Gig workers, freelancers and the self-employed in the state can now begin applying for claims for an extra $300 in weekly assistance.

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry is set to resume making payments through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) programs but could see a gap in benefits after a delay in approval by the federal government.

Two weeks after Pennsylvania launched a new layer of fraud checks, most independent contractors and gig workers whose unemployment benefits were temporarily frozen have yet to verify their identities.

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry said there is going to be a delay in payments for new applicants to the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program after it detected potential fraud.