Pa. brings unemployment filing online

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry is giving laid-off dot-com workers an easier way to make ends meet with the Keystone State's launch of an online service for unemployment compensation filing. The effort is part of Gov. Tom Ridge's promise to make state government "friction free," lessening paperwork and shortening lines at agencies.

Claimants may use their home computer to print out the form and then fax or mail it to one of six service centers, or they may send it directly to the state servers via e-mail. Approximately 40 percent of unemployment claimants in the state have a home PC with an Internet connection, said Alan Williamson, Labor and Industry Deputy Secretary for unemployment compensation. Pennsylvania is the eighth state to offer online unemployment filing services.