Regulations last checked for updates: Nov 22, 2024

Title 20 - Employees' Benefits last revised: Sep 30, 2024
§ 625.2 - Definitions.

For the purposes of the Act and this part:

(a) Act means sections 410 and 423 of The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (formerly section 407 of the “Disaster Relief Act of 1974”, Pub. L. 93-288, 88 Stat. 143, 156, approved May 22, 1974), 42 U.S.C. 5177,5189a,as,Pub. L. 100-707, 102 Stat. 4689, 4704, 4705, approved November 23, 1988.

(b) Agreement means the Agreement entered into pursuant to the Act, between a State and the Secretary of Labor of the United States, under which the State agency of the State agrees to make payments of Disaster Unemployment Assistance in accordance with the Act and the regulations and procedures thereunder prescribed by the Secretary.

(c) Announcement date means the first day on which the State agency publicly announces the availability of Disaster Unemployment Assistance in the State, pursuant to § 625.17.

(d) Compensation means unemployment compensation as defined in section 85(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and shall include any assistance or allowance payable to an individual with respect to such individual's unemployment under any State law or Federal unemployment compensation law unless such governmental unemployment compensation program payments are not considered “compensation” by ruling of the Internal Revenue Service or specific provision of Federal and/or State law because such payments are based on employee contributions which are not deductible from Federal income tax liability until the total nondeductible contributions paid by the employee to such program has been paid or are not “compensation” as defined under paragraph (d)(5) of this section. Governmental unemployment compensation programs include (but are not limited to) programs established under: a State law approved by the Secretary of Labor pursuant to section 3304 of the Internal Revenue Code, chapter 85 of title 5 of the United States Code, the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (45 U.S.C. 351 et seq.), any Federal supplementary compensation law, and trade readjustment allowances payable under chapter 2 of title II of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2271 et seq.). “Compensation” also includes “regular compensation”, “additional compensation”, “extended compensation”, “Federal supplementary compensation”, and “disability payments” defined as follows:

(1) Regular compensation means compensation payable to an individual under any State law or the unemployment compensation plan of a political subdivision of a State and, when so payable, includes compensation payable pursuant to 5 U.S.C. chapter 85 (parts 609 and 614 of this chapter), but not including extended compensation or additional compensation.

(2) Additional compensation means compensation totally financed by a State and payable under a State law by reason of conditions of high unemployment or by reason of other special factors, and, when so payable, includes compensation payable pursuant to 5 U.S.C. chapter 85.

(3) Extended compensation means compensation payable to an individual for weeks of unemployment in an extended benefit period, under those provisions of a State law which satisfy the requirements of the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 (title II, Pub. L. 91-373; 84 Stat. 695, 708; part 615 of this chapter), as amended with respect to the payment of extended compensation, and, when so payable, includes additional compensation and compensation payable pursuant to 5 U.S.C. chapter 85.

(4) Federal supplementary compensation means supplemental compensation payable under a temporary Federal law after exhaustion of regular and extended compensation.

(5) Disability payments means cash disability payments made pursuant to a governmental program as a substitute for cash unemployment payments to an individual who is ineligible for such payments solely because of the disability, except for payments made under workmen's compensation acts for personal injuries or sickness.

(e) Date the major disaster began means the date a major disaster first occurred, as specified in the understanding between the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Governor of the State in which the major disaster occurred.

(f) Disaster Assistance Period means the period beginning with the first week following the date the major disaster began, and ending with the 26th week subsequent to the date the major disaster was declared.

(g) Disaster Unemployment Assistance means the assistance payable to an individual eligible for the assistance under the Act and this part, and which is referred to as DUA.

(h) Federal Coordinating Officer means the official appointed pursuant to section 302 of The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, to operate in the affected major disaster area.

(i) Governor means the chief executive of a State.

(j) Initial application means the first application for DUA filed by an individual, on the basis of which the individual's eligibility for DUA is determined.

(k) Major disaster means a major disaster as declared by the President pursuant to section 401 of The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.

(l) Major disaster area means the area identified as eligible for Federal assistance by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, pursuant to a Presidential declaration of a major disaster.

(m) Secretary means the Secretary of Labor of the United States.

(n) Self-employed individual means an individual whose primary reliance for income is on the performance of services in the individual's own business, or on the individual's own farm.

(o) Self-employment means services performed as a self-employed individual.

(p) State means any State of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, the Territory of Guam, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.

(q) State agency means—

(1) In all States except the Territory of Guam, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the agency administering the State law; and

(2) In the Territory of Guam, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the agency designated in the Agreement entered into by the State.

(r)(1) State law means, with respect to—

(i) The States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, the unemployment compensation law of the State which has been approved under section 3304(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 3304(a)); and

(ii) The Territory of Guam, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Hawaii Employment Security Law.

(2) Applicable State law means, for an individual, the State law of the applicable State for an individual as provided in § 625.12.

(s) Unemployed worker means an individual who was employed in or was to commence employment in the major disaster area at the time the major disaster began, and whose principal source of income and livelihood is dependent upon the individual's employment for wages, and whose unemployment is caused by a major disaster as provided in § 625.5(a).

(t) Unemployed self-employed individual means an individual who was self-employed in or was to commence self-employment in the major disaster area at the time the major disaster began, and whose principal source of income and livelihood is dependent upon the individual's performance of service in self-employment, and whose unemployment is caused by a major disaster as provided in § 625.5(b).

(u) Wages means remuneration for services performed for another, and, with respect to a self-employed individual, net income from services performed in self-employment.

(v) Week means a week as defined in the applicable State law.

(w) Week of unemployment means—

(1) For an unemployed worker, any week during which the individual is totally, part-totally, or partially unemployed. A week of total unemployment is a week during which the individual performs no work and earns no wages, or has less than full-time work and earns wages not exceeding the minimum earnings allowance prescribed in the applicable State law. A week of part-total unemployment is a week of otherwise total unemployment during which the individual has odd jobs or subsidiary work and earns wages not exceeding the maximum earnings allowance prescribed in the applicable State law. A week of partial unemployment is a week during which the individual works less than regular, full-time hours for the individual's regular employer, as a direct result of the major disaster, and earns wages not exceeding the maximum earnings allowance prescribed by the applicable State law.

(2) For an unemployed self-employed individual, any week during which the individual is totally, part-totally, or partially unemployed. A week of total unemployment is a week during which the individual performs no services in self-employment or in an employer-employee relationship, or performs services less than full-time and earns wages not exceeding the minimum earnings allowance prescribed in the applicable State law. A week of part-total unemployment is a week of otherwise total unemployment during which the individual has odd jobs or subsidiary work and earns wages not exceeding the maximum earnings allowance prescribed in the applicable State law. A week of partial unemployment is a week during which the individual performs less than the customary full-time services in self-employment, as a direct result of the major disaster, and earns wages not exceeding the maximum earnings allowance prescribed by the applicable State law, or during which the only activities or services performed are for the sole purpose of enabling the individual to resume self-employment.

(3) If the week of unemployment for which an individual claims DUA is a week with respect to which the individual is reemployed in a suitable position or has commenced services in self-employment, that week shall be treated as a week of partial unemployment if the week qualifies as a week of partial unemployment as defined in this paragraph.

[42 FR 46712, Sept. 16, 1977, as amended at 55 FR 554, Jan. 5, 1990; 56 FR 22805, May 16, 1991]
authority: 42 U.S.C. 1302; 42 U.S.C. 5164; 42 U.S.C. 5189a(c); 42 U.S.C. 5201(a); Executive Order 12673 of March 23, 1989 (54 FR 12571); delegation of authority from the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the Secretary of Labor, effective December 1, 1985 (51 FR 4988); Secretary's Order No. 4-75 (40 FR 18515)
source: 42 FR 46712, Sept. 16, 1977, unless otherwise noted.
cite as: 20 CFR 625.2