WHAT IS UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION AND WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO COLLECT IT?

Unemployment Compensation (UC) is a program that provides income if you lose your job through no fault of your own. If you qualify, you will receive money for a limited time while you look for another job. To be covered by the UC program, you must be a worker who performed services covered by the UC Law for an employer that is required by law, or elects to pay into the UC Fund.

DO RECENT CHANGES AFFECT THE WAY I FILE FOR UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION?

Yes, over the last couple of years the UC operations in Job Centers have been consolidated into eight UC Service Centers, often referred to as Call Centers. That means initial applications for benefits are now filed by telephoning the UC Service Centers, or through the Internet, rather than reporting in person. Also, after filing your initial claim, when you are unemployed, claims for benefit weeks are filed by calling Pennsylvania Teleclaims (PAT) or using the Internet. Due to these changes, it is important to know how and when you must file for benefits. Not fully understanding how to sign up may disqualify you from receiving benefits or delay your benefits.

NOTE: UC Service Centers experience a heavier call volume on Mondays. For fast service, call Tuesday through Friday when call volume is lighter. If you get a busy signal when you call the UC Service Center, please call later in the day or later in the week. Your initial claim may be filed any day during the first week you are unemployed. UC Service Center telephone services are available from 7:00 a.m. to 4: 45 p.m. Monday through Friday. During certain busy times of the year hours are extended.

The purpose of this pamphlet is to walk you through the steps needed to claim, UC benefits by telephone or by using the Internet. To fully understand each step you will need to be familiar with certain terms -Explanations of these terms are provided on the next two pages. You will also find a flow chart accompanied by step-by-step instructions. Finally, the telephone numbers for all UC Service Centers and the Pennsylvania Teleclaims numbers for your region are listed on page 9 of this guide.

UNDERSTANDING UC TERMS

Filing an Initial Application -You may file an application for benefits if you are unemployed or working reduced hours and have not filed an application within the past year. You should file your application any day during the first week that you are unemployed to avoid the possibility of losing any benefit eligibility. The effective date of the application is the date of the Sunday that begins the week in which you apply for benefits.

Financial Determination -A financial determination will be issued to you shortly after you file your initial application for benefits. This determination tells you your weekly benefit rate, which is the amount you can receive if you are eligible for benefits for each week and your benefits are not reduced for any reason. The determination also tells you the amount of dependent allowances you may receive, if any, and the total amount of benefits you may receive. Your financial determination should list all of your employers in your base year, and all wages you earned in your base year. If any employers or wages are missing, contact the UC Service Center immediately.

Waiting Week -The first week that you are unemployed in the one-year period covered by your application for benefits is your waiting week. By law, no benefits are payable for the waiting week. However, you must file a claim for the waiting week in order to get credit for it.

Filing Continued Claims for Benefits -After you have filed an initial application, you must continue to file claims for weeks that you are unemployed in order to receive UC benefits. Claims for benefit weeks can be filed by calling Pennsylvania Teleclaims or submitted over the Internet. Usually, you will file claims for two weeks at a time; that is, you will call Pennsylvania Teleclaims or file over the Internet every two weeks.

Pennsylvania Teleclaims (PAT) -An automated telephone-reporting system that can be used to file claims for weeks that you are unemployed in order to receive UC benefits. Pennsylvania Teleclaims (PAT) telephone numbers are listed on page 9 of this guide.

Reopening an Application -If you stop filing claims, and are no longer receiving benefits, you must reopen your application by calling the UC Service Center during the first week that you are again unemployed. Calling later than the first week that you are again unemployed may result in the loss of some benefit eligibility.

 UC Service Center - UC Service Centers are operational statewide to serve the needs of unemployed workers. That means workers can file or reopen applications for benefits by phone, rather than reporting to an office.

  Internet - The Internet can be used to file an initial application for benefits and, in most cases, file a claim for weekly benefits. At this time, a claimant must still call a UC Service Center to reopen an application.

Unemployed -You are unemployed when not working because of a temporary or permanent layoff caused by no fault of your own. In addition, for purposes of unemployment compensation you may be considered "unemployed" and eligible for full or partial benefits if:

¢       You are working fewer hours than you normally work due to a lack of work.

¢       You are separated from your job, and you obtained other employment with fewer hours of work.

¢       You are separated from one job, but continue to work part-time for another employer.

Partial Benefit Credit -The amount equal to 40% of your weekly benefit rate is your partial benefit credit. If you qualify as "unemployed," you may earn up to this amount without reducing your benefits for the week. Earnings in excess of your partial benefit credit will be deducted from your benefits for the week. If you earn more than your weekly benefit rate plus your partial benefit credit, you will not be eligible for benefits. When reporting your earnings for a week that you are claiming benefits, always give the gross amount earned during the week for which you are filing, regardless of when paid. When you call Pennsylvania Teleclaims to file claims, you will be asked to provide the amount you earned from all your employers for the week. All earnings must be reported.

Severance Pay -Severance pay will not reduce your benefits.

Pensions -In many cases, a pension will reduce the amount of your weekly benefits unless you "roll it over" into an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) or similar retirement account. If you are receiving a pension or the amount of your pension changes, you must tell the UC Service Center.

Support Orders and Agreements -If the Court issues an order attaching a claimant's benefits for support, the Department is required to deduct the amount specified by the Court from the claimant's benefits. The deducted amount is forwarded to the Domestic Relations Section of the Court for distribution.

Direct Deposit -Direct deposit is available for your UC benefit payments. If you have a checking or savings account, your payments can be directly deposited to your account. With direct deposit, you will receive your benefit payments sooner because mailing time is eliminated. An application for the direct deposit program will be mailed to you after you file your initial claim.

Federal Tax Withholding -UC benefits are income for federal income tax purposes. The Department reports benefits to the IRS for the year in which they were paid. It doesn't matter if the application was filed or the weeks you claimed were in another year. You may elect to have federal income tax deducted from your benefits, in an amount equal to 10% of your weekly benefit rate plus your allowance for dependents, if any. Tax will be withheld only if you request it. You may make this choice when you file your initial application, or at a later time by calling Pennsylvania Teleclaims. You may also call Pennsylvania Teleclaims to stop having tax withheld.

Benefits Rights and Responsibilities -Information about your rights and responsibilities will be mailed to you shortly after you file your initial application for benefits. This information is also available on Pennsylvania Teleclaims, and over the Internet through PAPowerPort at www.state.pa.us PA Keyword "unemployment."

SIGNING UP FOR UC BENEFITS

To file an initial application, you may call a UC Service Center where you will talk to a service representative. Or, you may file an application over the Internet. You should file your application any day during the first week you are unemployed or working reduced hours. You may risk losing some benefit eligibility if you file after the first week you are unemployed or working reduced hours. If you do not have access to the Internet or a telephone, you may use a courtesy computer or telephone provided for this purpose at a participating local Team Pennsylvania CareerLink. UC Service Centers provide services in Spanish as well as English. As needed, other languages may be immediately translated through special telephone services. Please identify the language in which you wish to receive services.

Initial applications can be filed over the Internet by accessing the Department of Labor and Industry web site through PAPowerPort at www.state.pa.us PA Keyword "unemployment" and selecting "Online Application for UC Benefits." "Applying for UC Benefits" will come up with a menu of useful information. Click under the menu to go directly to the application.

Here's what you need when you file an application:

¢       Your Social Security Number

¢       Your alien registration number (if you are not a U.S. citizen)

¢       Name and address of your last employer (whether you worked , full-time or part-time)

Also, you will be asked to provide:

¢       Your Pennsylvania driver's license number (or) Pennsylvania Department of Transportation photo ill number

¢       Your most recent pay stub

If you...                                                                                     You will also need...

Worked in another state                                                                 All employer names and mailing addresses.

in the last 18 months,

Worked for the Federal                                                                 Information from Standard Form 8,

Government in the last                                                                   Standard Form 50, W-2s and/or pay stubs.

18 months,

Were in the military                                                                       Your DD 214, Member Copy 4.

last 18 months,

Are covered under a TAA                                                            The TA-W or NAFTA-TAA petition

NAFTA-TAA Certification,                                                          number.

 Are opening an existing                                                                Your personal identification number (PIN).

 claim,

After filing an initial application, you can expect to receive by mail a financial determination, UC Handbook, PIN Number and date to call Pennsylvania Teleclaims or use the Internet to file your bi-weekly claim for benefit weeks.

After you have filed an initial application, you must file claims for benefit weeks that you are unemployed in order to receive UC benefits. Claims can be filed by calling Pennsylvania Teleclaims or, in most cases, submitted over the Internet. Usually, you will file claims for two weeks at a time; that is, you will call Pennsylvania Teleclaims or file over the Internet every two weeks. If you file your initial application by phoning a UC Service Center, you will be given a date to file a claim or claims for the first time. In addition to filing claims, you can use Pennsylvania Teleclaims to access information about your benefit checks, request or cancel federal income tax withholding from your benefits, request a tax statement, or obtain general UC information.

  If you stopped filing claims for benefit weeks and want to start filing again, you must call the UC Service Center to reopen your application. If you stopped filing claims because you were ill, hospitalized, or otherwise unable to work, you should call the UC Service Center as soon as you are able and available for work again. If you stopped filing claims because you are no longer unemployed, you should call the UC Service Center during the first week that you are again unemployed (avoid calling on Monday for this purpose). You may risk losing some benefit eligibility if you file after the first week you are unemployed.

All UC Service Centers can be reached by using the below listed local number or the statewide toll-free number: 1-888-313-7284.TTY services for people who are deaf and hard of hearing can be reached by using 1-888-334-4046. Pennsylvania Teleclaims toll free number is 1-888-255-4728. Pennsylvania Teleclaims TTY toll-free number is 1-888-411-4728.

UC Service Centers experience a heavier call volume on Mondays. For fast service, call Tuesday through Friday when call volume is lighter. Your initial claim may be filed any day during the first week you are unemployed. You may risk losing some benefit eligibility if you file after the first week you are unemployed. If you get a busy signal when you call the UC Service Center, please call later in the day or later in the week.

  There are eight UC Service Centers:

Allentown: Serving counties of: Berks, Bucks, Lehigh, and Northampton

Local: (610) 821-6735 Pennsylvania Teleclaims Local: (215) 781-3250, (610) 821-6659, (610) 378-1548 Fax (610) 821-6281

Erie: Serving counties of: Crawford, Erie, and Venango

Local: (814) 878-5700 Pennsylvania Teleclaims Local: (814) 878-5700, (814) 332-6686 Fax: (814) 871-4863

Altoona: Serving counties of: Bedford, Clair, Cambria, Cameron, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Elk, Forest, Fulton, Huntingdon, Jefferson,   McKean, Potter, Somerset, and Warren

Local: (814) 946-7224 Pennsylvania Teleclaims Local: (814) 941-6849 Fax (814) 941-6801

Philadelphia: Serving counties of: Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia

Local (215) 856-6990 Pennsylvania Teleclaims Local: (610) 447-5359, (610) 384-0807, (610) 270-1925, (610) 970-7113, (215) 560-1978, (215) 560-2817 Fax: (215) 560-6981

Scranton: Serving counties of: Bradford, Carbon, Clinton, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lycoming, Monroe, Montour, Northumberland, Pike, Schuykill, Snyder, Sullivan, Susqehanna, Tiga, Union, Wayne, and Wyoming

Local (570) 496-2332 Pennsylvania Teleclaims Local: (570) 562-4800, (570) 620-2875, (570) 644-4384, (570) 459-3861, (570) 820-4914 Fax: (570) 562-4872

Lancaster: Serving counties of: Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Perry, and York

Local: (717) 299-7711 Pennsylvania Teleclaims Local: (717) 243-8211, (717) 264-0300, (717) 783-1767, (717) 299-7560, (717) 273-9430, (717) 767-7632 Fax: (717) 299-7557

Indiana: Serving counties of: Armstrong, Fayette, Indiana, and Westmoreland

Local: (724) 599-1250 Pennsylvania Teleclaims Local: (724) 599-1004, (724) 425-3844 Fax: (724) 599-1068

Duquesne: Serving counties of: Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Greene, Lawrence, Mercer, and Washington

Local: (412) 267-1315 Pennsylvania Teleclaims Local: (412) 267-1494, (412) 664-5230, (724) 846-5871, (724) 223-2151, (724) 983-5874, (724) 656-3093 Fax: (412) 267-1475

Statewide PAT en espanol: 1-877-888-8104

Normal hours of operation are 7:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., Monday through Friday.

(Winter hours during heavy workloads may be extended to 6:45 p.m.)