Thousands of people will have to re-apply for unemployment in Pennsylvania

PITTSBURGH — Thousands of unemployed Pennsylvanians will have to re-file the unemployment claims to receive benefits.

The Department of Labor & Industry confirms it will affect those who applied for benefits at the beginning of the pandemic entering their second calendar year unemployed.

Anyone receiving benefits through Unemployment Compensation (UC), Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), or Extended Benefits (EB) must re-file.

Some people receiving benefits through Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) will also be required to re-file.

“For many people, there will be no delay in benefits,” said Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor & Industry Press Secretary Sarah DeSantis.

But after a year of problems and delays for thousands of Pennsylvanians filling for unemployment benefits, skepticism remains.

The Department of Labor and Industry sent this statement expressing confidence in the system:

“For many people, there will be no delay in benefits. For those with complicated claims, our UC staff (which has more than doubled since last March) must research the situation and the individual may experience a pause during the process. We are doing everything possible to process these required reviews as fast as possible.”

For those laid off when the pandemic began and remain unemployed, those claims can be re-filed beginning next week.

Senate passes COVID-19 relief bill with $1,400 checks, scaled-back unemployment (NCD)

Cox Media Group