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From the archives 2021

Have you helped process Pa. unemployment claims this past year? Spotlight PA wants to hear from you.

by Rebecca Moss of Spotlight PA |

Spotlight PA wants to hear from current and former employees of the state Department of Labor and Industry about administering unemployment benefits during the pandemic.
Courtesy of PennLive

Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters.

HARRISBURG — Spotlight PA is continuing to investigate problems with the state’s unemployment system, and is hoping to hear from the people who have helped the Department of Labor and Industry process more than 5.2 million claims since the pandemic began.

As claimants hit their one-year anniversary and some benefits expire, there is continuing concern about inadequate staffing at the department, and the stress faced by those who have worked there.

If you previously worked for the department or are currently employed there, and you helped in any role to get people financial aid during the pandemic, we want to hear from you. What was the experience like? What problems did you experience? What doesn’t the public know?

Please share by answering a few questions below. None of your responses will be shared or published without your consent. You may hear from Spotlight PA Reporter Rebecca Moss for additional information or a follow-up interview. You can also reach out to Moss directly at rmoss@spotlightpa.org. Thanks for your contributions.

Can’t see the form? View it here.

WHILE YOU’RE HERE… If you learned something from this story, pay it forward and become a member of Spotlight PA so someone else can in the future at spotlightpa.org/donate. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results.

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