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Jobless benefits for victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita now stand at $242.8 million, with Katrina-related claims totaling $233.8 million and Rita claims totaling $8.9 million, according to the .

In the past seven weeks, the department has processed 271,846 eligible unemployment insurance claims for Katrina and 24,519 for Rita. Of those who have filed claims in the wake of Katrina, 192,571 are receiving unemployment insurance benefits and 79,275 are receiving disaster unemployment assistance. For Rita, 17,721 are receiving unemployment insurance benefits and 6,798 are getting disaster assistance.

Some $189.1 million has been paid out for unemployment insurance benefits to Katrina victims, while disaster unemployment relief payments total $44.6 million. For Rita victims, the department has paid $7 million for unemployment insurance and $1.9 million for disaster unemployment benefits.

The labor department typically processes 3,000 claims each week. During September 2004, the agency paid out $20 million for unemployment benefits.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Claims Louisiana Hurricane