PA Launches New Unemployment System: What To Know

PENNSYLVANIA — Pennsylvania will launch a new unemployment system next month as it looks to improve the efficiency and ease of the claims process. While the new system is expected to go live by June 8, there will be a short transition period where online access is unavailable.

The current unemployment system, which includes all of the extensions like the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program, will go offline to users from May 30 to June 7 as the move to the new system gets underway.

By June 8, the data from the 40-year-old system will be fully transferred and the new system will go live.

>>PA Lawmakers Push To Resume Job Search Requirement For Unemployed

"The new UC system will be much easier to use, provide faster access to relevant information and streamline the unemployment claim filing process for workers, employers, unemployment program staff, as well as the third-party administrators who will be able to easily access and update more of their information," the state said in an announcement. "It will offer a more modern interface for users with formatting similar to user-friendly websites most people use every day. The system will be mobile and tablet-friendly and will enable faster communications between users and L&I staff."

Due to what officials call the "enormous magnitude" of information being moved, the transfer can only occur if the database is taken offline.

During that week-long period, no claims can be processed online. Staff with the Department of Labor and Industry will continue to take inquiries from new claimants via phone and email, however, and will place them in a queue to be processed once the new system is online. Details on this assistance are available via the state's UC Service Center.

The unemployment process has been front and center in the public eye since the pandemic began, as the number of jobless Pennsylvanians skyrocketed. The state launched programs specifically to help those who lost employment due to coronavirus, including providing an extra $300 per pay period for some residents.

Recently, legislators have begun a push to resume the "job search requirement" for individuals to receive unemployment benefits, now that the pandemic is receding and many industries find themselves short-staffed.