The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry (L&I) announced Thursday it will transition to a new unemployment compensation system on June 8, 2021.
The new system will replace the current 40-year-old mainframe system, L&I Acting Secretary Jennifer Berrier said.
“The new system will be easy to use, provide access to important information, and streamline the unemployment claim filing process for workers, employers, unemployment program staff, and third-party administrators,” said Berrier. “The pandemic stressed an already-antiquated IT platform, and we look forward to improving the process so that out-of-work Pennsylvanians can focus their time and attention on finding a new job.”
The new system will include unemployment compensation (UC), pandemic emergency unemployment compensation (PEUC), extended benefits, shared work or short-time compensation (STC), and Trade Readjustment Allowances.
The new system will be easier to use, the department said, because of its new, more modern interface, and will provide access to more information and self-serve options, reducing the need for claimants to contact the unemployment compensation service center.
“Our goal is to modernize the overall process and make it easier for Pennsylvanians who file unemployment claims to receive the payments to which they are entitled,” Berrier said. “The hardworking team at L&I is committed to resolving issues as they arise and helping Pennsylvanians who need our services.”
To help users transition to the new system, L&I said it would provide live workshops with UC experts and provide user guides to system users. Additionally, the department said it would hire and train between 500 and 1,000 customer service representatives and 180 interviewers to help claimants with their questions and claims.