State Assisting Wildfire Victims with Unemployment Claims

PIGEON FORGE - The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development enacted an emergency action plan Wednesday in Sevier County to assist persons impacted by recent wildfires.  The devastation caused by those fires closed dozens of businesses, leaving more than a thousand workers unemployed.

The department’s mobile American Job Centers are currently located in Pigeon Forge and are providing computers and Internet service so workers can file unemployment claims. Staff is available to assist claimants during this filing process.  The mobile job centers will be open from Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. and Sunday from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.

Employers impacted by the wildfires are encouraged to file a mass layoff list with the Department.  This will expedite the processing of claims for their former employers.  It is critical employers provide layoff information so displaced employees can start receiving benefits as quickly as possible.

-###-