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Unemployment PIN could take longer than normal to receive

PA Office of Unemployment Compensation Benefits says PINs may not be received for several weeks

HARRISBURG, Pa. — With historic numbers of Pennsylvanians filing unemployment, the system is bogged down. This is causing significant delays in getting PINs sent out to people.

"You need that pin number in order to be able to go in and do your bi-weekly claim update," said Dennis Miller of Lancaster County. 

He and his wife filed unemployment about two weeks ago and are still waiting to receive their PIN. 

"Without that pin, I tried to go in yesterday and see if I could do it without the pin and there's no way to do it without the pin," said Dennis. "So, we are not able to update her bi weekly claim. I'm hoping it comes either today or tomorrow in the mail but I highly doubt it with the backlog they have."

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This is a problem many Pennsylvanians are dealing with. The state went from low unemployment rates to historic highs almost overnight with nearly 1 million Pennsylvanians filing unemployment since March15th.  

"The pins may not reach them in time," said Susan Dickinson, PA Office of Unemployment Compensation Benefits Policy Director. 

Dickinson says, they are aware of this problem and are asking Pennsylvanians to remain patient. She says, it could take several weeks for people to receive their PIN. 

"What they have to do is just wait for their pin and if their week expires and they have not filed, we're going to open up more weeks for them so they can file," said Dickinson. "Normally people file two weeks at a time. they'll be able to file 3 or 4 weeks at a time. We're making sure we take care of anyone who may have missed that filing." 

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