UpdatedThu, Apr 8, 2021 at 2:47 pm ET
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Pennsylvania will launch a new unemployment compensation claims system this spring, the Department of Labor & Industry announced Thursday. (Shutterstock)
HARRISBURG, PA Pennsylvania will launch a new unemployment compensation claims system this spring, the Department of Labor & Industry announced this week.
Officials expect residents will have a much quicker and easier time filling out claims once the new system launches on June 8.
The new system will replace a 40-year-old mainframe legacy system, the department said.
Subscribe The new system will be easy to use, provide access to important information, and streamline the unemployment claim filing process for workers, employers, unemployment program staff, and third-party administrators, said Labor & Industry Acting Secretary Jennifer Berrier. The pandemic stressed an already-antiquated IT platform and we look forward to improving the process so that out-of-work Pennsylvanian
Labor & Industryâs antiquated Unemployment Compensation computer system has two months to live.
The state agency will launch its new system on June 8, acting secretary Jennifer Berrier announced at a virtual media briefing on Thursday afternoon.
âWe have been working with an archaic mainframe that has been outdated for years,â she said of the four-decade-old relic. âItâs amazing that it was able to handle the capacity it has had to deal with during the pandemic.â
Berrier said the replacement system should be faster and more efficient, simplifying the filing process for claimants while easing the burdens of department employees â who, despite the addition of hundreds of representatives, have been under siege. They have been handling waves of claims and complaints from people who have lost jobs, had their hours reduced and/or been unable to contact L&I representatives.
Regular UI: $2.87 billion
Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation ($30 in weekly UI benefits to eligible claimants): $3.23 billion
PEUC (extends unemployment benefits by additional 11 weeks): $739.2 million
State Extended Benefits (extends unemployment benefits an additional 13 weeks): $31.7 million
Lost Wages Assistance ($300/weekly UI benefits to eligible claimants, fall 2020): $389.2 million
Total: $8.66 billion
Verifying identity with ID.me
Due to a significant increase in suspected fraud, particularly in the PUA program, CDLE said last week it is requiring all claimants with continued claims who have not verified their identity through the the ID.me process to do so. The process takes about 15 minutes.
If a claimant cannot complete the self-guided process, they will need to verify their identity through a live video call with an ID.me representative.
Department of Labor & Industry Acting Secretary Jennifer Berrier announced Thursday that the department’s new unemployment compensation system will launch June 8.The new system – which will replace an obsolete 40-year-old mainframe legacy system – is expected to make it faster and simpler for Pennsylvanians to file claims. The new system will be easy to use, provide access to important information and streamline the unemployment claim filing process for workers, employers, unemployment program staff and third-party administrators, Berrier said. According to Berrier, the new UC system will have a different look and feel than the current system and is better aligned with the user interface of modern websites, making it more intuitive to use. It will also provide access to more information and self-serve options and reduce the need for claimants to contact the UC service center. Impacted programsThe following programs will transition to the new system:Unemployment Compensati
Regular UI: $2.84 Billion
Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation ($300/weekly UI benefits to eligible claimants): $3.25 Billion
PEUC (extends unemployment benefits additional 11 weeks): $707.1 Million
State Extended Benefits (extends unemployment benefits an additional 13 weeks): $31.1 Million
Lost Wages Assistance ($300/weekly UI benefits to eligible claimants, fall 2020): $389.2 Million
Total: $8.47 Billion
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose by 61,000 last week to 719,000, signaling that many employers are still cutting jobs even as more businesses reopen, vaccines are increasingly administered and federal aid spreads through the economy.
The Labor Department said Thursday that the number of claims increased from 684,000 the week before. Though the pace of applications has dropped sharply since early this year, they remain high by historical standards: Before the pandemic flattened the economy a year ago, jobless claims typically ran below 22