Hagåtña, Guam – The Guam Department of Labor announces that citizens of the Freely Associated States living in the United States and Guam are eligible for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) pursuant to U.S Public Law 118-42.

COFA citizens who lawfully reside in Guam, and are impacted by a declared major disaster after March 9, 2024 will now meet the qualified alien status requirement in DUA.

“The devastation of Typhoon Mawar in 2023 hit our COFA citizens hard, with some not being able to get the assistance they needed with DUA, despite being able to apply for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA). This historic change recognizes the contributions of Compact of Free Association (COFA) citizens to our community and the important role they play in building our economy and shaping our future,” said Director David Dell’Isola.

National and Regional US Department of Labor officials visited Guam Department of Labor (GDOL) earlier this month to conduct an audit of the Mawar DUA program. They praised the team for a well-run program and cited best practices to take back to the US. It was also during this visit that USDOL officials informed GDOL Director Dell’Isola of the change to the law that now makes COFA citizens eligible for DUA benefits.

Dell’Isola further added, “The Governor and I spent months advocating to our counterparts and Congress about the urgent need to support COFA citizens during times of disaster. While I am disappointed that we could not provide DUA support to our COFA citizens in the aftermath of Typhoon Mawar in 2023, I am glad our voices were heard and addressed in the approval process.”