Enhanced federal unemployment benefits for the pandemic end.

Rob Tornoe, Philadelphia Inquirer

Enhanced federal unemployment insurance put in place during the pandemic and extended by the most recent COVID-19 relief bill expired over the weekend.
The three federal unemployment programs that expired over the weekend are:

• Pandemic Unemployment Assistance: Provided up to 79 weeks of unemployment benefits to freelancers and gig workers normally not eligible for traditional unemployment.

• Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation: Provided up to 53 weeks of additional unemployment benefits.

• Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation: Provided an additional $300 a week to unemployment payments.

Several state and federal programs will continue to provide aid, but most have specific requirements. Pennsylvania officials have compiled a list of resources for residents facing unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here are the assistance programs that can still help.

ATTENTION UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMANTS!!

Click here for "What is ID.me?"

Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (DLI) is notifying certain individuals through their PUA dashboards that they must go through identity verification with ID.me to continue their PUA claim.
Click here for ID.ME information for PUA.

Click here on "How to I verify my identity when filing a new Unemployment Compensation (UC) claim at Pennsylvania DLI?"

Unemployment Benefits Resources

A new online resource for Unemployment Benefits:
If you need more information or have questions about the new UC system, check out UCHelp.org

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What to know if you are to be eligible for unemployment benefits in Pennsylvania
Jensen Toussaint, Al Dia

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry recently announced unemployment benefits will only continue for those who provide proof that they have searched for work. Starting in July, Pennsylvania will resume its work search requirement for eligible unemployment benefit recipients, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) announced on May 24. This announcement will affect all unemployment programs, including Unemployment Compensation (UC), Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA).

More here.

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What is the child tax credit schedule, how to opt out of the monthly checks in 2021 and more.
Katie Conner, C|Net

You could get $250 or up to $300 per kid starting next month if you opt for monthly payments with the advance child tax credit. Depending on the age of your children, that would work out to as much as $3,000 or $3,600 over 2021 and 2022 per eligible dependent between July 15 (when the first check is set to arrive from the IRS) and tax time next year. July is also when the IRS will open two web portals that will let you select whether to receive your checks each month through the end of the year or get one payment in 2022.

Click here for Everything to know about the schedule, When will the child tax credit payments start? and also important details if you normally don't file a tax return or if you share child custody.

Pennsylvania to resume work-search rule for jobless benefits

Marc Levy, AP News

Pennsylvania will resume work search requirements in July for hundreds of thousands of people receiving unemployment compensation, a top Wolf administration official said Monday. The requirement will affect all unemployment programs, including unemployment compensation and its extension, the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program and the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, the department said. The work-search requirement means people receiving unemployment benefits must apply for two jobs and complete one work-search activity from an approved list of seven options each week, such as attending a job fair, take a pre-employment test or post a resume or search for jobs in the state’s PA CareerLink system.

Read here

PUA: Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Update

For PUA claimants still experiencing issues filing for backdated weekly certifications, we are working to ensure you will be able to file for those weeks. If you have not informed us about backdating issues regarding your claim, please reach out to us at ucPUA@pa.gov with your full name and Claimant ID number.
If you have already notified us, know that we are trying to get to your questions as quickly as possible. Please do not send multiple emails as this may delay resolution of your inquiry.

In the meantime, make sure you continue to file your weekly certifications every week (Sunday through Saturday) to receive your PUA payments moving forward for those weeks.

We have created PUA System FAQs and will continue to add to them.

More details click here.

COVID-19 NEWS & INFORMATION

Philadelphia has launched a new website that allows residents to search for food and meal sites around the city

Find free food and meals during Covid-19 (in several languages) clicking here.
+Food sites in the neighborhood:
West Kensington Ministry, 2140 N Hancock St (Philabundance)

• Residents can get one box per household

• Eligibility: Any resident is eligible. No ID or proof of income is required

• Pickup details:
  Monday 10AM - 12PM non-perishable items only
  Thursday 10AM - 12PM fresh produce only

+Student meal sites in the neighborhood:
Kensington Creative & Performing Arts High School, 1901 N. Front St. (Philadelphia School District schools)

• Eligibility: All children and youth are eligible. No ID is required.

• Pickup details: Thursday 9AM - 12PM, 10 meals per child

John F. Street Community Center, 1100 Poplar St. (Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) community centers)

• Eligibility: All children and youth are eligible. No ID is required.

• Pickup details:
  Monday 9AM - 12PM Breakfast and lunch
  Tuesday 9AM - 12PM Breakfast and lunch
  Wednesday 9AM - 12PM Breakfast and lunch
  Thursday 9AM - 12PM Breakfast and lunch
  Friday 9AM - 12PM Breakfast and lunch

William H. Hunter School, 2400 N. Front St. (Philadelphia School District schools)
EligibilityAll children and youth are eligible. No ID is required.
Pickup details
Thursday9AM - 12PM10 meals per child

+Senior meal sites in the neighborhood:
Lutheran Settlement House, 1340 Frankford Ave. (PCA-supported sites call 215-426-8610)

• Eligibility: Adults 60 and over are eligible at sites supported by the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging (PCA). Seniors must call ahead to reserve meals prior to pickup.

Northern Living Center, 827 N Franklin St. (PCA-supported sites, 215-978-1300)

• Eligibility: Adults 60 and over are eligible at sites supported by the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging (PCA). Seniors must call ahead to reserve meals prior to pickup.

CHCS Norris Square Center, 2121 N. Howard St (PCA-supported sites 215-423-7241)

• Eligibility: Adults 60 and over are eligible at sites supported by the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging (PCA). Seniors must call ahead to reserve meals prior to pickup.

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Coalition Against Hunger

SNAP Hotline at 215-430-0556, Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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Coronavirus Testing sites for anyone with symptoms.
Open to all ages: Where anyone with symptoms can get tested for coronavirus in Philadelphia. You can call for an appointment at 32 locations across the city.. [BillyPenn Staff].
Click here for more details and use the interactive map.
Testing sites in the neighborhood:
Call your doctor before visiting if you may have COVID-19. Source: CDC

• American Family Care (AFC) Urgent Care
  180 W. Girard Ave. (below Acme at 2nd & Girard), call (267) 319-8047

• 11th Street Family Health Services
  850 N. 11th St. (11th and Parrish), call (215) 769-1100

• Health Center #6
  301 W. Girard Ave call (215) 685-3800

• PHMC Health Connection
  1900 N 9th St. #104, call (215) 765-6690

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Resources for Immigrants During COVID-19:
A new blog post that highlights information and resources for immigrant and refugee communities is available on the City’s COVID-19 website, where you can find additional translated information. It also includes information about other services offered by our community partners. The resource is available in many languages. And, to make sure that it remains relevant, we will make sure to keep it updated.
You can also visit the main COVID-19 website or call 311 if you have more questions about city services. Interpretation services are available when calling 311.

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Philly COVID-19 FAQ
This site is an effort to provide easy access to accurate information and reporting that addresses the questions Philadelphians have about the coronavirus pandemic’s effects on life and work in the city. It is populated with reporting from local newsrooms across the city, and includes frequently asked questions, answers to which have been sourced from verified government sites or institutions.
We are not able to address medical or urgent questions, or those unique to your personal situation.
If you have questions of a medical nature, please call 1-800-722-7112.
If you’d like to submit a question please visit our submissions page or text COVIDphl19 to 73224.
The contents of this FAQ can be easily and cleanly embedded into your organization/company website with a simple line of code. If you’d like to make this information available to your website visitors, please contact julie@resolvephilly.org
More here.

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TRANSIT SERVICE UPDATE
Regular Schedules RESUME - Sunday, May 17/Monday, May 18, 2020
Service returns on all Bus*, Trolley, Market Frankford, Broad Street and Norristown High Speed Line Routes following the timetables in effect before the COVID-19 crisis began. FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION CLICK HERE.

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 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)
PUA provides up to 39 weeks of benefits to qualifying individuals who are otherwise able to work and available for work within the meaning of applicable state law, except that they are unemployed, partially unemployed, or unable or unavailable to work due to COVID-19 related reasons, as defined in the CARES Act. Benefit payments under PUA are retroactive, for weeks of unemployment, partial employment, or inability to work due to COVID-19 reasons starting on or after January 27, 2020. The CARES Act specifies that PUA benefits cannot be paid for weeks of unemployment ending after December 31, 2020.

Click here to file PUA claim and click here for PUA Claimant Guide

COVID-19 INFORMATION

How Are Philadelphia Area Residents Coping With COVID-19? Take the Survey
In these difficult times, when everyone's lives are being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, you can do something important for your family, friends, neighbors and community. Please take time to participate in our survey of the impacts of COVID-19. We need reliable information on the impact on work and health (physical and mental health) to effectively assess the needs of communities and support them better. Your responses will be kept confidential and anonymous.
Please clink on the link the complete the survey in English or Spanish .

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COVID-19 RESOURCES

Complete list of resources with links to the websites of the mentioned resources is available on this pdf.
On the downloaded pdf, you can click on each icon and get the corresponding website, like:

• Workforce Updates, PA CareerLink

• For Renters, Philly Tenant

• Families & Youth, Office of Children & Families

• United Way Resource Directory, United Way

• Food, Department of Public Health

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CHOP has set up a 24/7 hotline for questions and concerns about COVID-19,
call 800-722-7112.

The hotline is for anyone's use (not just cases involving children).
Get the latest information about how CHOP is responding to COVID-19.

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PA Unemployment Application Now Available for Self-employed/gig workers.

Click here for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) FAQs