Coronavirus Update: Pennsylvania Employees Out Of Work Due To COVID-19 May Be Eligible For Unemployment, Workers' Compensation
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Employees in Pennsylvania who are out of work because of the coronavirus may be eligible for unemployment and workers' compensation benefits, state officials announced Monday.
Employees may be eligible if:
- Your employer temporarily closes or goes out of business because of COVID-19;
- Your employer reduces your hours because of COVID-19;
- You have been told not to work because your employer feels you might get or spread COVID-19; or
- You have been told to quarantine or self-isolate, or live/work in a county under government-recommended mitigation efforts.
"As Pennsylvania and the nation implement mitigation efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19, it is important to relieve some of the financial pressures our workers are facing so they can focus on remaining healthy and safe," Labor & Industry Secretary Jerry Oleksaik said. "The best option is for employers to offer their employees paid time off. If leave is not available and your job has been impacted by this new virus, you may be eligible for benefits either through unemployment or workers' compensation. If you work in a job or industry that likely will be affected, prepare now by knowing what you need and how to file so your application can be processed quickly."
Officials say unemployment compensation claims should be submitted online for faster processing.
Employees may also be eligible for workers' compensation benefits if you are out of work because of possible COVID-19 exposure in your workplace.
- Notifying your employer to file a typical "disease-as-injury" WC claim, which requires you to provide medical evidence that you were exposed to COVID-19 in the workplace.
- Notifying your employer to file an "occupational disease" WC claim, which requires you to show that COVID-19 is occurring more in your occupation/industry than in the general population.
- All WC claims (including COVID-19) are thoroughly reviewed, and decisions are made based on the facts and merits of each claim and the law.
There are currently 65 COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania, including eight in Philadelphia, 24 in Montgomery County, seven in Delaware County, four in Bucks County and two in Chester County.
Gov. Tom Wolf has ordered all restaurants in the Philadelphia suburbs to close their dine-in facilities for two weeks beginning at 12:01 a.m. Monday to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. The counties impacted are Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Allegheny.
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