HARRISBURG, Pa. (EYT) – Between March 15 and April 12, 2020, over 1.3 million Pennsylvanians filed for unemployment, according to data provided on the Commonwealth’s website.
That includes 265,834 between Sunday, April 5. and Sunday, April 12, running the total to 1,334,327 in the 28-day span between March 15 and April 12.
And that number has clogged the system with many people reporting issues receiving their four-digit pin number that is necessary to make a claim as well as trouble just simply contacting the unemployment office with any questions they may have.
As of April 4, the last update provided by the Commonwealth’s Department of Labor and Industry on how long it will take for people to receive their pin numbers, people who filed claims between March 15 and March 21 are being sent their pins as “quickly” as possible.
But those who filed after March 21 are in for a wait with people who filed a claim between March 22 and March 28 being given an opportunity to file for benefits for an additional two weeks more than the normal and those filing March 29 and after being able to file “biweekly” for four weeks back.
“Because of the high volume, it is taking us longer than usual to get your information to you after you open a claim,” Susan Dickinson, Director of the Office of Unemployment Compensation Benefits Policy, said April 3. “What normally takes five to seven days is now taking two to three weeks. So, please be patient and wait for your pin to arrive so you can file your biweekly claims. When you do finally receive your pin, you will be permitted to file for older weeks that you may have missed because you didn’t have your pin in time.”
Some people who filed between March 15 and March 21 still haven’t received any information.
“I reopened my unemployment on March 18,” one local resident wrote on Facebook over the weekend. “They still haven’t opened mine to be able to report. I sent an e-mail and tried calling. I haven’t gotten an e-mail back or gotten through to anyone.”
The Commonwealth, on its unemployment website, readily admits that if you send an e-mail April 13, you won’t receive a reply for 15 calendar days. That is up from 12 calendar days to receive a reply as of April 8.
Dickinson said that if a person has sent an e-mail and haven’t heard a response they should not send another e-mail,.
“We are working on all of our e-mails from oldest to newest in order,” Dickinson said. “If you send duplicate e-mails, it prevents us from getting to other people faster that might need our help.”
According to Dickinson, one of the common reasons an application may be held up is because the person filling out the form wasn’t sure how to answer the questions as to why they weren’t working anymore and may have chosen an answer that doesn’t apply to their situation.
“During this COVID-19 crisis, for the most part, everyone is going to be a ‘lack of work’ or ‘laid off’ situation even if you are planning on going back to that employer after the COVID-19 crisis is over,” Dickinson said. “The only individuals who would answer something differently are, for example, if you did quit your job or you were fired during this time. Then you would want to choose the appropriate answers. For the most part, everybody is laid off at this time.”
Dickinson said that if someone has already submitted a claim, but haven’t heard back from the unemployment office they should not submit another claim.
“A duplicate claim will cause problems and delays,” Dickinson said. “We don’t want that to happen on your claim. If you submitted a claim, please just wait until the paperwork arrives.”
There are a few resources for people who have questions prior to filing for unemployment. This includes a materials checklist of what you need prior to making an initial claim, which can be done online, an online frequently asked questions section, online step-by-step instructions, and an online interactive guide to how to file.
The department also has an “Unemployment Compensation Virtual Assistant” who can be reached at 877-978-1295 and can answer frequently asked questions as well, and an online chat feature that requires someone to first call 888-313-7284 to receive a six-digit pin and then attempt to chat to a live agent between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
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