PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Pennsylvania's unemployment benefit system is getting a much-needed overhaul.
The new Unemployment Compensation system is anticipated to launch on June 8. However, to prepare for the upgrade, the current network will go offline Sunday for data migration until the launch.
"I know you heard the term, 'It was held together with rubber bands and duct tape,' and it truly was," said Acting Secretary of Labor and Industry Jennifer Berrier. "We were holding our breath every time we had to alter that system to make a federal change to it."
The UC system is expected to be faster and easier to use, and expedite the processing of claims.
"It's just a more modern system," said Berrier. "It's going to much better reflect what you would typically use to perhaps pay a utility bill or any other kind of online service."
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She added the new system will allow information to be updated in real-time, "whereas before that might have been more of a paper process or emailing something to a resource account. Everything is linked together."
According to Berrier, no information will be deleted after the old mainframe system is taken offline. "That system will basically be read-only access. It will be inactive, so if we need to access information from that system, we will be able to do that," she explained.
Claims won't be processed during the data migration period, though the UC service center will be kept open. New inquiries will be taken over the phone and via email, and placed in a queue until the new system is up and ready.
User guides, workshops to learn the new system and filing timelines are available at uc.pa.gov.