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It is the highest number in the state's history, with more than half of those claimants now receiving unemployment checks. Officials say they are throwing in every resource they have to help keep up, but there is still nearly a two-week delay in processing.
Jeannine, 42, was the general manager for a gym in Oaks when she learned the fitness center was closing.
"As soon as the governor said health clubs should close, we were closed the next morning, we didn't reopen," she said.
"But never received any financial eligibility letter. And I have been checking on the account every day, and it still says pending," she said.
"I have tried to call the office but you are on hold forever. You just can't get through to anybody."
Knowing how busy the system is, Jeannine wants to know when she should expect the cash.
Right now, it's taking about 11 days to process a claim, says Susan Dickinson, the state’s unemployment office .
"We are definitely blown out of the water by how many claims there are," Dickinson said. "It’s just astounding. No one could have ever seen this coming."
She says their office has now added 100 more staff members, some from other branches of state government — all to help process the overload.
"We will take care of everyone’s concerns and we have more people every day helping us with that effort," she said.
"We are opening it up so you can file it for three weeks, four weeks, any weeks you may have missed while you were waiting for your PIN," she said.
Dickinson points to the unemployment website, which answers most common questions, but she says if you need to call, the best days are later in the week.
To email a question about your claim to the unemployment office, contact UChelp@pa.gov. However, Dickinson says, don't send multiple emails for the same question, because the repetition will bog down the system.
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