The Texas Workforce Commission on Monday said it has started accepting applications for disaster-related unemployment benefits to aid workers who lost jobs or self-employed individuals who were unable to work because of the damage inflicted by Hurricane Harvey.

The disaster unemployment assistance is available to individuals in the 18 counties identified under President Donald Trump’s Aug. 25 disaster declaration, the commission said. None of the counties are in the Austin metro area.

Workers can apply for benefits online or by calling 1-800-939-6631 weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

While the benefits aren’t available to all workers in the hurricane-stricken counties, workforce officials "encourage everyone who has lost wages due to being displaced from the storm to apply for unemployment insurance benefits and let the (workforce commission) review the circumstances of their unemployment situation," spokeswoman Lisa Givens said in an email.

In some cases, workers can receive benefits for a short period of unemployment, Givens noted, but eligibility is determined by individual circumstances.

A claim begins the week of the application, retroactive to that Sunday. Unemployed or underemployed workers should not wait until they return to work to apply.