The costs of waiting until the last moment to extend benefits has been made clear by the experiences of the recent stimulus bill. Sign up for daily emails with local updates and other important news. 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. Still, technology experts warn that even indications of a smooth launch may obscure deeper problems that have to be resolved down the line. The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox. Another 109,000 are PEUC claimants. PUA benefits: Your card will be funded two to three business days after your state agency has approved your PUA weekly certification. Because EB is a state program, it was unaffected by the expiration and extension of the federal coronavirus relief bill. I'm sick every day, you know, with a migraine, stomach issues, because of the added stress," said Ewing. For me the key takeaway is, do people get paid? she said. To understand the delays, The Century Foundation surveyed state Department of Labor websites and local news sources to compare the experiences of the states. PALawHelp.org is a project of the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network and the Legal Services Corporation. All states and territories have now updated their unemployment systems to account for the extra $600 Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation payment to those eligible for regular unemployment insurance (UI).While the roll-out and payment of these benefits has been plagued by challenges with some states struggling a lot more than others . A long-delayed upgrade of Pennsylvanias computer system for unemployment benefits made a glitch-filled debut Tuesday, frustrating some jobless workers and confirming the concerns of critics who feared the new system would buckle under the heavy, pandemic-fueled demand. 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. 2001 - 2023, Pro Bono Net, All Rights Reserved. The Investigator (Weekly): Best REPORTER: EWING IS NOT OPTIMISTIC BUT SHE IS DETERMINED. 2023Spotlight PA228 Walnut St., #11728Harrisburg, PA 17108-1728. Ewing is one of many who said they are missing their checks and can't get through for help. 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. riddle. PUA Payment Delay? Workers have thus received 38 percent less than they could have if benefits were uninterrupted and they had received the $300-per-week supplement. [Pennsylvania] [Pennsylvania] Question. THE PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND INDUSTRY IS PUTTING ADDITIONAL ANTI-FRAUD AND IDENTIFICATION VERIFICATION MEASURES IN PLACE. The expiration, however, caused a delay in issuing money for weeks. A PLACE SHE NEVER EXPECTED TO BE. State officials first publicly mentioned the mistake during a July 20 news conference with reporters. "I've been calling close to 2,000 times a day trying to get through," said Ewing. 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. 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. Wisconsin has had similar struggles with its out-of-date system, and some state Department of Workforce Development officials recently said that they do not expect the new PEUC benefits to go into effect until the first week of March. Simon-Mishel said those who can afford to wait should give the state a few days to fix glitches and log in then. Of the forty states paying out PUA, twelve states had more than a two-week delay in getting the programs up and running. Claimants who exhaust their 26 weeks of payments roll over to the PEUC program, and then the EB program. The federal Department of Labor did not provide L&I with the necessary guidance for the changes to the PUA program until Jan. 11. Based on the addition of the $300 per week for all claimants, the combined UI program should have been paying out $11.6 billion per week in January. Our journalism is produced to serve the public interest not profit motives. 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. 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. 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. Pennsylvanians who believe their identity was stolen and used to fraudulently apply for unemployment benefits can report the theft online. 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. This article and all of our journalism are available to you at no cost thanks to our supporters. 800,000 people may experience PEUC delays through April, and 1.4 million PUA recipients can't certify for the program until April 10. . YOU MUST FILE BY JANUARY 29. IT'S HARD. Cookie Notice L&I rectified the issue and reissued the payments to claimants a few days later. She added they are making progress and hope to have this issue resolved 'soon. WE NEED THAT. ), with the first claimants receiving their payments for FPUC on Jan. 12. You can request a waiver if you are unable to pay back the overpayment due to financial hardship. The way BYE is handed in many state varies and in some PUA claimants do not have to worry about filing a new claim after the BYE date. Step 1: Join social media groups to get advice and help. 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. For example, BUT EACH DAY HER UNEMPLOYMENT CHALLENGE. Custody Proceedings - Representing Yourself, Divorce Proceedings - Representing Yourself, Get the latest news items of interest to the legal aid community and it's clients on PALegalAid.Net, Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC), Waiver Request - http://philalegal.org/waiver, Waiver of Benefit Overpayment - PUA, PEUC or FPUC. Moreover, an additional twelve states took three weeks or more to start up the payment of PUA, and fifteen states needed three weeks or more to reup PEUC. - Unresolved:The L&I office said a 'small' number of claimants are continuing to incorrectly see a USCIS code that they have self-identified as a permanent resident instead of a US citizen. "Ewing said she is not optimistic, but she is determined. 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. I spent over an hour on both 1/15 and 1/28 to get to a person who basically told me I needed to wait until my claim was built.". An estimated 400,000 from the Keystone State have been PUA recipients, who include gig workers, independent contractors and others. Even some of the states generally paying out PUA and PEUC benefits have yet to restart them for all those who gained new eligibility from the bill after having exhausted CARES Act aid. The Century Foundation. REPORTER: EWING'S STORY IS LIKE SO MANY OTHERS WHO RELY ON BENEFITS RIGHT NOW. REPORTER: THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND INDUSTRY SAYS CLAIMANTS WITH QUESTIONS SHOULD EMAIL THEM. Shes also concerned that some peoples data may have been incorrectly carried over from the old system. Office of Unemployment compensation website. Its estimated that about 400,000 Pennsylvanians are relying on the PUA benefits. Now join thousands of your friends and neighbors in supporting it. Most of those claims came from out-of-state addresses, which flagged them as potentially part of an ongoing benefits fraud scheme under investigation nationwide. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results. 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. L&I apologizes for the inconvenience caused by the delayed payment and has worked to prevent the issue from recurring. It's now almost 3 AM on Thursday and my payment still didn't go through. FOX43 asked Willis to provide her advice to people who are also struggling to receive their checks. AND NOT -- WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT RECEIVING OUR MONEY. While people would not be paid right away, they will be able to certify and get paid for all weeks they are unemployed,. One month after the laws enactment, nearly a quarter of the states have not resumed paying out federal pandemic aid. Philadelphia Legal Assistance has made an online form to make things easier for you. Julia Simon-Mishel, who leads the unemployment compensation unit at Philadelphia Legal Assistance, said workers had trouble loading the systems webpages because of heavy traffic. 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. Around 2 million people could see delays receiving unemployment benefits, including a $300 bonus. 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 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. In the last month, state and federal authorities have charged dozens of people, including inmates in Pennsylvania state and county jails, with participating in the PUA fraud. That story is here. A waiver is a request to "waive" your non-fraud overpayment. Every week I receive my PUA payment between 7-8 AM every Wednesday morning. Some claimants who filed EB claims on Jan. 10 did not receive their payments on time due to a programmatic glitch. 2) Claimants who have filed for the week of Jan. 2 and 9th before the extensions were in place and did not receive payment. 2023, Hearst Television Inc. on behalf of WGAL-TV. REMINDER: Waiver is only available for non-fraud overpayments of federal benefits. 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. I sent one on 1/5 and didn't get a reply until 1/20. This also applies to benefits received from Extended Benefits (EB), PUA, and PEUC. Now, she's giving her advice to others @fox43 https://t.co/lLvjuhyFbc pic.twitter.com/VfIOqzgt7c. Two of my friends who also get their PUA payments on Wednesday still haven't received their payment for this week. ' "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. Programs for the unemployed once again face a breaking point as aid enacted after Christmas will begin expiring on March 14 (and fully end on April 11). States awaited guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor on the key parameters left to interpretation in the law. Sign up for our free newsletters. 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. 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. This is like the January PUA [federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance] launch, Pfitzenmeyer Swangler said. 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. REPORTER: SHE SAYS SHE IS FRUSTRATED. Some people who were receiving benefits through the old system last week were told they were ineligible. Senator Casey said, Now that the Senate has passed the American rescue plan, the country is one step closer to putting the virus behind us. 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. DIDN'T NEED ALL THE PEOPLE BECAUSE OF WHAT WAS GOING ON. On Tuesday, WGAL spoke to people trying to file and Department of Labor officials about what they're doing. Privacy Policy. 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. 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