HARRISBURG, Pa. —
New unemployment claims are ballooning in Pennsylvania as business closures related to the COVID-19 crisis grow.
New unemployment compensation claims exceeded 50,000 on Monday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, more than 400 percent more than the 12,000 new claims received in the entire first week of March. Though the numbers won’t be released until next week, department officials said new claims continued to rise.
More filings are expected after Gov. Tom Wolf ordered all businesses not “life-sustaining” to close on March 19.
“It’s a time when a lot of people are filing who have never filed before,” said Susan Dickinson, the department’s director of unemployment compensation policy.
To pay people faster, the Department of Labor is waiving some requirements for unemployment claims, like not requiring claimants to provide proof of work searches and suspending the “waiting week,” in which claimants are not paid for their first week of unemployment.
Receiving money still takes two to four weeks, on average, officials said. The process will not be expedited.
“It’s more like a paycheck,” Dickinson said. “You work for two weeks and then you get your paycheck afterwards.”
Department officials acknowledged some reports of long hold times on the phone as the Office of Unemployment struggles to handle so many new claims. They’re currently not running at full capacity; only half of the usual 90 to 130 employees answering calls are in the office. The rest are setting up to work at home.
“We’re not staffed for the influx of claims that we have now,” said Bill Trusky, deputy secretary of unemployment compensation programs.
As the economy dips into a likely recession, the department is working to hire more people. Officials said they expect higher unemployment numbers for the foreseeable future.
“Clean” claims filed online can be processed faster, officials said. You can start an initial claim here.
Because Pres. Donald Trump declared a national emergency last week, those who lost work because of the virus may also qualify for disaster unemployment assistance.