Pennsylvania’s new unemployment compensation system went online Tuesday.The new system replaces an outdated 40-year-old mainframe.The Department of Labor & Industry said the new system makes it easier and faster to file for benefits. Staff members will need less time to process claims, which is expected to help reduce the number of users waiting for their claims to be processed.A soft launch of the new UC system took place just after 3 a.m. About 62,000 individuals had filed claims by 1 p.m., according to L&I.Phone problemAn unrelated phone issue temporarily caused L&I’s unemployment hotlines to become unavailable. The phone system has since come back online, and individuals with questions about the new system can call the Unemployment Compensation Service Center at 888-313-7284 or email [email protected] issuesBased on feedback, L&I has identified two areas in which users have had questions about the new system.The first is that multiple users who receive payments by direct deposit have reported seeing their payment type listed as a debit card. Because payment data is stored primarily by the Pennsylvania Treasury and not the UC system, this is just a display issue and is not a problem with payment type. After a person’s payment is made, the correct payment method will be displayed. Users do not need to take any action to correct this if they see “debit card” listed instead of “direct deposit.”L&I said it’s also aware that a small percentage of users are experiencing an issue logging in with their Keystone ID or when they attempt to change their payment type. This issue is related to server connectivity, and a fix is underway.”While we have seen success with the system so far, we are continuing to monitor it and have staff ready to identify and resolve any issues that might arise. We will continue to update the public regularly as adjustments and improvements are made to our new unemployment system,” acting L&I Secretary Jennifer Berrier said.A Lancaster County woman said she spent three hours trying to get onto the site. Watch her story in the video player below.Waiting roomBecause of the shortened filing week and interest in using the new system, L&I expects higher than normal usage on Tuesday. When the number of users exceeds a set capacity, the system automatically instates a waiting room page to prevent slowness or crashing for all users. The waiting room page places users into a queue in order of their arrival on the page, then admits them as other users leave the site. Users who encounter the waiting room page are reminded to avoid reloading, exiting and reentering the page, and using an unstable connection (such as a cell phone) if possible. They will be placed at the end of the queue when they return to the page.L&I also reminded users that fewer individuals file for their weekly benefits later in the week and during…
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