HARRISBURG – Pennsylvanians can ask questions directly to unemployment compensation experts during the Department of Labor & Industry’s (L&I) ninth live virtual town hall, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., Thursday, July 23.
The event will feature information about regular unemployment compensation (UC) and other new COVID-19-related benefits programs, including the end of the $600 federal weekly benefit.
How to participate
A livestream will be online at https://access.live/PAlabor. Those without Internet access can listen by calling 1-833-380-0719; however, access is limited so the department asks that they be reserved for individuals who need them.
Participants can ask questions live during the town hall. To protect participants’ personal confidential information, specific questions about individual claims cannot be answered during the town hall.
Pennsylvania has implemented all of the new programs under the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act:
- Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) – for self-employed, gig workers, contractors and others not normally eligible for UC.
- Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) – additional 13 weeks of benefits to people who exhaust their regular UC.
- Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) – extra $600 per week for anyone receiving unemployment benefits.
The federal government created and funds the $600 weekly FPUC payment and will be ending these payments. Under federal requirement, the claim week ending July 25, 2020, will be the last $600 FPUC payment claimants will receive.
Unemployment Benefits Statistics
Since mid-March, more than $29 billion in benefits has been paid to claimants:
- $11.4 billion from regular UC
- $13.7 billion from FPUC
- $3.8 billion from PUA
- $170 million from PEUC
Of the eligible claimants that applied for benefits between March 15 and June 20, and who filed for continued claims, 92 percent received payment as of July 21.
Improving Customer Service
- L&I UC staff has worked more than 203,000 overtime hours since mid-March.
- UC service center staffing levels have increased 106 percent since March 15 with the hiring of new employees and reassigning of staff from other state offices/agencies.
- Since mid-March, UC staff has responded to more than 606,000 total e-mails.
- Last week, staff responded to more than 46,200 e-mails.
Important Resources and Links
- L&I COVID-19 Guidance and Resources
- Recordings of prior public town halls are available here.
- Additional unemployment benefits information is available on L&I’s Web site, Facebook or Twitter.