Problems with delayed payments plague Pennsylvania unemployment system, Here's what you can do if you're still waiting for unemployment help in Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, had been delayed for weeks as L&I worked to update their computer system to meet new federal requirements, Important Updates and News about the PUA Program, Important L&I Updates Related to COVID-19, Report Unemployment Fraud and Identity Theft, You can begin filing for the additional 11 claim weeks. Every week I receive my PUA payment between 7-8 AM every Wednesday morning. L&I will make an announcement when the additional 11 weeks have been added to claimants' accounts and filing for these weeks begins. No other payment issues have been detected for UC claimants since the Jan. 1 issue. The program expired the claim week ending Dec. 26 and an extension was signed Dec. 27. Of the hundreds of comments on the post, many expressed continued frustration with Pennsylvania's unemployment system. Source: Authors estimates from U.S. Department of Labor data. 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. While people would not be paid right away, they will be able to certify and get paid for all weeks they are unemployed,. who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results. 'We know that more than 400,000 Pennsylvanians and their families are relying on these PUA benefits to get through this terrible pandemic and have worked as quickly as possible to complete the implementation and resume payments. WE NEED THAT. I'M SICK EVERY DAY WITH A MIGRAINE, STOMACH ISSUES, BECAUSE OF THE STRESS. spotlightpa.org/donate. Put simply, a retroactive check in February cant be used to put food on the table in January. The federal Department of Labor did not provide L&I with the necessary guidance for the changes to the PUA program until Jan. 11. The costs of waiting until the last moment to extend benefits has been made clear by the experiences of the recent stimulus bill. PUA is a special unemployment program created by the federal coronavirus relief bill to assist claimants who are not typically eligible for Unemployment Compensation, such as freelancers, gig workers, and business owners. IF YOU RECEIVED AN UNEMPLOYMENT TAX PAPER AND YOU HAVEN'T FILED FOR UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION. This payment is on top of the other program's payment. While more PUA and PEUC programs have come online in the past two weeks, there are still eleven states with no confirmation on paying out PUA and thirteen states with no confirmation on paying out PEUC, as of January 30, 2021. 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. First-time PUA applicants have been in benefits limbo since Sept. 17 when the department noticed the unusual uptick in claims. PUA claimants that have filed for the first time in 2021 will be receiving ID Me emails beginning this week and will need to verify their identities before they can proceed. Mine is usually here by now, so Im freaking out a little, so please let me know guys! The response was very general and didn't answer my specific questions. Nadia Warrick, a former facilities director from Feasterville, said she couldnt log into the new system Tuesday to file for this weeks benefits. Other EB claimants have been receiving payments as normal. Cool and windy Tuesday, then a huge temp rebound through the end of the week! REPORTER: EWING IS FORTUNATE TO HAVE FAMILY WHO HELPS BUT THERE ARE MANY WHO DO NOT. EMOTIONALLY, MENTALLY, PHYSICALLY. The slow rollout of aid has been eased by the $600-per-week stimulus that began to be processed immediately by the Department of the Treasury after the stimulus law was passed. IT NORMALLY SEES 5,000 DAY, BUT FRIDAY, THERE WERE MORE THAN 20,000 SCAMMERS WHO HAD BEEN FILING CLAIMS UNDER STOLEN IDENTITIES OR USING PERSONAL INFORMATION STOLEN THROUGH DATA BREACHES. This article and all of our journalism are available to you at no cost thanks to our supporters. Privacy Policy. This s could not be anymore confusing.. For example, Follow the same process as before to log onto your dashboard and claim the additional weeks, which will be added to your account.You must file by January 29. "Ewing said she is not optimistic, but she is determined. Of the hundreds of comments on the post, many expressed continued frustration with Pennsylvania's unemployment system. Will you get the third stimulus check? Some notices of eligibility were bafflingly dated in the future. The timing of the payments' arrival varies based on when claimants file the claims for their other unemployment benefits and the method the claimant chose to receive their payment (checks require mailing time, financial institutions may cause delays with direct deposits, etc. 2) Claimants who have filed for the week of Jan. 2 and 9th before the extensions were in place and did not receive payment. Why are payments delayed? Data from the U.S. Department of the Treasury confirm the delays in payments. "It's absurd. REPORTER: EWING IS NOT OPTIMISTIC BUT SHE IS DETERMINED. I have no prevent payments it says payment type " taxes withheld " i have yet to receive anything ( i have dd set up) fyi i . Still, technology experts warn that even indications of a smooth launch may obscure deeper problems that have to be resolved down the line. The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry said direct deposit and debit card payments may be delayed this week for unemployment compensation and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claimants. A small percentage of users also had problems logging in or changing their payment type. "Claimants who have questions about their enrollment in PUA should email ucpua@pa.gov. Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry. In general, two states quickly delivered the additional $300 FPUC payments, first for those who were on underlying state benefitsincluding Extended Benefits (EB)that had not been interrupted by the December 26 deadline. REPORTER: SHE SAYS SHE IS FRUSTRATED. THESE PEOPLE ARE USUALLY GIG WORKERS, FREELANCERS, OR SELF-EMPLOYED. IF YOU MISS THE DEADLINE, YOU WILL NEED TO EMAIL UCPUA@PA.GOV. Many of the new claims were filed from outside Pennsylvania. The Century Foundation takes your data security and privacy seriously. 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. L&I has made approximately $7.1 billion in PUA payments since March 15. PUA is a special unemployment program created by the federal coronavirus relief bill to assist claimants who are not typically eligible for Unemployment Compensation, such as freelancers, gig workers, and business owners. Computers! The scam started shortly after the PUA program opened. Claimants who exhaust their 26 weeks of payments roll over to the PEUC program, and then the EB program. The Century Foundation The new computer system, which only processes state unemployment benefits, was stood up by the same contractor, Geographic Solutions Inc., or GSI, that manages the technology for paying out federal pandemic benefits. That's why we want you to know that, when you visit our website, we use technologies like cookies to collect anonymized data so that we can better understand and serve our audience. "The Facebook group that has been most helpful to me is the PA Unemployment Question Page. The Century Foundation. TO BEGIN FILING FOR THEY ADDITIONAL WEEKS, HAD TO YOUR ONLINE UNEMPLOYMENT DASHBOARD AND CLAIM THE ADDITIONAL WEEKS. The mixed messaging and delays in payments you may be experiencing is likely due to the fact that to get the $300 FPUC supplementary weekly payment PUA or PEUC retroactively paid In addition to the above, here are some useful tips to those who have exhausted their benefits and waiting to file a new claim: YOU WILL BE ABLE TO FILE FOR JANUARY 2, JANUARY 9, JANUARY 16, AND JANUARY 23. Its estimated that about 400,000 Pennsylvanians are relying on the PUA benefits. ), with the first claimants receiving their payments for FPUC on Jan. 12. - 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. 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. She added they are making progress and hope to have this issue resolved 'soon. 15 Best Amazon Clothing Brands Including Closet Staples and Statement Pieces, Memorial Day Sales 2023: The Best Early Memorial Day Deals You Can Shop Now, 45 Best Wedding Gifts That Are Way More Unique Than a Blender, 25 Trendy Amazon Spring Fashion Finds You'll Want in Your Closet ASAP. Spotlight PA relies on funding from Scammers filing claims under stolen identities previously targeted the PUA within the first few weeks it was implemented, L&I said, prompting security measures to identify and prevent payout for fraudulent claims. Benefit Year End Delays to PUA With many claimants having received benefits for over 12 months, they would have likely passed their benefit year end date (BYE ). By our calculations, these delays have resulted in shortchanging jobless workers by about $17.6 billion in benefits for the first four weeks in January 202138 percent less than these . For me the key takeaway is, do people get paid? she said. Throughout the entire month of January she only received one check for $105 dollars. The federal Department of Labor did not provide L&I with the necessary guidance for the changes to the PUA program until Jan. 11. Making matters worse, the departments phone lines temporarily crashed Tuesday morning. Unfortunately, payment of these benefits rolled out slowly in January 2021 as the late enactment of the legislation complicated state implementation. Senator Toomey had a different reaction to the bill passing, he said. The issue was identified and remedied on Jan. 16 and payments to the affected claimants were reissued on Jan. 17. Shes also concerned that some peoples data may have been incorrectly carried over from the old system. FPUC provides an additional $300 to claimants each week they receive at least $1 in benefits from the UC, EB, PEUC or PUA programs. For more information, please see our If you are a new, first-time PUA claimant opening a claim in 2021, you cannot yet file. In 2008 when the banks fucked over the economy (greed) the unemployed got a minimum of 99 weeks of benefits. PEUC initially expired the claim week ending Dec. 26 and an extension was signed Dec. 27. foundations and readers like you journalism from across Pa. PA Post (Daily): Top news every weekday Before you move on, I was hoping you would consider taking the step of supporting Spotlight PAs journalism either one time, or with a monthly gift. Another 109,000 are PEUC claimants. A waiver is a request to "waive" your non-fraud overpayment. Among Americans who did not have the same income as before the pandemic, 72 percent said they had trouble meeting basic household expenses and 31 percent reported not having enough money to pay for food. Step 2: Willis says, try to get someone on the phone if you can, "Emails take weeks to get a response. Scan this QR code to download the app now. "The bad behavior of these scammers is hurting Pennsylvanians, and we are continuing to work with the Pennsylvania Attorney General, U.S. AND NOT -- WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT RECEIVING OUR MONEY. Spotlight PA is different. Still others had payments stopped because of overpayments that had long ago been resolved. 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