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FEDERAL FINANCIAL RELIEF Mitch Mathers
November 22nd
If you’re looking for information on pa unemployment benefits then you’ve come to the right place. Unemployment rates Pennsylvania were 3.9% in August 2019, a major drop from 5.5% in August 2016. This decrease is owed, in huge part, to the administrative policies of the state of Pennsylvania when it comes to UC benefits.
PA unemployment compensation is handled through the Department of Labor and Industry. The unemployment PA insurance policy is responsible for providing temporary monetary assistance to out-of-work citizens. These policies intend to provide a financial cushion for workers who have recently been let go due to circumstances that were out of their control.
This replacement income keeps workers’ households afloat while the look for new employment. Additionally, the Pennsylvania unemployment benefits program also helps the unemployed find jobs by giving them free job training services, job searching resources, counseling services, and vocational training.
Trying to determine your eligibility for unemployment benefits PA is an extensive process that involves numerous steps. The PA department of labor unemployment officials judge your eligibility based on the documents and information you provide when filing a claim. The first step is meeting the standards of financial eligibility.
Financial Eligibility
Meeting the standards of financial eligibility is dependent on your earnings in the two years preceding your initial claim. Firstly, you must ensure that the services rendered classify as employment under PA UC Law. Most normal jobs are covered under this. However, agricultural labor and domestic services practiced on a private residence are not covered under Pennsylvania law. Similarly, self-employment does not meet the required standards.
Secondly, you must meet the minimum income requirements. During the ascribed time, i.e your base year you must have earned a certain amount of money in a field that classifies under Pennsylvania law. After filing your initial claim you will receive a Notice of Determination declaring your financial eligibility or ineligibility.
Reason for unemployment
Once your financial eligibility has been established the Department of Labor will question the reason for your unemployment PA. To meet the unemployment PA eligibility standards a worker must be unemployed because of no fault of their own. So, if you were fired because of downsizing, or bankruptcy you can receive benefits.
But, if you were fired due to incompetence, misconduct, theft, falsification of documents or violation of company policy then you cannot receive financial assistance. Additionally, anyone who quit their previous job does not qualify to receive unemployment compensation in PA.
In most cases a department representative contacts your previous employer for information on this matter. If you parted on bad terms with your last employer, or if you and your ex-employer disagree on the cause of your unemployment you will be allowed to explain yourself.
Maintaining benefits
Finally, you must take certain steps to maintain eligibility after you file your initial claim. This involves having to file a biweekly claim and not missing any dates. Moreover, you have to regularly apply for work and provide evidence of regular appointments and interviews. This includes accepting job offers and not refusing positions needlessly. You should also take part in reemployment services and job training practices.
You should apply for Pennsylvania unemployment compensation immediately after losing your job. The less time you wait, the more financial cushion afforded to you, and the more benefit you receive in the long term.
There are a multitude of ways to apply for these benefits.
In-person
Go to the PA unemployment service centers to receive help in person. There are a total of four PA unemployment customer service centers, the Erie UC service center, the Scranton UC service center, the Duquesne UC service center, and the Indiana service center.
On phone
Call the PA unemployment phone number on phone 888 313 7284. Talk to a service operator and discuss the details of your case along with any queries you may have.
Online
Visit the PA unemployment website which contains detailed instructions on how to declare a PA unemployment claim, along with all the required forms.
The process of applying for unemployment compensation PA is extremely straight-forward and hassle-free, provided you have all the right information. Once you meet the prerequisite criteria set by the PA unemployment compensation laws you will be able to get a certain amount of financial compensation. These benefits can be up to $573 a week.
To receive unemployment benefits you must meet the set of standards set by the PA unemployment laws. There are three main requirements issued by the PA department of unemployment.
Financial Eligibility
The first step towards receiving pa state unemployment benefits is meeting the predetermined financial requirements. After filing a claim you must prove your eligibility to the PA dept of unemployment. Within this, you must give them proof of sufficient earnings during your most recent periods of employment, i.e. your base period.
If they are satisfied with your work history the pa.dept.of unemployment issues a Notice of Financial Determination. This notice declares you either eligible or ineligible. And informs you of the amount of financial assistance the state will provide you with.
Reason for unemployment
The second most important factor in determining your eligibility is your reason for unemployment. If you were fired because of incompetence, irregularity, ineffectiveness, poor work ethics, misconduct, violation of company policy, drug or alcohol possession, or falsification of official documents you are not eligible to receive pa.uc benefits. Additionally, you also do not qualify if you participated in a work strike or voluntarily quit your job.
However, if you were let go due to reasons completely outside of your control, for example, downsizing you are eligible to receive unemployment benefits. You may also receive financial compensation if you are the victim of a lock-out.
And if you are still facing PA unemployment eligibility issues and are confused about whether or not you qualify call the pa unemployment number for assistance.
The main difference between a strike and a lock-out is the initiating force. A strike is started by workers, while a lock-out is started by employers. Even though both intend to settle labor disputes only a lock-out results in employees being fired due to no fault of their own. Hence, according to PA unemployment law strike participants are not eligible to receive employment benefits, while lock-out victims are.
You do not need to be completely without work to receive unemployment compensation Pennsylvania. Even if you are working part-time you might still be eligible to receive financial compensation. There is a specific set of restrictions governing these benefits.
Certain factors automatically disqualify you from receiving financial assistance and benefits. If you meet any of the following criteria you cannot get Pennsylvania unemployment benefits even if you meet the financial criteria. These criteria include:
Inability to work
When applying for or receiving state benefits you must continually provide evidence that you are willing and able to work. So, if you are mentally or physically incapable of working you do not qualify to receive pa unemployment benefits. In this case, you may apply to receive disability benefits instead.
For more queries related to medical reasons for unemployment in PA call the PA unemployment phone number.
Leaving the country
Again leaving the country means that you are physically unable to work in the United States even if a job offer was made to you. So, you are automatically disqualified from receiving aid.
No daycare
Not having adequate childcare services is not a valid excuse for missing a job interview or skipping work. As part of the uc unemployment benefits program, you must be willing and able to show up to work whenever a position is made available to you.
No transportation
If you do not have access to adequate transportation facilities you will not be able to show up to job sites when required. As a result, you do not meet the prerequisite PA unemployment rules and requirements that are a part of the unemployment benefits system.
Jail or prison
People who are incarcerated are automatically disqualified from receiving state unemployment benefits. Their movement is restricted and they cannot work in any normal capacity.
It is not enough to qualify for PA unemployment payments once. You must maintain your eligibility by collecting benefits regularly, applying for jobs consistently and meeting all the required criteria.
Filing for a claim the first time only qualifies you to receive aid for a particular length of time. If you continue to remain unemployed you must inform the state of your status to receive aid. You do this by filing a claim. Unemployment law in PA requires you to file a biweekly claim in most cases. This means that once you file a claim you do not need to file again for another two weeks. Benefits are paid by the state once every two weeks.
However, you also need to certify your claim, i.e, receive your benefits. So, you may collect your benefits for each week separately. Generally, a week may start on Sunday and end the next Saturday.
According to the PA unemployment contact, you are required to apply for a minimum number of jobs per week. And no leeway is given to those who do not meet these requirements.
The benefit week is the weekly system used to distribute funds to workers. It begins on a Sunday and ends on the next Saturday. The maximum time frame you can receive unemployment benefits is 26 weeks. These benefit weeks may occur anytime between the 52 week benefit year. The benefit year begins after the filing of the initial claim.
According to the Department of Unemployment Pennsylvania, you are required to apply for two jobs and register for one job search activity on the website JobGateway every week, starting week three of your benefit year. These job applications don’t need to happen in person. You can also submit your resume online, email an employer or conduct a Skype interview. Additionally, you can also use the unemployment phone numbers PA.
The important thing is that you follow through on the instructions you receive from your employer, and keep detailed notes of your search activities as evidence. These detailed records will prove necessary the next time you file a claim.
Moreover, you must provide completely accurate and factual information every time you submit a claim. If there are any inconsistencies in your initial claim, following claims or subsequent communication with the Department of Labor officials you may be heavily persecuted. Apart from having your benefits revoked you can also be charged fines or be criminally prosecuted.
Wanting to file an unemployment benefits claim? Well, there are certain things you will need to collect before you can. If you are filing an initial claim you will need to have on hand your:
It is recommended that you work your way through the list and have all the necessary documents on hand before you file an initial claim. Filing a claim can be done by filling a form online or by calling PA unemployment phone number pat.
Receiving employment benefits from the state of Pennsylvania is a continuous process that requires you to stay in contact with their offices. You cannot file for benefits once and consider your part in the process done.
To collect benefits you will need your personal identification number or PIN. You are responsible for creating a PIN the first time you file a claim. So, make sure it is an easy to remember number. At the same time do not use common codes like 1234 or your birthday. Doing this can present a security risk.
Since the Pennsylvania benefits system works off of your most recent information you will need to inform them of any changes in your PA unemployment status immediately. If you file a claim to receive benefits for a certain week you must submit information regarding any money you earned during that week.
If you worked part-time inform them of the hours you worked and the payment you received. And if you did not work at all during the week then submit your weekly earnings as zero. Moreover, even if you didn’t work during the week but received backlogged payments from your previous employer in the form of vacation pay or fuel allowance you must report these funds as well.
The Pennsylvania unemployment department will accept your claim applications any day during the week from Sunday to Friday. You can file a claim for a two-week-long period of time and you must submit your claim request in the following week. Instructions on when to file a PA unemployment biweekly claim are attached to the claim confirmation letter.
You must file your biweekly claims on time to continue receiving benefits without interruption. If you forget to file a claim your account may go inactive. And your benefits will be cut off. To remedy this situation you will have to contact a helpline using the Pennsylvania unemployment compensation phone number and submit a request for reactivation.
There are numerous methods to file a claim. No one method is better than the others. And no preference is given to any particular method by the paunemployment offices.
Online
Filing a claim online is perhaps the easiest available method. All you need is a computer and an internet connection. You can submit your claim any time between 6 am and 10 pm from Monday to Friday. Or on Sunday between 6 am and 11 pm.
The Pennsylvania unemployment website has all the required forms. And all you need to do is make sure you receive a confirmation your claim has been submitted before you log out of the system. If you log out without saving all your information will be lost and you will have to start again.
On phone
The second method of submitting a claim is to call the PA department of labor and industry phone number. Once your call goes through you can easily file a claim. However, you can only call at specific times.
If your call is not going through because of the unavailability of an open channel hang up and try again.
The unemployment numbers PA are 888-255-4728 for English or 877-888-8104 for Spanish.
You do not need to talk to an operator to file a claim. When you call the pat number for unemployment you will hear a series of pre-recorded messages. These questions will help determine your eligibility according to Pennsylvania legal standards. And you will type in either ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on your keypad.
Once all the pre-recorded messages have been answered the machine will inform you whether or not your claim was accepted. You must wait until after the confirmation message to hang up. If the call cuts off before you hear the confirmation message you have to call again and start from the beginning.
By mail
This option is not available to all claimants. To figure out whether this option is available to you call the PA Department of Labor phone numbers 888-313-7284 or 888-334-4046. Once you receive confirmation you may mail a letter to file your claim at the Department of Labor mailing address.
There are four customer service centers in Pennsylvania where you can mail your claim letter.
Duquesne unemployment office
Street Address: 14 North Linden Street
City/State: Duquesne, PA
Zip code: 15110-1067
Fax no: 412-267-1475
Erie unemployment compensation service center
Street Address: 1316 State Street
City/State: Erie, PA
Zip code: 16501-1978
Fax no: 814-871-4863
Indiana unemployment office
Street Address: 630 Kolter Drive
City/State: Indiana, PA
Zip code: 15701-3570
Fax no: 724-599-1068
Office of unemployment Scranton PA
Street Address: 30 Stauffer Industrial Park
City/State: Taylor, PA
Zip code: 18517-9625
Fax no: 570-562-4385
Using TTY
TTY users can also file a claim using the PA TTY services that are available 24 hours a day, 6 days a week, from Sunday to Friday.
According to the official policy, you will receive your first benefit payment four weeks after you file your initial claim. The first week you declare is known as your waiting week. You do not receive financial compensation for this week since your application is still in process. So the first benefit payment you receive is only for one week.
Most subsequent payments will be for two weeks. Your PA unemployment pay dates work on a bi-monthly schedule. Hence you will collect benefits on alternative weeks. It will generally take four to five working days to process your claim after the first one. Occasionally, it may take longer to process your benefit payment. But the maximum processing time will be no more than 10 days.
After you file a claim to receive benefits you can collect your financial compensation through one of two ways. It is generally a good idea to choose a method of payment while filing your initial claim. But you can update your information and change your payment method at any time.
Debit card
If you choose to receive payment using a PA UC debit card you will receive your Bank of America issued card when you receive your letter of confirmation. Unless you specify that you wish to receive payment through direct deposit when filing your initial claim you will automatically be issued a debit card.
Direct deposit
The funds will be directly deposited in your savings or user account. You will be required to provide complete banking information at the time of filing.
Moreover, you can check your PA unemployment status anytime by logging on to the website. Or by calling the unemployment phone number PA at 888-255-4728. You can do this between 6 am and 9 pm from Monday through Friday, or from 6 am to 11 pm on Sunday.
If you have exhausted the resources available to you over the maximum 26 week schedule you can print out your payment history. This printout is normally required by other aid providing agencies.
How it works
The amount of financial assistance you receive from the state depends in great part on how much money you were earning when you were last employed. The state works off of the assumption that that amount was enough to meet your household’s daily expenses and attempts to reimburse it while you look for new employment.
What to know
The process of calculating your weekly benefit payment involves several variables. First, you must learn to recognize and understand these key terms. Base week or alternative base week are systems used to measure time. In particular, the time preceding your claim concerning the money you were making during that time. The base weeks come together to form a base year.
Allocating time
When you are filing your initial claim you will need to calculate the sum of your income during this base year. The calendar quarter is a three month period, for example, January to March or April to June. The year is divided into four calendar quarters. If you take the five calendar quarters preceding when you filed your initial claim, the first four of those five make up your base year. You will also need to calculate your earnings for each quarter.
To summarize:
Credit weeks
Next, you must pay attention to your credit weeks. A credit week is any week within your base year where you earned more than $116. To receive unemployment benefits you must have a total of 18 or more credit weeks.
The reason this clause regarding credit weeks exists is because the state needs to know that you had a steady source of income. All of your income during your benefit year cannot be isolated to one quarter, though it does not need to be evenly distributed. A maximum of 63% of your total income may be from one quarter. The remaining 37% needs to be distributed in the remaining three.
That said the amount of your weekly unemployment benefits is calculated using the sum from the quarter with the highest income. Generally, your weekly benefit rate is around 50% of your highest weekly income. This is only an estimate. You will be informed of the exact amount when your claim is approved.
According to the PA unemployment compensation contact your weekly benefits are reduced if certain conditions are being met. You may be losing because of one of the following reasons.
UC Fund Solvency
This is out of your control. Pennsylvania unemployment laws automatically reduce aid when funds are low.
Vacation Pay
Vacation pay is directly deducted from your weekly financial aid in the week the vacation took place, usually in the case of part-time earners.
Severance Pay
You lose benefits if you are receiving severance pay from your ex-employer, especially if it exceeds 40% of the Pennsylvania average yearly wage.
Pensions
A certain sum is deducted from your account if your employer either continued your pension plan or if your work during your base year increased your pension. Here’s how this works. If your pension plan is 100% funded by your employer, 100% of the weekly pension plan money is deducted from your account. However, if the pension plan was divided between you and your employer 50% of the weekly pension plan amount is deducted.
Back Wage
Receiving money after you have been let go for services you provided when you were last in service of your employer.
What to do if you do not meet the financial requirements for unemployment benefits? Don’t take NO for an answer!
Can I collect unemployment if I get fired in PA for injury-related reasons? If you do not meet the above discussed financial requirements because of a medical condition or job-related injury you still have another chance. These requirements were discussed using the weekly base system. Another alternative base system also exists. In this alternative system, you use the four quarters preceding your date of injury instead of your date of filing.
If you qualify to receive unemployment benefits you may be able to increase that sum by declaring any dependents you have. Dependents are people in your household that depend on you as their primary source of income. Based on the general standard you can receive a weekly increase of $5 for having a dependent spouse and a weekly increase of $3 for having a dependent child.
If you are working part-time because of the unavailability of full-time work you can apply for PA partial unemployment benefits using the same process. Receiving partial unemployment PA follows the same process as full-time unemployment, but the amount of funds varies depending on how much money you are making above the declared weekly income from when you were last employed.
You qualify for part-time pa.unemployment if:
The unemployment benefits fund is not a long term solution for unemployment. In fact, the maximum amount of time you can receive financial assistance is only 26 weeks. Since it exists as a form of temporary relief numerous provisions exist to ensure workers do not take advantage of the facility. As such you are required to not only actively search for employment but also provide evidence of your search.
You must provide evidence of a minimum of two job applications per week, as well as, one job searching activity. In your third benefit week, you will be required to present documentation supporting this if you want to collect benefits.
In addition to simply submitting applications, you are required to conduct one other job search activity per week.
These activities can include:
You do not need to conduct any of the above-mentioned job searching activities if you:
The JobGateway is the Pennsylvania unemployment benefits website that provides services for registration, job training, and skill assessment. The PA dept.of unemployment requires online registration within 30 days of filing. Because they want you to get around to applying for jobs as soon as possible. The more time you have to look through the training material, practice the interview exercises, take the skills tests, sharpen the resume and fill out forms, the quicker you can get employed.
For more information on training facilities and available resources call the job gateway phone number.
Additionally, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry has numerous other programs that provide financial assistance to the unemployed in their state. These include unemployment benefits for:
Federal Civilian Employees
Employees working under the umbrella of federal or government employment fall under this umbrella and can receive financial assistance from the UCFE program.
Ex-Service Members
All those people who actively served in the military as part of the Armed Forces or Commissioned Corps of NOAA are eligible to receive funds under the UCX program. Call the unemployment pat phone number if you are confused about the services available to you as an ex-service member.
Disaster victims
The Disaster Unemployment Assistance provides relief to all those who are currently unemployed because of a natural disaster as declared by the President of the United States. These benefits do not apply to workers who are receiving any other kind of benefits and may only be utilized as a last resort.
Replaced persons
Workers who became unemployed due to competition by foreign trade or were replaced by foreign workers are eligible to apply for the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA). Under this program, people will receive weekly benefits and job retraining and searching assistance.
This is a common problem. If you do not meet the requirements of the Pennsylvania Unemployment Benefits Program you will be denied benefits. If you are denied benefits there are still measures you can take. You have the option of filing an appeal and contesting the decision.
The process of filing an appeal is simple. You are required to file an appeal within 15 days of receiving your initial decision. Detailed instructions outlining the appeals process will be included in the letter you will receive. However, if you need further information you can call the unemployment PA phone number. Generally, you will be allowed a hearing within a month of your appeal application.
An impartial referee will review your application to determine whether an unfair decision was made. You will be required to present your case, highlighting how you meet all required criteria, presenting relevant evidence and explaining why you think the previous decision should not stand. The hearing will end and the referee will announce their decision in two weeks.
If your first appeal is refused you can still launch another appeal. This time you appeal to the UC Board of Review asking them to review the referee’s decision. For this, you must file an appeal 15 days after receiving the decision from your previous appeal. Instructions for this process will be included in the previously received decision letter.
However, if the UC Board of Review denied your benefits request you still have one avenue open to you. You can appeal their decision to the Commonwealth Court. This is the final appeal you may file. And you may file this request within 30 days of receiving a rejection from the Board of Review.
Also, you must keep filing your biweekly claims while you are filing these appeals. Because in case your appeal comes through you will only receive benefits for the weeks you filed your PA unemployment biweekly claims.
The reason you must file wyoming unemployment biweekly claims is because the unemployment office PA works off of your most recent data. So, if there are any changes in your PA unemployment claims status you are required to immediately report it. The PA unemployment benefits calculator reevaluates your benefit allocation on a week to week basis.
Failing to meet the weekly requirements of the Pennsylvania unemployment benefits program can get you disqualified. Some reasons for popular disqualification include:
If you have questions or queries regarding any of the processes involved in filing a claim the unemployment PA number to call is 888-255-4728. And for services in Spanish, call the unemployment PA number 877-888-8104.
How to file for unemployment in PA in person and on call? What’s the easiest way?
You can visit the service centers or call the Pennsylvania unemployment phone number on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 8 am to 4 pm. Additionally, ASL users can take advantage of the videophone services from 12 pm to 4 pm on Wednesday.
The unemployment PA contact numbers available to you are 888-334-4046 and 888-313-7284. TTY services are available 24 hours a day on all days except Saturdays.
Still confused on how to file for unemployment in PA? Don’t know how to file biweekly claim? Visit www pa uc gov. If you want more information on your PA unemployment claim status visit the website or call the PA unemployment compensation phone number.
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