Gennifer Spangler, a former warehouse manager for an online craft supply store, said logging in and filing a claim was super easy. She said the new system was more user-friendly, with a dashboard that made it easy to find and update information. "I've been calling close to 2,000 times a day trying to get through," said Ewing. After a claimant exhausts PEUC, they become eligible for additional weeks through the EB program. Colorado, for example, has not been able to pay out FPUC, PUA, or PEUC to any claimants because its entire system has been down for maintenance, although it recently announced it will allow claimants to reopen their existing PUA and PEUC on February 1, more than a month after the programs were extended. L&I rectified the issue and reissued the payments to claimants a few days later. 800,000 people may experience PEUC delays through April, and 1.4 million PUA recipients can't certify for the program until April 10. . In a response to Pittsburgh's Action News 4, a representative from L & I wrote: The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry has made more than $33.1 billion in unemployment program payments during the COVID-19 pandemic. On Tuesday, WGAL spoke to people trying to file and Department of Labor officials about what they're doing. WE'LL PUT THAT ADDRESS FOR YOU AT WTA, Amanda Ewing, of Finleyville, said she hasn't received her unemployment check in nearly three weeks and can't get anyone on the phone to give her a reason. L&I apologizes to these claimants for the inconvenience of the delayed payments. foundations and readers like you riddle. Especially in tighter economic times, people should not be forced to choose between the essentials, and essential news. Your support enables us to continue to produce tough, unique reporting you wont find anywhere else. Technology experts said the hardwares durability had been mischaracterized by the state, and the nature of the overhaul a flip the switch approach was poised for failure. We dont believe vital investigative and public-service journalism should be hidden behind a paywall or only for those who can afford a subscription fee. . After a claimant exhausts PEUC, they become eligible for additional weeks through the EB program. BUT EACH DAY HER UNEMPLOYMENT CHALLENGE. The program expired the claim week ending Dec. 26 and an extension was signed Dec. 27. While any delayed benefits would be paid retroactively, these delays have consequences. L&I could not begin paying the claim weeks in the PEUC extension until the federal Department of Labor provided guidance on how the federal program should be enacted by states. For more information, please see our The payout delay does not affect Pennsylvanians receiving payments through the other unemployment program programs. If you are a new, first-time PUA claimant opening a claim in 2021, you cannot yet file. Eligibility requirements for receipt of regular UC are also applicable to PEUC. AND NOT -- WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT RECEIVING OUR MONEY. The initial coronavirus relief bill provided PUA claimants 39 claim weeks and the extension provided an additional 11 weeks (50 weeks total). Get Legal Help from the your local legal aid office from the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network or your local Public Defender. Payments for new applicants are being temporarily delayed until the new measures are implemented, L&I said. Our readers keep us independent, beholden to no outside influence, and accessible to everyone whether they can afford to pay for news, or not. Some claimants who filed EB claims on Jan. 10 did not receive their payments on time due to a programmatic glitch. The number of claim weeks provided to a claimant varies depending on the claimant's personal situation. The state had taken the old mainframe system offline on May 31, preventing new claims from being filed, and temporarily blacking out workers access to recurring filing for several days before the launch. Numerous changes, such as new identity and employment verification requirements, were added to the program in the extension by the federal government. PENNSYLVANIA SAYS IT IS IN THE FINAL STAGES OF GETTING READY TO SEND OUT PAYMENTS FOR PANDEMIC EMERGENCY UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION AS WELL. I have no prevent payments it says payment type taxes withheld i have yet to receive anything ( i have dd set up) fyi i did get the ip issue early this week it cleared also when i filed this week claim it said this week was under investigation, Scan this QR code to download the app now. Additionally . The statuses of each active unemployment program is as follows:STATE PERMANENT PROGRAMS:Unemployment Compensation (UC)L&I has made approximately $6.6 billion in UC payments since March 15 (the start of the pandemic).Unemployment Compensation is a state program that provides up to 26 weeks of payments to eligible claimants who are able and available to work but have lost their jobs for qualifying reasons. morning, plus a daily puzzle. Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) L&I has made approximately $7.1 billion in PUA payments since March 15. Pennsylvania officials respond to delay in unemployment benefits, ANSWERS? 2001 - 2023, Pro Bono Net, All Rights Reserved. - Unresolved: The L&I office said it is still working on 3 outstanding PEUC issues: 1) PEUC claimants who exhausted their weeks on December 26 and were placed on Pennsylvania's extended benefits program. and our THE STATE SAYS IF YOU HAVE NOT FILED CLAIMS BEFORE AND ARE PLANNING TO DO SO FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 2021, YOU CANNOT FILE YET AND THE STATE WILL NOTIFY YOU WHEN YOU CAN. The response was very general and didn't answer my specific questions. For example, Attorneys, and other state and federal agencies to identify those responsible, L&I Secretary Jerry Oleksiak said.Pennsylvanians who believe their identity was stolen and used to fraudulently apply for unemployment benefits can report the theft online.L&I said people who have received unemployment benefits they did not apply for should not use the funds and instead return them. "Important PUA program extension information for claimants follows. That number more than quadrupled last Friday, reaching more than 20,000. You can request a waiver if you are unable to pay back the overpayment due to financial hardship. To do this, log onto your dashboard and click on the link to reopen a claim.If you tried to open a new claim while the PUA program was inactive, you will have error codes that the UC staff must fix before you can proceed. State officials said people were placed in an online waiting room, which is triggered by a large number of people using the system, though the exact number is unknown. 2023, Hearst Television Inc. on behalf of WGAL-TV. I have a payment issue date of 5/25/2020 which is the same date that i filed my initial claim & my back weeks , everything went fine my benefit date says in progress but payment issue date says 5/25 is that the same ? Simon-Mishel said those who can afford to wait should give the state a few days to fix glitches and log in then. The Unemployment Compensation Benefits Modernization system was scheduled to launch next month. That story is here. The PUA payments, which are part of the latest federal stimulus package, had been delayed for weeks as L&I worked to update their computer system to meet new federal requirements. The federal government did not complete the extension until Dec. 27, and L&I has been delayed in restarting payments for the three federal programs by the federal Department of Labor, which did not issue all of the guidance needed to ensure states are following the federal law when making payments for the federal programs until Jan. 11. A place for your unemployment insurance questions. PUA beneficiaries approved for payment before Sept. 17 also are not impacted. Let us know what you think of our site or make requests for new content. "We are making really good progress on that issue and hope to have it resolved shortly," said Berrier. The program is unaffected by the federal coronavirus relief bill.A small percentage of the claimants who filed for UC on Jan. 1 were affected by a glitch that caused them to not receive their payment on time. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. PALawHelp.org is a project of the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network and the Legal Services Corporation. These two programs expired just before the end of December before President Trump signed the measure that extended the programs again in January. The number of claim weeks provided to a claimant varies depending on the claimant's personal situation. HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Due to Congressional legislation to extend the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) programs has been delayed . AND MENTALLY THIS WHOLE PANDEMIC -- IT JUST CRUSHES YOU. For more information, see our full Privacy Policy. WE REACHED OUT TO THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND INDUSTRY ABOUT THE DELAYS. 3) Claimants who did not get the option to file for the weeks between Dec. 26 and the day they reopened their claims. Some states are lagging more significantly in implementing the programs, often blaming either a system update or that they were awaiting guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor. From giant corporations to predatory hedge funds, a small number of billionaire owners have a powerful hold on so much of the information that reaches the public about whats happening here. of L&I to give update on PUA, PEUC program issues, Third stimulus check: Biden 'prepared to negotiate' who gets it, US unemployment claims fall to 779,000 but job cuts grind on. L&I apologizes for the inconvenience caused by the delayed payment and has worked to prevent the issue from recurring. Spotlight PA relies on funding from It could amount to a two-week delay that hits mostly gig workers and long-term unemployed. For more information, please see our Of the hundreds of comments on the post, many expressed continued frustration with Pennsylvania's unemployment system. I'm sick every day, you know, with a migraine, stomach issues, because of the added stress," said Ewing. 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