The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry has provided an update on issues and fixes related to the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program and the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program.The information below is from L&I:PUAThe PUA program extension rollout on Jan. 22 has alerted L&I of multiple issues with our system that we are working to correct.Issues and fixesIf eligible, funds were released for claimants who previously filed for the weeks of Jan 2., Jan. 9 and Jan. 16.Some claimants were experiencing a USCIS issue related to residency (permanent resident versus U.S. citizen) which is actively being worked on.We added the 2020 base year for claimants who applied for PUA after Dec. 27. New claimants will receive individual messaging on next steps through the PUA dashboard. Once verified and any outstanding issues have been resolved, payments will be released.L&I is actively working to resolve the outstanding issues and will provide regular updates on the program status. Affected claimants do not need to take any action at this time. PEUCAfter the PEUC program extension rollout on Jan. 24, L&I identified and fixed the missing PEUC claim weeks for individuals who last filed benefits for the week on Dec. 26, 2020.Issues and fixesSome PEUC claimants were moved to EB incorrectly because they exhausted PEUC on the week of Dec. 26. We have moved these claimants back to PEUC.Some claimants filed for the weeks of Jan. 2 and Jan. 9 before the extensions were in place and as a result their claim shows they filed but did not receive payment. We are working to resolve this issue.We are aware that some PEUC claimants did not get the option to file for the weeks between Dec. 26 and the day they reopened their claim. We are working to process your requests for back weeks as soon as possible.General PEUC extension informationIf you were being paid on Pennsylvania’s Extended Benefits (EB) program before Dec. 26, 2020, you MUST complete your EB benefits before the additional 11 weeks of PEUC can be added to your claim.You will automatically receive the extra $300 weekly Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) – you do not need to take any action to get this boost.Claimants that last filed before Dec. 26 will need to reopen their claim and will begin filing in two weeks.If you need to request backdating for the weeks between Jan. 2 through Jan. 23, please email uchelp@pa.gov.PEUC provides additional claim weeks to workers who have exhausted their regular Unemployment Compensation (UC) benefits. Claimants are automatically enrolled in PEUC after they have reached their maximum claim weeks for UC.Claimants with additional issuesPUA or PEUC claimants who experience additional issues with their claims should email uchelp@pa.gov and provide a short description of the problem, their name as it appears on their claim, and the last four digits of their Social Security number. Immediate assistanceClaimants who need immediate assistance with needs such as food or shelter should contact the United Way’s 2-1-1 program or review their eligibility for programs through COMPASS. An additional list of support and resources is available on L&I’s Resources & Assistance page.
The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry has provided an update on issues and fixes related to the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program and the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program.
The information below is from L&I:
PUA
The PUA program extension rollout on Jan. 22 has alerted L&I of multiple issues with our system that we are working to correct.
Issues and fixes
- If eligible, funds were released for claimants who previously filed for the weeks of Jan 2., Jan. 9 and Jan. 16.
- Some claimants were experiencing a USCIS issue related to residency (permanent resident versus U.S. citizen) which is actively being worked on.
- We added the 2020 base year for claimants who applied for PUA after Dec. 27. New claimants will receive individual messaging on next steps through the PUA dashboard. Once verified and any outstanding issues have been resolved, payments will be released.
L&I is actively working to resolve the outstanding issues and will provide regular updates on the program status. Affected claimants do not need to take any action at this time.
PEUC
After the PEUC program extension rollout on Jan. 24, L&I identified and fixed the missing PEUC claim weeks for individuals who last filed benefits for the week on Dec. 26, 2020.
Issues and fixes
- Some PEUC claimants were moved to EB incorrectly because they exhausted PEUC on the week of Dec. 26. We have moved these claimants back to PEUC.
- Some claimants filed for the weeks of Jan. 2 and Jan. 9 before the extensions were in place and as a result their claim shows they filed but did not receive payment. We are working to resolve this issue.
- We are aware that some PEUC claimants did not get the option to file for the weeks between Dec. 26 and the day they reopened their claim. We are working to process your requests for back weeks as soon as possible.
General PEUC extension information
If you were being paid on Pennsylvania’s Extended Benefits (EB) program before Dec. 26, 2020, you MUST complete your EB benefits before the additional 11 weeks of PEUC can be added to your claim.
You will automatically receive the extra $300 weekly Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) – you do not need to take any action to get this boost.
Claimants that last filed before Dec. 26 will need to reopen their claim and will begin filing in two weeks.
If you need to request backdating for the weeks between Jan. 2 through Jan. 23, please email uchelp@pa.gov.
PEUC provides additional claim weeks to workers who have exhausted their regular Unemployment Compensation (UC) benefits. Claimants are automatically enrolled in PEUC after they have reached their maximum claim weeks for UC.
Claimants with additional issues
PUA or PEUC claimants who experience additional issues with their claims should email uchelp@pa.gov and provide a short description of the problem, their name as it appears on their claim, and the last four digits of their Social Security number.
Immediate assistance
Claimants who need immediate assistance with needs such as food or shelter should contact the United Way’s 2-1-1 program or review their eligibility for programs through COMPASS. An additional list of support and resources is available on L&I’s Resources & Assistance page.