Top 5 mistakes people make filing unemployment that could delay your benefits

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Could the delay in receiving your unemployment benefits be due to filling out the application wrong. Officials with the PA Department of Labor and Industry explained while some of the issues have been on their end, there are plenty of application errors in the 2.1 million claims filed.

Labor and Industry Secretary Jerry Oleksiak said they had 65,000 new applications this past week. The number has decreased since the stay at home order was lifted in some parts of the state, but Oleksiak said it’s still a significant number compared to before the pandemic when the state had record low unemployment.

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"I always say unemployment is a very complex program," said Unemployment Compensation Benefits Policy Director, Susan Dickinson.

The department is working with its vendor to correct issues with the PUA system and address more than 20,000 calls they get a week, according to Dickinson. She adds the wrong information filed on an application can lead to a delay or even denial of your claim.

"The wrong identification information that doesn't match what the Social Security Administration records have," said Dickinson. "So, for example, putting in a nickname maybe Bill instead of William, or putting your first name, last and your last name first that's the biggest error we see in identification issues."

A second common mistake is putting the wrong separation information down. A separation serves two purposes: it informs the employer that a claim has been filed and requests that the employer provide the reason for separation.

"If you're affected by COVID-19 by there being no work available for you," said Dickinson. "Your employer is not offering work, that's a lack of work, you're laid off. A lot of people are saying that they're not laid off, they're not separated, and that's not true even though you plan on going back to that employer. You are separated for now, even though you will be connected later at a later date."

The third mistake Dickinson explained deals with a question about your weekly income.

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“We have a question on our initial application that says, 'Have you earned six times your weekly benefit rate from this employer? A lot of people don’t know what that means.”

Dickinson said people need to calculate their weekly pay and multiply by six; “One of the pieces of unemployment law is that you had to earn six times your weekly benefit rate since the employer previous.”

For example, Dickinson explained that if you made $400 a week, you would need to have earned $2,400 from your current employer during your time working for them. She added if you have not earned the six times, they will look at your recent separations and other previous employers.

The fourth mistake is not marking down; you're able and available to work on your initial application and bi-weekly claims.

"So, that just means that you can accept some sort of work because in order to be eligible for unemployment, have to be able to take work," said Dickinson.

Currently, the U.S. Department of Labor has relaxed some of its able and available requirements due to coronavirus concerns.

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"So there are plenty of people who may qualify now that that may not have been in the past," said Dickinson. "But we still do have to ask, and people still do need to say that they are able and available in order to receive benefits."

The fifth frequent mistake deals with declaring your wages, especially if you've worked for the federal government, active duty military, or in another state.

"We don't have wages on record for anyone in those categories," explained Dickinson. "We have wages on record for most regular employers. So when we build your claim, the system is going to see that you have no wages, and it's going to issue you a denial. You need to tell us that you worked for one of those employers so that it alerts us to reach out to that employer and get those wages in order to make you financially eligible."

Now if you have questions or issues with your claim, you can call or email. If you email, you should include your full name as it appears on your claim, including any suffixes used and the last four digits of your Social Security number. Due to the high number of claims, there is a backlog. Right now, the state’s website says they are 45 days behind on email responses, but Dickinson says that is not the average but is the oldest email in their system. The department encourages people not to send in duplicate emails as it slows down responses.

They also tell people to look at the FAQ or use their Virtual Assistant by Watson at 877-978-1295.

Email for Regular Unemployment Compensation - uchelp@pa.gov.

Email for PUA - ucpua@pa.gov.

‘Avalanche’ of unemployment claims as 2.1 million continue to overwhelm Pa. system ‘Avalanche’ of unemployment claims as 2.1 million continue to overwhelm Pa. system

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