Pennsylvania’s unemployment has been a hot topic of discussion in recent weeks. Not in the broad, glowing sense that we are seeing cheery unemployment news covered nationally. While PA is enjoying a decline in their rates of unemployment (4.7 percent as of October) , they are still a tick higher than the current U.S. average (4.1 percent). The real news is coming from Harrisburg, as recently passed legislation will fuel major changes in the state’s administration of unemployment services.
After effective legislation in 2016, several state UC service centers were closed and the PA Dept. of Labor staff was depleted by 500 workers. In tandem with reliance on antiquated technology, the productivity and responses within the unemployment compensation program have suffered. The performance issues are well documented here. Fast forward to this past week, the PA House has officially passed resultant legislation to not only return employees to the ranks, but finally push through the online system conversions that have been in play for years. Rejoice!
With most UI news being centralized around claimants and the relation to state and federal economy, the employer’s experience is often lost. Shocker. Fortunately, even amidst service strain at the PA Department of Labor, UTCA experienced little disruption to the employer-based response and adjudication process. Our established agent presence, reputation and relationships at the state allowed us to continue working efficiently to advocate for our employers.
So what does the change legislation change mean for employers?
The increased workforce at the Pennsylvania unemployment compensation service centers can only mean good things for employers and claimants alike.
Likewise, in our experience, the conversion to online-based claims systems ultimately benefit everyone.
But pump the breaks.
The transition process can be a bit challenging as states and their employees roll out the platform. Employers managing their UI programs should remain hyper vigilant of any communication from the state when the system gets closer to implementation. Many system launches have left employers ill-informed while eliminating paper claims, without knowing they are responsible for registering and regularly monitoring the new web-based platforms. This lack of awareness can lead to a serious risk in increased charge activity for missed claims, and benefit integrity compliance penalties. We have engaged several prospective employers over the last five years that thought their claim activity had pleasantly (and magically) disappeared. When in reality, they were never made aware of the “switch” and had been incurring copious claims and charges. For Pennsylvania employers already struggling to manage unemployment, be “on-guard” as the online system develops further. UTCA will continue to actively engage the PA Dept. of Labor to stay abreast of new developments, while continuing to champion our employers through whatever hiccups new technology may pose!
As always, if you are an employer challenged by managing unemployment (or an inefficient UI vendor), don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re here to listen, not push.