"The original CARES Act programs, including Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), expired the end of December 2020. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, there are several reasons for the delay, depending on the situation. L&I began working on upgrading its computer system to accommodate changes made by the coronavirus relief bill extension and has completed upgrades to allow claimants who had weeks remaining on their 13 allotted weeks to begin filing for these claim weeks on Jan. 15. Others were refused benefits because they were incorrectly identified as incarcerated. 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.Delayed payments detailsTuesday payments will be available on Wednesday, March 10.Wednesday payments will be available Thursday, March 11. These two programs expired just before the end of December before President Trump. The program previously provided $600 in additional weekly compensation but was initially eliminated when the federal government failed to extend it in summer, and then cut in half to $300 and reinstated when the federal government agreed on the coronavirus relief bill extension.L&I began issuing payments on Jan. 8 after receiving the necessary guidance from the federal Department of Labor. A fix for that server connectivity issue is underway, according to the department. EMOTIONALLY, MENTALLY, PHYSICALLY. THE ADDED STRESS. At the same time, jobless advocates and scores of unemployed Pennsylvanians expressed an outpouring of frustration as a new wave of problems blocked numerous people from filing for benefits they had already been approved for. Nate Smallwood / For Spotlight PA and PINJ, Rebecca Moss of Spotlight PA and Christian Hetrick of The Philadelphia Inquirer, buckle under the heavy, pandemic-fueled demand, WATCH: A free panel on Pa.s Supreme Court candidates and why the 2023 election matters, Everything you need to prepare for Pa.s 2023 election, Determining if someone is mentally fit for trial in Pa. often traps them in the place making them worse jail, by Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PA and Brittany Hailer of The Pittsburgh Institute for Nonprofit Journalism, How anxiety came to dominate the big business of medical marijuana cards in Pennsylvania. PUA Payment Delay? Whoever is in charge of this circus should be fired and have to sign up for unemployment, one person wrote on Facebook. PUA benefits ceased on September 4, 2021. The federal Department of Labor did not provide L&I with the necessary guidance for the changes to the PUA program until Jan. 11. As a result, the delay presented states with major implementation challenges and unanswered questions about how to properly pay benefits that were due within six days of the president signing the legislation. PUA claimants self-certify each week that they are unemployed as a result of the ongoing coronavirus, but they do not go through the same checks to prove they are qualified to receive benefits as the claimants who file for traditional unemployment, officials said. EDD says it expects PUA claimants to be able to certify by April 10, 2021. The Department of Labor and Industry released the following statement Friday, Jan. 22:"Today, Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Acting Secretary Jennifer Berrier announced that payments for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program in the new federal CARES Act extension are resuming. REPORTER: THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND INDUSTRY SAYS CLAIMANTS WITH QUESTIONS SHOULD EMAIL THEM. WE REACHED OUT TO THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND INDUSTRY ABOUT THE DELAYS. Its estimated that about 400,000 Pennsylvanians are relying on the PUA benefits. Our journalism is produced to serve the public interest not profit motives. This content is imported from Facebook. BUT EACH DAY HER UNEMPLOYMENT CHALLENGE. REPORTER: SHE SAYS SHE IS FRUSTRATED. Extension of PUA and PEUC will resume for nearly 19 million Americans, including more than 500,000 Pennsylvanians. Spotlight PA relies on funding from Get Legal Help from the your local legal aid office from the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network or your local Public Defender. THE PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND INDUSTRY IS PUTTING ADDITIONAL ANTI-FRAUD AND IDENTIFICATION VERIFICATION MEASURES IN PLACE. Several workers on Facebook reported other problems, such as jobless claims that were wrongly identified as inactive. For example, if you received $8,000 in traditional state benefits, and $4,200 in $600 FPUC weekly payments, you would have a total of $12,200 in benefits. Some claimants have reported seeing what they believe are errors in their PUA system dashboard, but this is due to the reprogramming and the correct amounts will be populated into claimants' dashboards when the system is ready to accept the new claims. Cookie Notice The ability to file for claim weeks after Dec. 26 will be added when the reprogramming is complete, and L&I will make an announcement as soon as this date is determined. You may have received a waiver form in the mail or, if you are on PUA, in your portal. 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 . EB is a state program that is triggered on when the unemployment rate reaches a certain threshold.Because EB is a state program, it was unaffected by the expiration and extension of the federal coronavirus relief bill. 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 has made approximately $230.6 million in EB payments since March 15. It's. I found a 'script' if you will on the Facebook group that details how to get past the bot to a human and that takes hours. They absolutely shouldnt have done this right now with the amount of people that are claiming still, she said. Why are payments delayed? One month after the laws enactment, nearly a quarter of the states have not resumed paying out federal pandemic aid. We estimated that approximately 1.1 million people had exhausted these benefits in 2020 and were still out of work in January. "I've been calling close to 2,000 times a day trying to get through," said Ewing. Fill out the waiver request on the Philadelphia Legal Assistance website at: You will receive a determination in the mail about whether the waiver has been granted in your case. This article and all of our journalism are available to you at no cost thanks to our supporters. "Ewing said she is not optimistic, but she is determined. Please be patient while we work quickly to resolve your issue. A waiver is a request to "waive" your non-fraud overpayment. Will you get the third stimulus check? GSI did not respond to questions Tuesday, but a spokesperson, Michelle Griffith, previously praised the companys work in other states and readiness to launch the new system in Pennsylvania. After a claimant exhausts PEUC, they become eligible for additional weeks through the EB program. accountability journalism every Thursday, plus a weekly In January, following a new federal funding package, it took the state and GSI weeks to set up new rules associated with federal benefits. You should file your UC application for benefits using one of the following methods: Online - An online application can be filed using our secure website 7 days a week, 24 hours. This also applies to benefits received from Extended Benefits (EB), PUA, and PEUC. ", 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. L&I urged the federal government beginning in November to extend the CARES Act as soon as possible to prevent gaps or delays in unemployment program benefits to claimants. Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Periodically, the department tests each PEUC claimant for eligibility for regular UC. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. The department will put out user guides so claimants can familiarize themselves with the new features before the system launches, Dickinson added. The ability to file for claim weeks after Dec. 26 will be added when the reprogramming is complete, and L&I will make an announcement as soon as this date is determined. L&I apologizes for the inconvenience caused by the delayed payment and has worked to prevent the issue from recurring. "It allows us to investigate and alert the IRS of any necessary corrections of income", ADVICE FROM SOMEONE WHO'S BEEN THROUGH IT. Her computer screen went blank when she tried to confirm she wasnt a robot. 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. You can begin filing for the additional 11 claim weeks today, January 22. REPORTER: EWING IS NOT OPTIMISTIC BUT SHE IS DETERMINED. PUA beneficiaries approved for payment before Sept. 17 also are not impacted. Data from the U.S. Department of the Treasury confirm the delays in payments. The Century Foundation Its technology has a poor track record in Pennsylvania and in other states. 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 ? If you are a new, first-time PUA claimant opening a claim in 2021, you cannot yet file. You will automatically receive the extra $300 weekly Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) you do. 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. 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. The payout delay does not affect Pennsylvanians receiving payments through the other unemployment program programs. A request for waiver is available for non-fraud overpayments of benefits for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), and Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC).. A waiver is a request to "waive" your non-fraud overpayment. "I'm going on three weeks Wednesday without any kind of payment or anything.". Pennsylvania Labor and Industry Secretary Jerry Oleksiak said he hoped the new identification verification system will be ready very soon, during a media update on Monday. Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. - Resolved: The L&I office said claimants who filed for the weeks of January 2, 9, and 16 but did not receive payments and are eligible for payments should have now received their money from the L&I office. 2023, Hearst Television Inc. on behalf of WGAL-TV. In 2008 when the banks fucked over the economy (greed) the unemployed got a minimum of 99 weeks of benefits. Former Director of Workforce Policy and Senior Fellow, states had already notified workers that their benefits were set to expire, 4.8 million people (including 1.3 million children), Working to Expand Doula Coverage This Black Maternal Health Week, Five Key Takeaways on Mifepristone, after Two Competing Rulings, Advancing Contraceptive Equity: Policy Priorities for 2023, Cuts to Medicaid Should Be Off Limits During Budget Negotiations, Its Time to Break the Link between Autism and Homelessness, Off-Kilter Podcast: Swimming with Dragons: What We Can Learn From Spoon Theory About Self-Care, The Recent Ruling on Mifepristone Could Undermine the Need for FDA Reform, Mapping Where Medicaid Policy Changes Can Improve Black Maternal Health. Who is eligible for PEUC? "Claimants who have questions about their enrollment in PUA should email ucpua@pa.gov. >> IT'S HARD. Scan this QR code to download the app now. You would exclude the first $10,200, and pay tax only on the remaining $2,000. PEUC initially expired the claim week ending Dec. 26 and an extension was signed Dec. 27. L&I rectified the issue and reissued the payments to claimants a few days later. 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 workers were due to receive. Backups in payments were inevitable in this context. Over three days, the department received nearly 50,000 claims three times higher than normal. journalism from across Pa. PA Post (Daily): Top news every weekday If you think that you could be a Victim of Crime, help is available. Every week I receive my PUA payment between 7-8 AM every Wednesday morning. Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)L&I has made approximately $7.1 billion in PUA payments since March 15. Some notices of eligibility were bafflingly dated in the future. YOU WILL BE ABLE TO FILE FOR JANUARY 2, JANUARY 9, JANUARY 16, AND JANUARY 23. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, there are several reasons for the delay, depending on the situation. There are a lot of bad guys out there taking advantage of a system they can take advantage of.. Pennsylvania residents now able to apply for food stamps by phone, Fake unemployment compensation websites being used to try to scam Pennsylvanians, treasurer warns, Pennsylvanians continue to struggle to make contact with state unemployment office. Others had a smoother experience. It has been lauded by the state as a necessary fix to the decades-old mainframe infrastructure, which officials have characterized as slow, unintuitive, and ostensibly held together with tape. ' "Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) Program Extension "PUA assists workers who lost their jobs due to COVID-19 and are not typically eligible for other unemployment compensation programs. L&I has made approximately $6.6 billion in UC payments since March 15 (the start of the pandemic). 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