Federal Unemployment Compensation Programs Extended Through Nov. 27, 2010

Eligible Individuals Will Be Notified by Mail; Claims Will Be Paid Promptly

HARRISBURG, Pa., July 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- President Obama on Thursday signed into law House Resolution 4213, which extends the emergency unemployment compensation, or EUC, program and full federal funding of state extended benefits through Nov. 27, 2010.

Because the law is retroactive, eligible claimants now may be paid for weeks of unemployment after the previous law expired on June 5.

"We applaud the actions of the president and Congress to provide this important financial lifeline for more than 200,000 Pennsylvanians who otherwise would have run out of benefits by July 31," said Labor & Industry Secretary Sandi Vito. "All eligible individuals will be notified by mail, and we are expediting claims processing to get this much-needed money to Pennsylvanians who are out of work through no fault of their own."

Claims will be processed immediately for those who continued to file EUC bi-weekly claim for weeks after June 5, and those claimants should receive payment within two weeks, Vito said.

Eligible individuals who did not file EUC claims after June 5 are encouraged to do so immediately online at www.uc.pa.gov.

Claims also may be filed through the PA Teleclaims, or PAT, system at 1-888-255-4728. All eligible claims will be processed and paid as quickly as possible.

"We expect a very high volume of claims due to the congressional delay in reauthorizing these vital programs, so we ask claimants to please be patient and use the online services whenever possible," said Vito. "We do understand how important these benefits are to Pennsylvanians, and we will do everything we can to ensure their swift delivery."

Individuals who have exhausted their initial 26 weeks of UC benefits and have not yet established an EUC claim may experience some additional delays in receiving payment. Those who stopped filing paper claims for state extended benefits, or EB, after June 5 should call the UC service center for instructions on how to resume filing.

The $25 weekly Federal Additional Compensation, or FAC, payment has not been reauthorized and will not be available to individuals who established a claim after June 5. Individuals who established claims before June 5 will continue to receive the FAC payment on their current benefits program -- UC, EUC or EB -- until Dec. 11, 2010.

Established in 2008, the EUC program provides up to 53 weeks of additional unemployment benefits for individuals who have exhausted the maximum 26 weeks of state benefits. Additionally, the resumption of federal funding enables Pennsylvanians to again qualify for up to 20 weeks of state extended benefits.

Under the current legislation, the last payable week of EUC is the week ending April 30, 2011.

More information about unemployment compensation programs is online at www.uc.pa.gov.

Media contact: David Smith, 717-787-7530

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry