Tips for navigating the unemployment system

Pennsylvania has processed about 70% of the unemployment claims it has received since mid-March, when the economy largely shut down in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

But, many people have yet to see those benefits in their bank account or mailbox — and have yet to get any answers about why.

“One of the major issues with the [unemployment] system both here and elsewhere is nothing is broken down in plain language, and if you’re unfamiliar with the system, you’re not going to know what any of that means,” said Julia Simon-Mishel, a supervising attorney for Philadelphia Legal Assistance, which helps Pennsylvania residents file for unemployment compensation.

“These systems are the safety net, [but] are really not set up to be as user-friendly as it needs to be,” she said.

1. Have you been approved?

For people who applied several weeks ago but have yet to see any benefits, the first question to ask is whether you have actually been approved, Ms. SimonMishel said.

Receiving a PIN, or personal identification number, in the mail is needed to complete the online application, but it does not guarantee you are eligible for benefits, she said.

Often the state’s unemployment centers are still determining an applicant’s financial eligibility, which will arrive as a separate letter.

Just like PINs and other official documentation from the state, that letter has been going out late and some people will start to receive benefits before it arrives, Ms. Simon-Mishel said.

In determining financial eligibility the state looks at, in very basic terms, whether the applicant has been consistently attached to the workforce. That depends on two factors: how much you earned and when you earned it.

“Unemployment is actually not about the job you just lost,” Ms. Simon-Mishel said. “They look at your entire recent employment history.”

2. If not, you have options

People who are found ineligible for unemployment compensation have three options, she said:

Appeal the decision.

Apply again now that we are in a new “base year” period. To determine eligibility, the state looks at the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before the date the applicant filed, or the “base year.” March is in one quarter period while April and May are in another.

Apply for the Pandemic Unemployment

Assistance program, a new system for unemployment compensation that the federal government set up to expand benefits to people who were previously not eligible. One criteria for this program is that an applicant must not be eligible for traditional unemployment.

Under normal circumstances, an applicant must also prove they are looking for work, but Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration waived that requirement because of COVID-19.

3. Other helpful tips

Navigating the system is a complicated process that isn’t clear to even the most seasoned professionals, Ms. SimonMishel said.

To clear up some confusion, here are more tips from the state’s unemployment website:

If it has been three weeks since you filed for unemployment compensation and you have yet to receive your PIN, the state is now directing applicants to request another PIN using an online form at this url: expressforms.pa.gov/apps/pa/DLI-UC/Pin-Request

If you miss the deadline to file your biweekly claim because your PIN did not arrive in time, you will be able to backdate your claims.

Applicants can now file for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, but the system is set up differently than the traditional unemployment system. Applicants do not need a PIN to file and will not receive a confirmation email after submitting their initial claim. Instead, they can manage their application through an online dashboard on the PUA website. Claimants for this program must file certifications weekly to get paid.

If you are eligible for unemployment compensation through either traditional unemployment compensation or the PUA program, you also are eligible for an additional $600 weekly from a new federal program, the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program.

‘Don’t panic.’

“In the best of times, when things are running very smoothly, it takes between two and three weeks to get benefits. That’s considered by the Department of Labor to be speedy processing,” said Michele Evermore, a senior policy analyst at the National Employment Law Project.

“There was just an exponential increase in claims. I can imagine no state is paying claims within two to three weeks right now.”

For applicants, she said, “Don’t panic. This isn’t your fault. This is a systemwide problem.”