Help available for people losing jobless benefits

By Taylor Brown

tbrown@yourmvi.com

More than half a million Pennsylvania residents will no longer receive unemployment benefits starting this weekend.

Federal unemployment benefits will end Saturday for 558,000 Pennsylvanians, but other support programs are available to help, according to state Department of Labor and Industry Secretary Jennifer Berrier and Department of Human Services Deputy Secretary for the Office of Income Maintenance Inez Titus.

This is the final week for the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation programs. 

Everyone currently receiving those benefits will file for the final week through these federal pandemic-specific programs during the week ending Sept. 11. 

The additional $300 per week provided by the federal government for those in the state’s regular unemployment compensation will also end.

Regular unemployment compensation is not affected by the federal program end, but those who file should expect their weekly payments to be reduced by up to $300 due to the end of the FPUC program.
Additionally, the number of weeks of eligibility for UC will be limited to 26 after the end of the federal PEUC extension program.

Those who continue to be unemployed after Sept. 4 and are not eligible for payments under unemployment compensation will no longer receive unemployment benefit payments. 

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