NEWS

Unemployment assistance available for self-employed in Pa.

Staff Report

The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance a new program is now open to the self-employed, gig workers and contractors in Pennsylvania.  

The program provides benefits ranging from $195 to $572 for up to 39 weeks for qualified individuals who are unable to work due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Payments will be back dated from Monday, Jan. 27, or the first week of being unable to work. 

Claims can be filed at https://pua.benefits.uc.pa.gov/vosnet/Default.aspx. 

Individuals collecting PUA benefits will also be eligible for the extra $600 a week from the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program.        

More:Sunday update: COVID-19 deaths in Pa. jump by 276, two more in York County

More:Record 22 million have sought U.S. jobless aid since virus

More:AP: Wolf taking ‘sector-based approach’ to reopening

FILE- In this Jan. 31, 2018, file photo, a Lyft logo is installed on a Lyft driver's car next to an Uber sticker in Pittsburgh. The “gig” economy might not be the new frontier for America’s workforce after all. From Uber to Lyft to TaskRabbit to YourMechanic, so-called gig work has been widely seen as ideally suited for people who want the flexibility and independence that traditional jobs don’t offer. Yet the evidence is growing that over time, they don’t deliver the financial returns many expect. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)