Harrisburg, PA – Governor Josh Shapiro has recognized members of the Department of Labor & Industry’s (L&I) Unemployment Compensation (UC) leadership team with the Governor’s Awards for Excellence for clearing the backlog of unresolved claims and making major improvements to the UC system that ensures Pennsylvanians receive a response quickly and accurately. In 2023, this team facilitated the UC system’s swift recovery from the unprecedented workload of backlogged pandemic-era claims while simultaneously enhancing the system’s customer service to meet the expectations of Pennsylvanians seeking support after a job loss.
Pennsylvania’s UC crisis unfolded at a record-setting pace at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with L&I receiving more than 1 million claims within a month, more claims than at any point in the department’s 107-year history. Despite the challenging circumstances, these dedicated public servants persisted for over three years, driven by their commitment to assisting Pennsylvanians and rectifying the aftermath of the UC crisis.
Under the leadership of Secretary Nancy A. Walker and Unemployment Compensation Deputy Secretary Maria Macus, just seven months after the Governor took office, this team resolved the entire pandemic-era backlog of over 40,000 remaining claims and 34,000 remaining pandemic-era fraud reports. At a ceremony on June 17, Governor Shapiro honored the following UC team members:
- Sally Piatak, Director, Office of Unemployment Compensation Tax Services
- William Piatak, Unemployment Compensation Executive
- Hanima Amara, Fiscal Management Specialist
- Shawn Price, Unemployment Compensation Executive
- David Dodson-Andrews, Project Manager
- Nsungwe Shamatutu, Director, Office of Unemployment Compensation Service Centers
- Susan Dickinson, Director, Office of Unemployment Compensation Benefits Policy
- Melissa Stover, UC Appeals System Administrator
“As Secretary, I am incredibly grateful for Governor Shapiro’s commitment to stabilizing and improving the UC system so that it could meet the needs of Pennsylvanians in times of crisis. However, these results were only accomplished through the hard work, dedication to the mission and purpose exemplified by the L&I UC Leadership Team who got the job done,” Secretary Walker said. “They and their teams are true public servants who have accomplished extraordinary things on behalf of the Commonwealth and touched the lives of thousands of Pennsylvanians. I am profoundly grateful for their service.”
Under Governor Shapiro’s leadership, L&I distributed more than $1.7 billion in UC benefits in 2023 to about 326,000 Pennsylvanians – all of whom experienced the loss of a job or work hours through no fault of their own.
“The Unemployment Compensation system keeps families and communities financially afloat in times of hardship, and Pennsylvania workers who lose a job through no fault of their own deserve a responsive and efficient system to help them bounce back,” Deputy Secretary Macus said. “The UC team experienced our own hardship with the unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic spiking claims to record levels in a matter of weeks, but we’ve bounced back stronger than before. I am so proud of this team for applying the lessons we learned in crisis to build a more resilient safety net for Pennsylvanians. Our commitment to this work is unwavering.”
In addition to resolving the pandemic-era workload in just seven months and managing 2023 claims in real time, the UC team has been implementing customer-service enhancements since the start of the Shapiro Administration. With bipartisan support in the 2023-24 budget, L&I leveraged the Service Improvement and Infrastructure Fund (SIIF) to hire more than 380 additional UC interviewers to staff service centers and answer calls.
These investments contributed directly to L&I’s announcement earlier this year that the Department had made significant strides toward shorter wait times for UC claimants who call the Department’s helpline for customer service help. Since late February, wait times for claimants who have called the UC Service Centers have averaged just over 20 minutes -- a huge improvement since the start of the Shapiro Administration, when the wait times averaged more than an hour for customer service.
Since May 2023, UC staff have been answering most emails within 24 hours.
In March 2023, Secretary Walker announced the indefinite extension of UC Connect -- a successful program that enhances Pennsylvanians’ access to the UC system by offering in-person appointments to claimants at Pennsylvania CareerLink® locations. The program has served more than 75,000 Pennsylvanians to date.
The Governor’s Awards for Excellence recognize exemplary job performance or service that reflects initiative, leadership, innovation, and increased efficiency. The L&I team was among 56 employees from 12 state agencies honored by Governor Shapiro for accomplishments in 2023.