One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet - make sure you understand the timeline for filing. You generally want to file your UC claim within the first week after job separation to avoid any delays in benefit start dates, even if you expect an initial denial. The waiting periods and benefit weeks are calculated from when you first file, not from when you're eventually approved after appeal. Also, during your appeal hearing (if it comes to that), be prepared for questions about whether you could have handled the situation differently. They may ask things like "could you have called from jail" or "why didn't you have someone call sooner." Have clear, honest answers ready. The fact that your mom called on day 2 actually shows reasonable effort given the circumstances. Document your income from the warehouse job too - pay stubs, W2s, etc. You'll need to prove you meet the monetary eligibility requirements regardless of how the misconduct issue gets resolved.

I'm dealing with a somewhat similar situation right now (domestic dispute arrest, charges likely being dismissed) and this whole thread has been incredibly helpful. What I'm taking away is that the initial denial is almost expected, but the appeal process is where cases like ours actually get decided fairly. One question for those who've been through appeals - how long did you have to wait between filing the appeal and actually getting the hearing scheduled? I'm trying to budget for how long I might be without any income while this gets sorted out. Also, has anyone had success getting temporary assistance while waiting for UC appeals to process? I know there are other programs but not sure if applying for those affects your UC case at all.

Glad to hear your payment came through so quickly @Ryder Greene! I'm new to PA UC myself and this thread has been super helpful. I'm still waiting for my claim to get approved after submitting additional documentation last week. It's reassuring to know that once things get sorted out, the actual payment timing is pretty reasonable. Did you have to do anything special to get your open issue resolved, or did it just work itself out over time?

This is such a helpful thread! I'm new to PA unemployment too and was wondering about the same thing. It's really reassuring to see that most people get their payments within 1-2 business days for direct deposit. The fact that @Ryder Greene got theirs in just one day with Capital One gives me hope since I also bank with them. I'm still waiting for my initial claim to be processed, but at least now I know what to expect once it goes through. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!

UPDATE: You guys were right! Just checked this morning (Monday) and now I see a transaction number has appeared! The payment status says "paid" with today's date. So relieved! Thanks everyone for the help and reassurance.

Congrats on getting the transaction number! That's exactly how it worked for me too - approved Friday, transaction number Monday morning. Just a heads up that when the money hits your Money Network card, you might want to check if there are any ATM fees at your usual locations. Some people don't realize the card has specific fee-free ATM networks. Also, if you need to make a large purchase or pay rent, you can usually do a cash advance at certain banks or use it for direct payments. The money should be available by Wednesday at the latest!

That's great news! Glad it worked out for you. 5 business days seems pretty typical from what I've seen. For anyone else reading this thread who might be in a similar situation, it sounds like the key things to watch for are: 1) make sure your weekly claims show as "Filed" not "In Progress", 2) check for any hidden issues that might not show up on the main dashboard, and 3) be patient for at least a week before panicking. Thanks for updating us on how it turned out!

Just wanted to add my recent experience for anyone else going through this - I got my determination letter last week and the payment hit my Money Network card after 3 business days. One thing I noticed that might help others is to check the "Payment History" section in your dashboard (not just the main claim status) because mine showed "Payment Issued" there a full day before the money actually appeared on my card. Also, if you're like me and obsessively checking your card balance, the payments usually post overnight between 2-4 AM from what I could tell. Hope this helps someone!

I went through this same nightmare about 6 months ago! My timeline was almost exactly what others mentioned - got the appeal letter on a Tuesday, hearing was scheduled about 6.5 weeks later. The waiting is absolutely the worst part because you're just stuck in limbo not knowing if you'll have income. A couple things that really helped me: - I created a simple timeline document with dates of key events (last day worked, reason for separation, when I filed my claim, etc.) - Saved every single email and text from my employer in a folder - Kept detailed notes of any conversations I had with HR or my supervisor The hearing itself was way less scary than I thought it would be. It was by phone and lasted about 30 minutes. The referee asked very straightforward questions and I just stuck to the facts. Won my case and got all my back pay for the weeks I certified during the appeal period. You've got this! Just stay organized and keep filing those weekly claims no matter what.

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this stress - I know exactly how you feel! I just went through a PA UC appeal last fall and the uncertainty is honestly the hardest part. My timeline was pretty typical from what I've seen: got my appeal letter on September 12th, received the hearing notice October 24th (about 6 weeks later), and the actual hearing was scheduled for November 15th (3 weeks after the notice). One thing that really saved me was setting up a dedicated email folder and file system right away to track everything. I also recommend taking screenshots of your weekly claim certifications as you file them - it shows you were following the rules during the appeal period. The good news is that if your employer really did eliminate your position (not fire you for misconduct), you should have a strong case. Just make sure you have any documentation that proves it was a layoff/position elimination - things like company emails about restructuring, your separation notice, anything showing it wasn't performance-related. Keep your head up and definitely keep filing those weekly claims! The system is slow but it does work eventually.