Sep 24, 2020 3 min read

The ability – or inability – to communicate with the state Office of Unemployment Compensation has been an oft-expressed concern during the coronavirus pandemic.

Now the office, a division of the Department of Labor & Industry, has taken steps to improve communication. It has updated its UC Live Chat feature, adding a virtual assistant to immediately respond to general questions and provide guidance on UC matters. The office also has expanded access to enable employers to ask questions related to their business accounts.

“Upgrades to the UC Live Chat and the introduction of the new chatbot provide added convenience and communication options between UC claimants and staff,” L&I secretary Jerry Oleksiak said in a news release. He anticipates improvements in customer service and claims processing, and lower call volume to UC service centers.

The virtual assistant is able to respond to 450 questions regarding UC claims and will be available 24/7. If the chatbot is unable to assist with general UC queries, users can request being transferred to an agent for additional assistance.

The new employer chat option will be available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and UC Chat Live can be accessed from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

In another matter related to L&I, Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced Wednesday that state charges have been filed against 20 inmates and accomplices at state prisons in Pennsylvania. Those charged have been linked to at least two rings, or organized groups of inmates and outside accomplices who worked together to provide false information on Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefit applications.

Shapiro said in a statement: “After announcing our first round of arrests in these COVID unemployment scams, I promised there were more to come. Today, 20 more individuals have been charged with illegally taking benefits away from hard-working Pennsylvanians who are struggling during this crisis.

”These arrests are not the end of our investigation, and I’ll continue working with my colleagues at the federal level to track down those heading these schemes, along with those who are willfully participating and breaking the law.”The larger ring operated out of State Correctional Institution Benner in Centre County. The second ring operated from SCI Mahanoy in Schuylkill County.

Six additional inmates, at SCI Phoenix, were arrested without known links to a ring.