Transition to new state unemployment system will begin May 30
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The transition to a new state unemployment compensation system will begin May 30, it was announced Monday.
This means that any Pennsylvanians filing a first-time unemployment claim will be unable to do so starting May 31 and continuing to June 7. Also, no new claims will be taken by phone from June 3-9.
Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Acting Secretary Jennifer Berrier said “only a small portion of claimants” will be affected by the offline period. It was announced last month that Pennsylvania will be pulling the plug on the 40-year-old computer system it uses for unemployment compensation, with officials saying it is outmoded and, in Berrier’s words, “It’s amazing that it was able to handle the capacity it has had to deal with during the pandemic.” The new system will be faster and easier to use, Berrier has said.
In addition to first-time claimants being unable to file for benefits for one week, individuals with ongoing claims will be unable to file biweekly certifications from June 3-7 and those scheduled to file biweekly certification from May 30 to June 5 will be able to file those claims between May 30 and June 2.
No claims will be processed when the system is offline, and staffers will not be able to access it. Inquiries from new claimants will be placed in a queue for when the new system comes online. L&I said more than 200 new customer service representatives have been hired to deal with unemployment claims and questions, and an additional 200 will be coming onboard starting May 24.
When the new system is online, all claimants will switch to a weekly filing pattern.
Berrier said Monday the switch to a new system is “long overdue.”
“With new claims declining each week, now is the optimal time to make the transition to a 21st century solution,” she said.