1. I am currently in another state; do the registration requirements affect me?
2. If I run out of unemployment compensation benefits, would I qualify for extended benefits?
3. I was told by my employer that I may be furloughed or laid off intermittently during the next several months. Am I eligible for unemployment benefits?
4. If my employer reduces my work hours, will I be eligible for UC benefits?
5. Will receiving pensions make me ineligible for UC benefits?
6. May I collect UC benefits while attending school?
7. What are the Pennsylvania Unemployment Job Search Requirements?
1. I am currently in another state; do the registration requirements affect me?
Yes. You have to register for employment-search services in your local labor market in that state in a period of 30 days after your Pennsylvania application for benefits is filed, but you must also list with JobGatewaySM at www.jobgateway.pa.gov by the same time limit.
2. If I run out of unemployment compensation benefits, would I qualify for extended benefits?
*** Emergency unemployment compensation(E.U.C), a federally sponsored scheme for additional weekly benefits(after regular UI is exhausted) remains expired as on 28th Dec 2013. EUC is currently not available in any state***
On June 30, 2008, President Bush signed a federal extension of Unemployment Compensation benefits – Emergency Unemployment Compensation, or EUC, and the program started paying benefits to qualified workers beginning with the week ending July 12, 2008.
More information about EUC is available here.
Extended Benefits, or EB, are added weeks of unemployment compensation payable to eligible workers when certain unfavorable economic conditions exist in Pennsylvania. EB are payable only during an EB period. Currently, Pennsylvania is not in an EB period.
More information about EB is available here.
The Pennsylvania CareerLink system provides a wide variety of employment and training services across the Commonwealth. Services are available at www.jobgateway.pa.gov
3. I was told by my employer that I may be furloughed or laid off intermittently during the next several months. Am I eligible for unemployment benefits?
To be entitled for UC benefits, you must meet certain necessities, including the following:
- First you should have enough wages in the base year. The base year is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters prior to the application for benefits.
- Second, you should have been jobless through no fault of your own. Usually, the cause for your separation from service will decide whether this requirement is met. This decision is based on the information you provide when you file your application for benefits and information collected from your previous employer.
- Third, you have to maintain eligibility on a week-week basis. For instance, you must be able and available for work.
If your hours of work have been decreased or you otherwise carry on working less than your normal full-time work week, you may be qualified for partial benefits .
4. If my employer reduces my work hours, will I be eligible for UC benefits?
Where a claimant works less than his full-time hours through no mistake of his own, the claimant may be potentially qualified to collect full or partial benefits, based on his gross earnings and Partial Benefits Credit (PBC). A claimant’s PBC is the sum equal to 40% of his Weekly Benefit Rate (WBR).
Where a claimant is working below his full time hours and his gross earnings for a week are equal or less than the PBC, the claimant’s full WBR is payable for the week. When the claimant’s gross earnings for a week go beyond the PBC, the gross earnings are subtracted from the sum of the WBR and PBC to decide the amount of any partial benefits for which the claimant may be qualified.
NOTE: If the claimant’s gross earnings for a week are not a whole dollar amount, the earnings are rounded up to the next dollar.
In case the claimant’s gross earnings for a week are equal to greater than the sum of his WBR plus PBC, no benefits are payable for the week even if the claimant may have worked less than his full time hours. A claimant working his full time hours is not entitled for UC, irrespective of the sum of earnings for the week.
The following instances show how the amount of any partial benefits payable to a claimant who worked less than his full time, is computed. In each example, the claimant was determined monetarily eligible for a WBR of $100. The PBC for each example is therefore $40 (40 percent of $100).
Example 1: The claimant’s earnings for the week are $39. As $39 is less than the PBC, the claimant is eligible for the full WBR ($100) for the week.
Example 2: The claimant’s earnings for the week are $40. As $40 is equal to the PBC, the claimant is eligible for the full WBR ($100) for the week.
Example 3: The claimant’s earnings for the week are $41. As $41 exceeds the PBC by $1, the claimant is eligible for partial benefits of $99 ($140 – $41 = $99).
Example 4: The claimant’s earnings for the week are $41.01. The $41.01 is rounded up to $42.00. As $42 exceeds the PBC by $2, the claimant is eligible for partial benefits of $98 ($140 – $42 = $98).
Example 5: The claimant’s earnings for the week are $141. As the claimant’s weekly earnings exceed the combined rate sum of the WBR and PBC, the claimant is ineligible for UC benefits for that week.
5. Will receiving pensions make me ineligible for UC benefits?
When filing for UC benefits, you are required to report all pensions, together with retirement, annuities, retired pay or other similar periodic payments and lump-sum pension payments. Pension and retirement payments are subtracted from UC benefits if a base year employer maintained or contributed to the pension plan and if the base year employment influenced your eligibility for, or increased the sum of, the pension. If the base year employer alone contributed to the pension, 100% of the prorated, weekly amount of the pension is deductible. If you contributed in any amount to the pension, 50% of the prorated, weekly pension amount is deductible. Pensions are deductible from weekly benefits on a dollar-for-dollar basis. The partial benefit credit is not relevant.
A lump-sum pension is not subtracted from UC, except for you had the option of taking a monthly pension. Besides, a lump-sum pension is not deductible if you “roll over” the lump sum into a suitable retirement plan such as an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) within 60 days of receipt.
Social Security and Railroad Retirement pensions are not subtracted from UC benefit payments.
6. May I collect UC benefits while attending school?
The PA UC law does not ban you for benefits simply because you are a full or part-time student. In addition, you will not be disqualified for any claim week that you are in training approved by the secretary of the Department of Labor & Industry and are otherwise entitled.
You may not be qualified for UC benefits if you give up your job to enroll in an academic credit training program. There is no condition that you must be obtainable for full-time or permanent work. Your work history can be full-time, part-time, or seasonal. However, you should not decline suitable work when offered. You may also be disqualified if you reject a referral to a job opportunity. See Benefit Eligibility.
An applicant is not entitled if an applicant’s limitation on availability for employment effectively removes him/her from the local labor market. For you to be ruled disqualified, it must be because the specific limitation on your availability is such that a search for employment in the local labor market would have an unreasonable low possibility of success. For example, a claimant must be able and obtainable for the majority of the workweek.
You may also be disqualified for benefits if you fail to contribute in reemployment services to which you have been referred through the claimant profiling system. You may also be barred from benefits if you fail to be available to be contacted by the UC service center when instructed to do so. It is your responsibility to inform the UC service center when you are busy for scheduled services. When you know that you will be busy to be contacted at the scheduled time, speak to the UC service center immediately.
7. What are the Pennsylvania Unemployment Job Search Requirements?
In order to keep collecting Pennsylvania unemployment benefits you have to meet continuing job search necessities. Unemployment benefits are meant to be a temporary benefit until you get a new job, so these job search requirements are in place to ensure you are keenly seeking a new job.
Pennsylvania Job Search Requirements are:
- You must be actively looking for a job.
- You must make at least 2 job contacts per week which include filling out job applications and sending resumes.
- You must keep a record of all of your job search actions, including a record of all job contacts.
- You must not be disabled. If you are disabled there are special programs obtainable to aid you. Your unemployment counselor or local unemployment office can direct you to those resources. (These resources include Social Security Disability).
You have to meet these job search requirements each week, and offer a weekly certification to let the unemployment office that you are fulfilling all of the requirements. Be sure to have your job search record up to date, as you may be called into the unemployment office for a periodic eligibility review.