Pennsylvania has launched an initiative through federal funding that will offer additional unemployment benefits to those who have used up that support due to COVID-19.
Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) will provide up-to 13 weeks of additional compensation with funding from the $2 Trillion federal CARES ACT
Standard unemployment benefits run for 26 weeks, with this program in place with allowing for an additional 13 weeks of support for claimants.
The PEUC system has not been completed yet. Instructions on how to apply will be provided once the system is launched, state officials said.
Here is who is eligible for extended employment:
- You exhausted your regular state or federal benefits after July 6, 2019;
- You are not currently eligible for state or federal unemployment benefits; and
- You are able and available to work and actively seeking work, except in instances where COVID-19 has made it not possible, including illness, quarantine, or “stay at home” orders.
How to receive your funds:
If you currently have an open unemployment case, there is nothing for you to do other than continue filing bi-weekly. You cannot apply for any UC programs in advance, so you must wait for the week after your benefits are exhausted to apply for PEUC when the system is developed and announced.
If you have exhausted the maximum amount of regular UC available to you and are unable to file a new claim until your current benefit year expires, you will be eligible for up to 13 weeks of additional benefits through the PEUC program. You will receive a notice with instructions on how to apply.
All individuals collecting any type of UC, including PEUC, will receive $600 per week from the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program, in addition to their weekly benefits as calculated. FPUC payments began the week ending April 4, 2020 and will end July 25, 2020. These payments will be backdated for eligible individuals.
More than 26 percent of Pennsylvania’s workforce has filed for unemployment, according to U.S Department of Labor data.
