The state is failing to meet federal standards on approval and payment turnaround times.
Pennsylvanians waiting for their unemployment benefits have had longer waits due to a backlog of claims. In some cases, an unemployed Pennsylvania resident could be waiting as long as 6 months for a claim to be processed through an appeal if initially denied.
While the backlog isn’t as bad as it was at the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, it is “pretty much the worst” it’s been outside of the pandemic according to staff for the Community Legal Services of Philadelphia. According to Department of Labor and Industry spokespeople, the state has seen a 45% increase in appeals the last two years compared to before the pandemic.
Academics are arguing the long wait times in processing unemployment claims in the Keystone state have a disparate impact on African Americans since they’re “disproportionately represented in unemployment statistics.”
The delay in processing, approving, and reexamining denied claim appeals has resulted in the state failing to meet federal standards. 87% of first unemployment payments are required to be made within 14 days according to these guidelines. Pennsylvania failed to crack 40% for March 2024.
According to individuals who have been working with the state to clear the backlog of unemployment claims, the process has improved “since Gov. Josh Shapiro took office”, saying the state was “responsive to feedback.” Those same officials say, however, that the backlog for appeals is not improving. The Department of Labor said it has increased the number of employees assisting with unemployment claims processing.
The state’s unemployment rate has consistently been under the national average of 4.2%, with the jobless rate in Pennsylvania rising slightly to 3.5% in November according to PA Labor statistics released last week.
Earlier this year the state’s Labor department announced its efforts to make it easier for seasonal employees, such as school bus drivers, to file their unemployment claims during off-seasons.
