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State unemployment worker explains process, appeals and new contact options during council public comments
Summary
Marilyn Mercado, an employee of the unemployment service center, told the council how unemployment eligibility is determined, the agency's investigative and appeals process, and new contact channels including chat and email.
Marilyn Mercado, who said she works at the Allentown unemployment service center and currently works in Harrisburg, used the council's public-comment period to explain how unemployment claims are handled and to correct what she described as misconceptions.
"It is a complicated system," Mercado said, adding that the program is designed to provide benefits to people who are unemployed "through no fault of their own." She described the investigative process when a separation involves fault: staff contact both the employer and the claimant, conduct an investigation, and provide due process to both parties.
Mercado said both claimants and employers have the right to appeal determinations they believe are incorrect. She also outlined outreach options the agency has added to improve access: chat, email and a legislative request channel in addition to telephone contact.
Mercado said the agency rules are set by Pennsylvania law and federal law for certain disaster-related claims and urged people to use the available contact methods rather than rely on secondhand accounts. "Don't point a finger at us," she said.
No council action followed Mercado's remarks; council members thanked her for clarifying the agency's procedures during the public-comment period.
