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More than 50,000 people applied for unemployment assistance through the website, but a number of users had a rough time. Some, like Ben, a self-employed military veteran, never got through.
Ben calls the new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance — or PUA — portal overcomplicated and difficult to navigate. The says he tried all weekend to get through and got kicked off the site several times.
"You try to answer questions, but it wouldn’t take the answers to your questions," he said. "And then it would come back with a screen when you are halfway through saying it can’t process the information."
During a press briefing Monday, Pennsylvania labor department officials noted there were some problems with the site, saying this past weekend was just a slow rollout, and they are ironing out flaws and streamlining the process.
"Anyone who doesn't have documentation or can’t substantiate what their quarterly wages are, they will be set at that $195 rate," Dickinson said. "Anyone else who gave up their quarterly wages, and they were able to upload their documentation to the system, they would be set up at the higher rate.
She says the site currently shows all users the minimum amount of money an applicant would get.
"So right now, it looks like it is only set at $195 dollars a week," she said. However, after the system is hooked up, and the site is able to generate the eligibility determination, Dickinson says it will tell individuals what the correct amount is going to be.
"Anyone who has already filed,= doesn’t need to refile," she added.
All entries will be backdated to when they stopped working, she said. And the full launch is expected in about a week or two. Stay with KYW Newsradio for updates.
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