Jobless system upgrade comes with concern

A two-week shutdown is planned in June to move to a new system, which will affect unemployment claims.

Pennsylvania is embarking on an overdue update to the state unemployment system, an update that officials say will modernize the website and streamline applicants’ experiences with the system.

This update has been in the works for years and was set to take place in October, but administrators pushed it back as it necessitates shutting down the system for a period. The pushed-back time now is just weeks away. In June, the system will go offline for about two weeks while the state transfers data to the new system.

During the offline period, current users and new applicants alike won’t be able to file claims. A Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry official said it is working to give claimants notice so that they can prepare in advance. Back pay will be given following the shutdown period.

Two weeks of no income is too long for residents depending on their jobless checks. They are, in fact, jobless and that means without a paycheck. It is not a stretch to envision many people balancing their budgets on a knife’s edge due to the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.

Why not a backup system to ensure uninterrupted service for those relying on unemployment compensation? Why not, at the very least, a smaller window during which the system is offline? Instead of retroactive payments to current claimants, why not advance payments? This is the time for creative thinking, even if it means another slight delay in implementation of this longawaited system upgrade.

Officials didn’t want to upgrade the system during the COVID-19 pandemic, when thousands more applicants than usual were applying for benefits and a new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program still was rolling out. But, ahem, the pandemic is ongoing, and the Department of Labor and Industry continues to hire new staff to catch up on the backlog of more than 40,000 unresolved unemployment claims.

A system upgrade is undeniably necessary, as the current software dates back 40 years. Its clumsiness has been cited as a major obstacle to those seeking unemployment, contributing to widespread and well-documented delays in issuing checks. But fixing what should have been fixed long ago shouldn’t exacerbate the pain of those who need help now. State officials should be looking intently at a mechanism for uninterrupted service, even if it means a slightly longer delay in implementing changes. — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/ The Associated Press

Don’t relax standards

The Pennsylvania State Police announced last week it will make it a priority to hire as many as 65 women who were otherwise qualified to become troopers but were not hired because they could not meet rigorous physical fitness standards — standards that apparently were not required to perform a trooper’s job duties.

And while the hiring of more state troopers, and a group of people who will diversify the force as well, is wonderful news, we want to caution the state police to not admit people who are incapable of performing a demanding job.

We know one of the largest recent criticisms of police forces is a lack of minority and female members. PSP currently only has 314 female troopers in a statewide force of just more than 4,500.

Encouraging more women and racial minorities to apply should help forces not only have better relations with minority communities, it should also lead to more women and minorities aspiring to join the force as they will see positive role models who look like them.

But diversification cannot come at the expense of relaxing what must be demanding standards to become a member of a truly elite law enforcement unit like the Pennsylvania State Police.

Troopers often deal with people who are undergoing stressful, unpleasant events in their lives, not to mention those who may be dangerous and/or mentally unstable, including people who specifically want to harm or kill law enforcement officers.

The state police cannot sacrifice its standards, no matter what, but the agency needs to make sure those standards are only designed to show who has what it takes to be a trooper and aren’t merely an artificial barrier to keep certain types of people out.

We welcome the influx of female troopers and hope that people of all genders, colors, religions and backgrounds are inspired to serve in law enforcement — just as long as they’re truly qualified for the job. — Altoona Mirror/ The Associated Press