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Concert workers, freelancers and freelancers in Pennsylvania can now apply for benefits again.
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance has returned, and the automatic weekly increase of $ 300 along with it. Commonly known as PUA, the CARES Act program expired in late December.
Eligible recipients in Pa. They can apply for 11 weeks of unemployment insurance, which can be applied retroactively until the beginning of January.
Registration is open from 22 to 29 January. People who applied for the PUA last year can start receiving payments as early as Tuesday, January 26, according to Pa. Sarah DeSantis Department of Labor and Industry spokeswoman. It will take a little longer for new filers.
The extra $ 300 payment, automatically added to your account once you are approved, should arrive about a week later. (The increase in the pandemic used to be $ 600, but it was halved this time.)
“We know … The inhabitants of Pennsylvania and their families are counting on the benefits of the PUA to overcome this terrible pandemic and have worked as quickly as possible to complete the implementation and resume payments,” said Acting L&I Secretary Jennifer Berrier , in a statement.
More than 358,000 Pennsylvania residents are currently collecting unemployment, according to the state’s unemployment panel. This is more than one in every 35 residents of Pa. And it includes about 47,000 people in Philadelphia. Since March, the community has distributed more than $ 33 billion in unemployment insurance. About $ 14 billion of that was the extra weekly increase.
When you are approved for the PUA, you will automatically receive the extra boost, known as the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation or FPUC.
If you are wondering if you are eligible, how to apply and when you will receive the money, here is what you should know.
Anyone not eligible for traditional unemployment can receive PUA benefits.
This applies to:
- Show workers
- Freelancers
- Self-employed workers
Anyone who qualifies for unemployment benefits, whether traditional payments or PUA, automatically qualifies and receives extra payments of $ 300 FPUC.
The weekly benefit is different from the $ 300 / week Lost Wages Assistance program implemented last summer, where archivers had to take extra steps to receive the funds.
If you did not apply for the PUA last year, you must still complete the form, but you will not start receiving benefits yet. The state said it will notify residents when the first PUA 2021 registrations begin to receive benefits.
“We are still adding 2020 as the base salary year in the system,” said spokesman DeSantis.
If you were already applying for the PUA fortnightly before the end of the program, you can start ordering using the same panel at any time between Friday, January 22nd to January 29th. If you miss the January 29 deadline, you will have to send an ucpua @ pa email. gov to request retroaction.
PUA-qualified people who did not file the lawsuit in the week ending December 26 need to reopen an indemnity claim to receive benefits. Select “File for weekly benefits” on your panel and “File your weekly certification to continue your claim”. Follow the prompt to reactivate your claim from there.
A note from L&I: if you tried to request the PUA after it expired and received an error message, the department staff should resolve your account. “Please be patient,” the department said in a statement.
Tuesday, January 26, is the closest possible date for Pennsylvania residents to apply and qualify for benefits, according to the state.
Payments will be in a single amount and will be retroactive, covering eligible weeks, including:
- January 2
- January 9
- January 16
- January 23rd
Once approved, you don’t have to do anything to receive the $ 300 weekly payment. You will automatically receive it about a week after receiving your first PUA payment, said L&I spokeswoman Sarah DeSantis.