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  • If you are denied unemployment benefits, you can still appeal for a UC Referee to review your claim.

    Your claim for unemployment benefits is dependent on several factors that comprise the Pennsylvania Unemployment Compensation Eligibility Criteria. Failing to meet any of these requirements will cause your unemployment compensation benefits to be denied.

    This criteria includes:

    – Working for at least 16 weeks during your base year (the first 12 months of the last 15 months) and earning a minimum of $50 in each of those weeks.

    – Earning a minimum income of $1,320 during your base year and at least $800 in any one quarter of that year. For example, to receive the maximum $565 weekly benefits for 26 weeks you must have earned $20,700 or more during your base year and $12,940 or more in your highest earning quarter.

    – Losing your job out of no fault of your own. A difference of opinion between the employer and employee over the reason why their contract was terminated is probably the most common reason for appeal.

    – Be able and willing to work full-time.

    However, if your claim has been denied and you feel you qualify there is a benefit appeal process you can use to request a review of your claim.

    APPEAL PROCESS

    You have 15 days to appeal against a denial of benefits. The 15 days start from the mailing date of your notice of denial. If the last day falls on a holiday or weekend, the final date is extended to the next working day.

    STEP 1

    Download a Petition for Appeal or Pennsylvania UC 468 Form.

    Complete section 1 of the form. You will need to provide your full name, address, telephone number, the date of the determination you are appealing against, your social security number and the work address and telephone number of the employer involved in your appeal.

    Send the fully completed form to the address specified in the UC Service Center determination you were sent to notify the denial of benefits.

    Once your appeal is flied the Unemployment Compensation Referee assigned to your case will call a hearing where you, your employer and any witnesses you call on will give testimony.

    If you were denied benefits because you quit work (as opposed to being fired or laid-off) you will have to provide evidence of a compelling reason to leave your job. If your employer fired you, the burden of proof is on him or her to prove you were dismissed for willful misconduct or negligence.

    After the hearing the referee will come to a decision and inform you and your employer by mail.

    IMPORTANT

    If you are involved in an appeal, you should continue filing your weekly benefits (online or over the telephone) so you can receive payment for those weeks if your appeal is successful.

    Learn how to find the contact details of your local unemployment office.

    When you are facing unemployment it is important to know where you can go for help, get answers to your questions and what job searching services you are entitled to help you back into the workforce. One of our readers recently made this brief request:

    Could you please send me the address for the unemployment office in york county, Keith Stockton.

    This made us think how many more unemployed workers in Pennsylvania are struggling to find the contact information of their local unemployment office and other services designed to help them find a new job. So we have dedicated this post to providing the contact details and links to some of the main offices and departments workers in Pennsylvania. If the office you are looking for is not included, please leave a comment and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

    Pennsylvania (PA) Service Centers

    Most of the questions and procedures related to your UC claim can be answered and processed online or over the phone. For example, should file your initial claim online (by clicking on the link above) and file your weekly claims online or over the phone. The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry provides local calling distance numbers and a statewide toll-free number.

    Statewide toll-free number: 1-888-313-7284.

    Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing: 1-888-334-4046.

    Local phone numbers:

    Allentown: 610-821-6735; Altoona: 814-946-7224; Duquesne: 412-267-1315; Erie: 814-871-4311; Indiana: 724-599-1250;

    Lancaster: 717-299-7711; Philadelphia: 215-856-6990; Scranton: 570-496-2332.

    Job Corps Centers in Pennsylvania

    Unemployed workers in Pennsylvania should also have the information on their closest Job Corps Center. Job Corps Centers provide unemployed workers with access to internet, telephone, job search referral systems and provide education and training to help you get back to work. If you live outside of Pennsylvania you can click here to search for your closest Job Corps.

    Keystone
    235 W. Foothills Drive
    Drums, PA 18222-2410
    Tel: (570) 788-1164
    Fax: (570) 788-1119
    http://keystone.jobcorps.gov

    Philadelphia
    2810 South 20th Street Bldg 12
    Philadelphia, PA 19145-5001
    Tel: (267) 386-2888
    Fax: (215) 334-3675
    http://philadelphia.jobcorps.gov

    Pittsburgh
    7175 Highland Drive
    Pittsburgh, PA 15206
    Tel: (412) 441-8700
    Fax: (412) 441-1586
    http://pittsburgh.jobcorps.gov

    Red Rock

    P O Box 218
    Route 487 North
    Lopez, PA 18628
    Tel: (570) 477-2221
    Fax: (570) 477-3046
    http://redrock.jobcorps.gov

    Regional Services

    The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry also provides a list of contact information for other offices and departments that may be of help to unemployed workers. These include: the Bureau of Labor Law Compliance, the Office of Labor/Management Cooperation,Vocational Rehabilitation Services and your county PA CareerLink office, to mention a few. Below we list the contact information for York county, but you can find more information at PA Labor and Industry “Services Near You” website.

    York

    Deaf & Hard of Hearing

    Office for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing
    1521 North Sixth Street
    Harrisburg, PA 17102
    V/TTY – 717-783-4912
    Toll Free PA Relay Service – 711

    Disability Determination

    Bureau of Disability Determination
    1171 S. Cameron Street
    Harrisburg, PA 17104-2594
    Phone – 717-783-3620

    Labor Law Compliance

    Bureau of Labor Law Compliance
    1301 L&I Building
    651 Boas Street
    Harrisburg, PA 17121
    Phone – 717-787-2026
    FAX – 717-787-0517

    Labor/Management Cooperation

    Office of Labor/Management Cooperation

    1721B L&I Building
    651 Boas Street
    Harrisburg, PA 17121
    Phone – 717-787-1116
    FAX – 717-772-1461

    Bureau of Mediation
    4th Floor, L&I Building
    651 Boas Street
    Harrisburg, PA 17121
    Phone – 717-787-1116

    Occupational & Industrial Safety

    Bureau of Occupational & Industrial Safety
    16th Floor, L&I Building
    651 Boas Street
    Harrisburg, PA 17121
    Phone – 717-787-3323

    OVR Blindness & Visual Services

    Blindness and Visual Services
    Forum Place, 555 Walnut Street
    8th Floor
    Harrisburg, PA 17101
    Voice – 717-787-7500
    TTY – 717-787-1733
    Toll Free in PA – 866-375-8264
    TTY Toll Free in PA – 888-575-9420

    OVR Services

    Vocational Rehabilitation Services
    2550 Kingston Road, Suite 101
    York, PA 17402
    Voice – 717-771-4407
    TTY – 717-771-4433
    Toll Free in PA – 800-762-6306
    TTY Toll Free in PA – 866-466-1404

    PA CareerLink®

    York County PA CareerLink®
    841 Vogelsong Road
    York, PA 17404-0868
    Phone – 717-767-7600

    PA Conservation Corps

    PA Conservation Corps
    1405 L&I Building
    651 Boas Street
    Harrisburg, PA 17121
    Phone – 717-783-6385
    Toll Free in PA – 1-888-577-4722
    FAX – 717-787-9458
    E-mail – pcc@state.pa.us

    PA Labor Relations Board

    PA Labor Relations Board
    418 L&I Building
    651 Boas Street
    Harrisburg, PA 17121
    Phone – 717-787-1091
    FAX – 717-783-2974
    E-mail – plrb@dli.state.pa.us

    Bureau of PENNSAFE
    E-155 L&I Building
    651 Boas Street
    Harrisburg, PA 17121
    Phone – 717-783-2071
    Toll Free – 1-888-SAFE-422
    FAX – 717-783-5099
    E-mail – li-pennsafe@state.pa.us

    PennSERVE

    Bureau of PennSERVE
    1304 L&I Building
    651 Boas Street
    Harrisburg, PA 17121
    Phone – 717-787-1971
    FAX – 717-705-4215
    Social Security for Public Employees

    SSPE Administrator
    715 L&I Building
    651 Boas Street
    Harrisburg, PA 17121
    Phone – 717-783-8860
    FAX – 717-783-4716

    State Workers’ Insurance Fund

    State Workers’ Insurance Fund
    1171 S. Cameron St., Room 111
    Harrisburg, PA 17104-2593
    Phone – 717-787-3848
    FAX – 717-772-2121

    UC Board of Review

    Referee’s Office
    29 East King St., Suite 101
    Lancaster, PA 17602-2852
    Phone – 717-299-7554

    UC Benefit Services

    Internet and Telephone Services

    Lancaster UC Service Center
    36 East Grant Street
    Lancaster, PA 17602

    Address is provided for mailing purposes only.

    Phone – 717-299-7711
    Toll Free – 1-888-313-7284
    Toll Free TTY – 1-888-334-4046
    FAX – 717-299-7557
    PA Teleclaims (PAT):
    PAT Lancaster – 717-299-7560
    PAT Toll Free – 1-888-255-4728
    PAT TTY Toll Free – 1-888-411-4728
    PAT en español – 1-877-888-8104

    UC Employer Tax Services

    Field Accounting Service
    841 Vogelsong Rd.
    York, PA 17404
    Phone – 717-767-7620

    Workers’ Compensation

    Health & Safety Division
    1171 S. Cameron Street, Room 324
    Harrisburg, PA 17104-2501
    Phone – 717-772-1917
    Safety Committee Certification – 717-772-1635
    Safety Program Audit – 717-772-1636
    FAX – 717-772-1639
    E-mail – ra-li-bwc-safety@state.pa.us

    Judge’s Office
    1661 Old Philadelphia Pike
    Lancaster, PA 17602
    Phone – 717-299-7591

    Judge’s Office
    East Gate Center, Rm 319
    1010 N. 7th Street
    Harrisburg, PA 17102
    Phone – 717-783-4419

    Your notice of financial determination is used to calculate your total compensation and weekly benefit rate.

    You must understand how the Pennsylvania Unemployment Compensation program works to make sure you receive all the benefits and help you are entitled to. Our previous article discussed the importance of the Claim Confirmation Letter and its implications for you and your chances of finding a new job.

    Now we will discuss a second but equally important form, the Notice of Financial Determination. If the claim confirmation letter was your confirmation your claim had been processed, the notice of financial determination is your confirmation that you are eligible for unemployment benefits and how much compensation you will receive. As you can imagine, understanding how your unemployment benefits are worked out is important if you want to guarantee you get all the benefits you are entitled to.

    NOTICE OF FINANCIAL DETERMINATION

    Your notice of financial determination will provide you with your UC code the maximum number of weeks you are entitled to benefits, the maximum amount of compensation you can receive, your weekly benefits rate, your additional dependent’s allowance, when your benefits start and end, and your partial benefit credit.

    If it is the first time your receive a notice of financial determination you might be confused by some of these terms. Let’s look at what each term means for you in some more detail.

    Maximum Benefit Amount

    Your maximum benefit amount is the total benefits you will receive if you exhaust your UC benefits for your benefit year. This amount is calculated by multiplying the number of unemployment weeks you are entitled to by your weekly benefit rate. Your number of benefit weeks is determined by how many credit weeks (i.e. weeks you earned $50 or more) you have accumulated in your base year. Your base year comprises of the first four months of the last five since you filed your unemployment compensation claim. If you contributed 18 or more credit weeks you are entitled to the maximum 26 weeks. However, if you contributed less than 16 weeks you are not eligible for unemployment benefits.

    Weekly Benefit Rate

    Your weekly benefit rate is chiefly determined by how much income you generated during the highest earning quarter of your base year. Quarters are comprised of three months starting from January to March, April to June and so on. The table below shows how your weekly benefit is calculated.

    PART A PART B PART C PART D PART E
    HIGHEST QUARTERLY WAGE RATE OF COMPENSATION QUALIFYING WAGES AMOUNT OF COMPENSATION
    26 WKS 16 WKS
    $4888-4912
    4913-4937
    4938-4962
    4963-4987
    4988-5012
    5013-5037
    $198
    199
    200
    201
    202
    203
    $7840
    7880
    7920
    7960
    8000
    8040
    $5148
    5174
    5200
    5226
    5252
    5278
    $3168
    3184
    3200
    3216
    3232
    3248

    To illustrate, if you earned $4,900 during your highest earning quarter, you qualify for $198 a week. How long you receive the weekly benefits is determined by how many credit weeks you contributed. If you contributed 18 or more weeks, you will get the full 26 weeks for a total $5,148. If you contributed less than 16 weeks you would receive 16 weeks of benefits: a total of $3,168.

    When you receive your notice of financial determination compare it with your personal records and confirm all the information included is correct.

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