and SHARE with your family and friends on social media to ensure this critical info is made more available to more people with questions and concerns - as we head into the critical holiday season.
Not knowing is the hardest part.
