Here's What You Need to Do to Maintain Your UC Benefits

Once you have been found eligible to receive unemployment compensation benefits, there are several requirements that must be fulfilled in order for you to maintain the payments while you work to find employment.

The first step to maintaining your benefits is to file a biweekly claim. A biweekly claim is a filing that must be made every two weeks. It will report any earnings for each week that you were partially or completely unemployed, and you will need to report the gross about of your earnings on the biweekly claim. If you are waiting for the Department of Labor to determine if you are eligible for benefits or not, continue filing your biweekly claim. You can only receive benefits for the weeks that were claimed.

The second step is to engage in your work registration requirement. This must begin within thirty days of the filing of your application for benefits and generally involves registering for the employment search services offered through PA CareerLink.

In terms of your employment search, after your third week of receiving benefits you are, generally, required to apply for at least two jobs and participate in at least one work search activity per week. Work search activities include: attending a job fair, searching for positions on the Internet, posting a resume to PA Career Link or other similar services, informing individuals of your employment availability, beginning to work with an employment agency, taking a civil service or pre-employment exam, or participating in a program offered through PA Career Link.

If you have a bona fide job interview on a give week, you may substitute that for a work search activity.

By completing these activities, you will maintain your eligibility. Remember to always notify the Pennsylvania Unemployment Compensation Department if you find employment or of any changes that may impact your income.