Earlier Sunday Telephone Hours Now in Effect to Help Claimants

HARRISBURG, Pa., Nov. 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Beginning Nov. 22, Pennsylvanians who are out of work through no fault of their own may be eligible to receive up to 20 additional weeks of emergency unemployment compensation, Governor Edward G. Rendell said today.

"This latest round of federally funded benefits provides a badly needed financial lifeline to more than 35,000 Pennsylvania families who have exhausted their benefits and need to pay for food, shelter, utilities and other necessities as they seek to rejoin the workforce," said Governor Rendell.

Eligible claimants will receive information and filing instructions about their emergency benefits via mail. If claimants have not received a notice by Nov. 23 and believe they are eligible, they can contact the unemployment compensation service center for assistance. Additional information will be available later this week online at www.uc.pa.gov.

Pennsylvanians now may be eligible to receive unemployment benefits for up to 99 weeks based upon their claim status. Unemployed individuals who have already exhausted all 79 weeks of benefits, or have been receiving benefits for more than a year, could qualify for a total of up to 99 weeks. Claimants who recently started receiving benefits or begin collecting benefits between now and the end of the year may not receive the full 99 weeks due to the scheduled expiration of the Emergency UC program at the end of 2009.

The Governor also noted that the Department of Labor & Industry has modified the Sunday hours for the UC Service Centers. Individuals who need to contact the Service Center can call 1-888-313-7284 between 7 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. Monday through Friday, calling hours remain 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

"We are continuously looking at ways to provide the most effective customer service to quickly get benefits to claimants who need them," said Labor & Industry Secretary Sandi Vito. "Our analysis shows that these earlier Sunday calling hours will help us serve more claimants at the beginning of the week."

The easiest way to file a claim for unemployment benefits is online at www.uc.pa.gov.

SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor

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http://www.governor.state.pa.us