Read more at PennLive.
Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Secretary Jerry Oleksiak on Monday announced that people who exhaust their regular unemployment compensation (UC) and federal Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) may now qualify for 13 additional weeks of payments through the state’s Unemployment Compensation Extended Benefits program.
Extended Benefits (EB) are additional UC benefits payable to qualified workers whenever the state’s unemployment rate reaches a certain level determined by law. The last time the EB program was triggered in Pennsylvania was 2009, according to a press release.
The current extended benefits period began May 3, but benefits are not payable until an individual has exhausted PEUC benefits. Extended benefit payments will begin with the week ending July 4 and are payable only for weeks of unemployment during an extended benefits period.
Be aware that anyone who already has received their 13 weeks of the $600 Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation would not be entitled to receive it under the extended UC benefits.
Important information about the extended benefits program follows and will be sent by mail to all individuals who potentially qualify for the additional benefits, the release said.
Here are more details, per the release:
Eligibility
You may be eligible for the extended benefits if:
- You are totally or partially unemployed;
- You have exhausted your regular state benefits on your most recent UC claim, or your most recent UC benefit year has ended; and
- You have received the maximum amount of PEUC that you were eligible to receive.
Additional eligibility information is available here.
How to Receive Extended Benefits
If you collect the maximum amount of PEUC that you are eligible to receive, an EB Notice of Financial Determination will be mailed to you.
- You must complete your weekly extended benefits online certification in order to claim extended benefits for weeks that you are totally or partially unemployed.
- Each extended benefits online certification corresponds to one specific week, as indicated on the web form. Individuals who opt to use paper claim forms should only use the form that is specifically dated for the week of unemployment you are claiming.
- If you do not receive your Financial Determination within two weeks after you receive your final PEUC payment, call the UC Service Center at 1-888-313-7284.