Pennsylvania – On November 3, 2016, Governor Tom Wolf signed a bill which allows a worker to earn up to 63 percent of their wages in one quarter and maintain their eligibility for unemployment benefits. This new legislation will mostly affect seasonal workers like those in the construction field, but it could also affect workers who earn significant overtime pay in a single quarter (ie; retail workers and truck drivers).
While this legislative change will expand unemployment eligibility for more workers, it also plans to reduce costs to the unemployment compensation trust fund. How, you might ask? Through an across-the-board 2 percent reduction in benefits, by suppressing future growth in the maximum weekly benefit rate and by increasing interest rates on unpaid employer contributions and penalties for people who knowingly make false statements to claim unemployment benefits.
The Department of Labor & Industry says the changes will save the unemployment compensation trust fund nearly $1.5 billion over 10 years.
Read the full story here: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2016/11/03/Restrictions-on-unemployment-compensation-loosened-for-Pennsylvanias-seasonal-workers/stories/201611030216