Media release from the
State:
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June
29, 2020
Pennsylvania Extends Unemployment Compensation Benefits for 13 More Weeks
Harrisburg, PA –
Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Secretary Jerry Oleksiak today
announced that people who exhaust their regular unemployment compensation (UC)
and federal Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) may now qualify
for 13 additional weeks of payments through the state’s
Unemployment Compensation Extended Benefits program.
Extended Benefits (EB) are additional UC benefits
payable to qualified workers
whenever the state’s unemployment rate reaches a certain level determined
by law. The last time the EB program was triggered in Pennsylvania was 2009.
The
current EB period began May 3, 2020, but benefits are not payable until an
individual has exhausted PEUC benefits.
EB payments will begin with the week ending July 4, 2020 and are payable
only for weeks of
unemployment during an EB period.
Important information about the EB program follows and will be sent by mail to
all individuals who potentially qualify for the additional benefits.
Eligibility
You may be eligible
for EB if:
-
You are totally or partially unemployed;
-
You have exhausted your regular state benefits on your most recent UC claim,
or your most recent UC benefit year has ended; and
-
You have received the maximum amount of PEUC that you were eligible to
receive.
Additional eligibility information is available
here.
How to Receive EB
If you collect the
maximum amount of PEUC that you are eligible to receive, an EB Notice of
Financial Determination will be mailed to you.
-
You must complete your weekly EB online certification in order to claim EB
for weeks that you are totally or partially unemployed.
-
Each EB online certification corresponds to
one specific week,
as indicated on the web form. Individuals who opt to use paper claim forms
should only use the form that is specifically dated for the week of
unemployment you are claiming.
-
If you do not receive your Financial Determination within two weeks after
you receive your final PEUC payment, call the UC Service Center at
1-888-313-7284.
EB Weekly
Benefit Amount
-
EB weekly benefit payments are the same as regular UC.
-
The total amount of EB that you may receive is 50 percent of the amount of
regular UC you were financially eligible to receive on your most recent
claim. Example:
-
If you were financially eligible for 26 weeks of regular UC, you may
receive up to 13 weeks of EB.
-
There is an additional wage test for EB eligibility, so not all individuals
will financially qualify.
-
EB may only be paid for weeks ending during an EB period.
-
If you are entitled to Trade Readjustment Allowances, you may receive fewer
weeks of EB.
EB is currently fully
federally-funded through the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, Public Law
(Pub. L.) 116-127, specifically Division D, the Emergency Unemployment Insurance
Stabilization and Access Act of 2020 (EUISAA).
Pennsylvania
Unemployment Benefits Payment Information
Since March 15,
more than $21.5 billion in benefits has been paid:
-
$9.6 billion
from regular
UC
-
$9.6 billion
from the
Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program
(extra $600 per week)
-
$2.2 billion
issued so far to
Pandemic
Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claimants (self-employed, gig
workers, independent contractors)
-
$129 million
through
Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program
(extended benefits)
Of the eligible
claimants that applied for benefits between March 15 and May 30, and who filed
for continued claims, 90.2 percent received payment as of June
29.
Important
Resources and Links
Additional
unemployment benefits information is available
on L&I’s
website,
Facebook
or
Twitter.
MEDIA
CONTACT:
Penny
Ickes,
dlipress@pa.gov