Unemployed finding help hard to access

By TAYLOR BROWN

tbrown@yourmvi.com

Many Pennsylvania residents have been out of work for nearly a full month after COVID-19 hit southwestern Pennsylvania.

A lot of those workers who were laid off or furloughed from non-essential positions have received no income since filing for unemployment as the Department of Labor and Industry became overwhelmed with a surge of claims.

Residents from across the Valley have taken to social media to express frustrations over wait times on the phone, generic e-mail responses, a bogged-down server for online chatting and mail that seems to never arrive.

Finleyville bar manager Carrie Grelo said she is at a loss.

“I found out at 9 p.m. on March 15 that I had three hours to close my bar down,” she said. “The next day I filed for unemployment and I have yet to receive anything in the mail.”

While she is waiting for a pin number to be able to file a claim, the deadline to file for her first two weeks off has passed.

“I have called almost 1,000 times at least,” Grelo said. “At least 300 times today. I can’t get anyone on the phone, my local state representatives can’t do anything to help me, I can’t get through on the chat. It’s impossible.”

Without work or money from unemployment, she is worried about how she will move forward.

“I am (feeling) terrible, and I am not the only hardworking person in this boat,” she said. “With no plan and no answers.

“I have a house and two kids to provide for, with no idea when money will come or what I am supposed to do.”

She said it is most frustrating because it seems those who had no choice but to stop working are not being taken care of.

“I have never collected unemployment, but here I am with no idea what to do,” she said. “Then, I have to look at people who have never worked a day in their life and already had their PIN to just file for a new claim. The working people are getting screwed.”

The department has said emails are answered in the order they are received, with an 11-day backlog earlier this week.

“It’s just a generic response,” she said. “It is not specific at all to what I need to know or the problems I am having. They say it goes in order, but that can’t be true because I know people who have filed after me, or reached out after me, who have received responses or PINs in the mail.”

She said the state needs to find a way to help.

“I was told I had to leave my job and we would be taken care of, that it would be OK, that it is what we had to do,” she said. “But here I am, four weeks with no pay, no job and a family to take care of with no help, no plan and no answers.”

Unemployment Compensation Benefits Policy Director Susan Dickinson said about 544,000 claims have been processed so far.

She also said call volumes are highest at the beginning of each week and claims will be processed for the entire time people are unemployed and entitled to benefits.

Munhall resident Shawn Carman is in a similar situation.

As a self-employed painter, Carman said he filed for unemployment but was initially denied because it was not the correct application for those self-employed.

That application was supposed to be released two weeks ago, but is still not available online.

The CARES Act, which was implemented by Gov. Wolf, temporarily makes benefits available to people who are not normally eligible, such as those who are self-employed, independent contractors and gig workers.

However, they cannot apply through the current unemployment system. The federal government requires the state to create a new platform to provide these benefits.

Sen. Camera Bartolotta and other representatives throughout the Mon Valley, have been providing information to constituents as they receive it.

On Monday, Bartolotta said the department expects to have the new system for those who are self-employed up and running within the next two weeks.

“It has been two weeks and another two weeks and another two weeks,” Carman said. “I just keep waiting. Checking like six times a day if not more.”

Claimants who are self-employed will be able to receive payments backdated to January 27 or the first week that they were unable to work due to the coronavirus, whichever is later.

CARE Act payments of $600 per week will be made to those filing claims between April 4 and July 24, but those payments are not yet being distributed.

When they are, the payments will be deposited separately from the state’s compensation, Dickinson said.

The department is awaiting guidance from federal officials about implementation of the $600 supplement and other provisions of the law that will be supervised by the Labor and Industry Department.

People filing claims don’t have to take further action to receive the extra cash, Dickinson said.

“It’s frustrating to keep hearing the same timeline over and over, but it never comes, it just gets pushed back,” Carman said. “I can’t get through on email or chat, and when you do get someone it is a generic response telling us they are working on it or hoping to hire more people to help them get caught up.

“Well, what about the rest of us who aren’t working?”

He said the system is mismanaged.

“March 13 was my last day of work. It’s been a month and to be honest, I’m tired of waiting,” he said.

Carman has been working with utility companies to push back bills.

“They are being good with me; a lot of people are in the same situation right now,” he said.

But he knows a time will come when bills won’t be able to be delayed any longer.

“Eventually these will need paid,” he said. “Even if I go back to work next month, I will have two months of bills due without any income. Even if I go back tomorrow, I am already a month behind.”

In a newsletter released Monday, Bartolotta outlined help for taking care of such things.

“Most major utility companies are offering special assistance programs to help families who have been impacted by the pandemic,” she said. “Some of the programs include delayed or partial payments, hardship funds, budget billing and other programs to help customers.”

She said more information about the types of programs and services to help utility customers can be found on the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission’s website.

Bartolotta encouraged residents to do what Carman has done and contact their utility companies during the pandemic.

“Individuals and families who are struggling to pay bills during this pandemic should reach out to their utility companies, mortgage/rental companies, credit card companies and other lenders to see what programs may be available to help,” she said.

Carman has been following what legislators are doing to help constituents.

“God bless our senators and our representatives,” he said. “I know there might not be a lot they can directly do, but they are calling out to the state to demand answers and a better plan. They are asking the questions and they have no answers either. That’s the whole problem; no one has any information.”

While there are jobs available, Carman is worried about the future of his business if he were to take another job during the pandemic.

The department is currently hiring unemployment compensation workers in Allegheny County to help with the large call volume. Applications became available Monday for temporary positions as intake interviewers.

“The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has a critical need for additional employees to serve in the unemployment compensation call center,” the department wrote in the job post. “Given today’s current environment, the need for this work has significantly increased.

“We are looking to hire a large number of candidates to do this work immediately. Experience the satisfaction of public service by helping members of your community obtain unemployment benefits.”

The temporary call center jobs pay $17.73 to $26.45 per hour at full-time employment, which is 37.5 hours per week. Schedules could include a  9 a.m. to 5 p.m. shift with a 30-minute lunch break, and may involve weekend work.

New hires will initially work from home, but may be required to transition to an office setting at the state’s service center in Duquesne, according to the job post.

Requirements include Pennsylvania residency and at least one of the following: two years’ experience of general office work, including a year interviewing members of the public; an associate’s degree; or “an equivalent combination of experience and training that includes one year of general office work involving interviewing the public,” according to the job post.

Preference may be given to military veterans, and applications will be accepted through Friday.

To apply, go to www.governmentjobs.com/careers/pabure au?keywords=unemployment.

As of Monday, more than 1.3 million Pennsylvanians had filed for unemployment compensation benefits in the four weeks after businesses began shutting down as Gov. Tom Wolf called for measures to slow the spread of the virus.

Nationwide, more than one in 10 workers has lost a job in the past three weeks, with 8 million Americans filing for unemployment assistance.

National statistics suggest the unemployment rate could hit 15% when April data is released next month.

Forward Township Joan Krizmanich received her first payment Friday after nearly a month of waiting.

“The first time it was my fault because I did not fill out the entire form, so I had to re-file again on March 24,” she said. “I did not hear anything, but then on Tuesday went to the website and connected with someone on the chat after 4 p.m. who was really helpful and my check was deposited Friday.

“I know other people have not been so lucky.”

Krizmanich said the best advice she can offer is to be patient.

“I know a lot of people are having problems, but you have to be patient,” she said. “From my own experience and people I have talked to, it is better to do it early in the morning or closer to when they close after 4 p.m.

“I know it’s a tough situation to be in.”

For more information on filing claims or questions go to www.uc.pa.gov/Pages/default.aspx.