The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for Dec. 2011 was 7.6 percent, down from 7.9 percent in November, according to the state’s Department of labor and Industry.
Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate was below the U.S. rate of 8.5 and has been below the national rate for 62 consecutive months.
The rate was down .9 percentage points from Dec. 2010.
Last week the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court agreed to allow the Workers’ Compensation Law Section of the Pennsylvania Bar Association to certify attorneys in the field.
The certification process will give consumers more information in choosing an attorney who is better qualified to handle workers’ comp cases.
In 1995, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that attorneys could advertise that they were specialists in certain areas of law if they received certification from a court-approved body. Since then, the court approved groups to offer certification in practice areas including elder law and trial attorneys, but not workers’ comp. Now that’s changed.
The state Department of Labor and Industry believes filing and managing unemployment compensation claims online is the easiest, most convenient way for claimants to work with the department.
In a recent news release, L&I Secretary Julia Hearthway said many unemployment compensation services are available online, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and providing these online services gives claimants the opportunity to file and manage their claims from their own homes, a CareerLink office, public library, or any location where an Internet connection is available.
The unemployment website enables the claimants to file an initial claim, reopen a claim, file a biweekly claim, check a claim status, view payments, manage account information, and receive answers to frequently asked questions.
There may be some good news this week for the labor market. According to an article on CNNMoney.com, the Labor Department reported that 352,000 people filed initial unemployment claims last week, down from 402,000 claims the previous week. This is the lowest number filing for unemployment since the week ending April 19, 2008.
The article continued to say that when initial jobless claims fall below 400,000, it is often a sign of an improving labor market.
“Claims rarely go below 300,000, so when you’re around 350,000 you’re close to the job market being back to normal,” said Robert Brusca of FAO Economics.
The article also said that the number of people who continue to receive unemployment benefits dropped 215,000 from the previous week, another positive sign.
We were sorry to hear the news reported on the TimesLeader.com that Kraft Foods Inc. will eliminate 60 positions at its Hanover Industrial Estates location as a result of company restructuring. In total, 1,600 Kraft jobs will be lost in North America this year.
In the article, Kraft’s corporate spokeswoman Valerie Moens said, “We are working to minimize the impact wherever possible through attrition and open positions.”
It was reported that the Kraft announcement happened just days after Offset Paperback Manufacturers said it would cut 69 positions at its plant in Dallas.
Lawrence M. Newman, vice president of Policy, Planning and Development for the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business & Industry, is quoted in the article as saying, “The unfortunate reality is that we continue to have an increasingly globalized marketplace and we continue to have an economy that still has not regained its appetite for consumer spending. And so there continue to be ramifications like the one that you say today.”
A Lansdale company is looking out for both injured workers and insurers in the face of U.S. Post Office closings that could delay workers’ compensation checks. In response, InsurCard will begin offering the InsurCard Visa ® Prepaid Card for Workers’ Compensation payments.
With more than 487 Post Office closings across the U.S., printed and mailed claim-payment checks may not arrive as promptly to workers’ comp claimants. But those who use an InsurCard Visa Prepaid Card are guaranteed on-time payments, since payments are deposited onto the card electronically so that funds are available immediately. The cards are accepted by ATMs, banks, and merchants, and wherever Visa debit cards are accepted. For insurers, payments are delivered to claimants on time, with no concerns for lost or stolen checks.
To see if this is an option for you, or for more information, visit InsurCard’s website at fwww.insurcard.com.
Gov. Tom Corbett announced Jan. 9 the appointment of John E. Stevens as chairman of the state Civil Service Commission. Stevens was sworn in Jan. 3 after a unanimous senate confirmation Dec. 13. He will complete the four years remaining on the six-year term of former commissioner Marwan Kreidie.
The State Civil Service Commission, a three-member, bipartisan, independent
administrative agency, manages the state’s merit employment system, which
On Jan. 30, regulations will take effect for a rule under the U.S. Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act that will exclude most workers who maintain or repair recreational boats and watercraft.
According to an article on BusinessInsurance.com, an amendment under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 excluded laborers who repair or dismantle any recreational water vessel from coverage under the Longshore Act, as long as they are covered under a state’s workers’ comp law.
The new regulations will include an updated definition of “recreational vessel” as well as standards for determining the effective date of a worker’s injury.
Additional eligibility requirements have recently been added to the Pennsylvania Unemployment Compensation Law.
According to the state Department of Labor and Industry, if the effective date of your application for unemployment benefits is on or before January 1, 2012 you are required to do all of the following:
1. Register for employment search services with Pennsylvania Career Link within 30 days after you file your application.
According to insurancenewsnet.com, the Memic Group has acquired Vermont-based Granite Manufacturers Mutual Insurance.
The purchase will allow Memic to continue its growth plan for the Eastern United States in the commercial workers’ compensation insurance market according to Memic President and Chief Executive Officer John T. Leonard.
Also, Memic said it will open offices in New Jersey and Pennsylvania in 2012. In 2010, Memic Group was the fifth-largest underwriter of workers’ compensation business in New England and was among the fastest-growing in New York.
Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Lawyers Blog