If you're collecting unemployment, you already know about filing a biweekly claim. What happens if you forgot to file your claim or you missed the date to file your biweekly claim because of an emergency?
The purpose of filing a biweekly claim is so the government knows you are still unemployed and in need of assistance by verifying your eligibility, which is why filing on time is crucial. You cannot be paid for the weeks that you are unemployed unless a timely claim is filed.
If you try filing your claim late, you will receive a message on your screen telling you that you do not have an active claim. Whether you missed your claim by a day or you forgot to file for a couple weeks, you will have to reopen your claim so you can receive benefits. If you miss your filing date, you are assumed to have found other employment. If you missed your filing date but have not found other employment, you will have to reopen your claim.
You can either reopen your claim online, by phone, or by printing out a paper form and mailing the completed form. The phones for the UC Service Center tend to be busy, so reopening the claim online might be the easiest and quickest option.
The phone lines for the UC Service Center tend to be busy, so reopening the claim online might be easier for you and the quickest way. Reopening your existing claim will look like the initial claim that you filed starting the benefits process.
You can look on the Pennsylvania Unemployment Benefits website for additional information on reopening your unemployment claim.
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