Labor Department Extends Deadline for Riot-Related Jobless Benefits

The U.S. Department of Labor on Tuesday extended for one month the deadline for people affected by the Los Angeles riots to apply for special unemployment insurance benefits.

Applications for the disaster benefits will now be accepted until July 6. Officials said the extension was needed because many of those eligible apparently are unaware of the program.

As of May 30, 2,010 people had applied for the benefits. Authorities said they were unsure how many people may qualify.

“There is the possibility there are people out there who don’t know about us, but that’s who we’re trying to reach,” said Suzanne Schroeder, a spokeswoman for the state Employment Development Department, which administers the program. Schroeder said flyers about the program have been distributed at the Disaster Application Centers set up after the riot.

The insurance is intended to provide relief for those who would normally be ineligible for unemployment insurance.

It is available to:

* The self-employed.

* People who were about to begin work but were prevented from doing so by the riots.

* People who had not worked long enough to establish a state unemployment claim.

* People who became the head of a household because of a riot-related death and are looking for work.

The disaster assistance provides weekly payments of $40 to $230 for up to 26 weeks. Claims may be filed at any office of the California Employment Development Department.