Just wanted to update you - I remembered another thing that helped win my case! The UC referee asked my employer if they had any proof that I wasn't actually working during the 15 minutes in question. They couldn't prove I wasn't there working (because I was!) so that really helped my case. If your coworkers saw you working during that 30-minute period, that could be super important evidence!

One final piece of advice: when you're completing your weekly certifications while waiting for a determination, make sure you answer all questions accurately and consistently with your initial claim. Contradicting yourself between your initial claim and weekly certifications can create additional issues. Also, continue to meet all work search requirements (applying to at least two jobs per week and completing one work search activity) and document everything carefully. This won't affect the misconduct determination, but it ensures you don't have any other issues with your claim.

When they ask if your "able and available" they want to know can you work RIGHT NOW if someone called with a job. If you say NO, you wont get paid for that week. Just make sure your answering all the other questions right too!!! The one that asks if you refused any work - thats a NO unless you actually turned down a job offer. And the one about did you look for work - thats YES and keep track of where you applied cause they might audit you later!!! I got so confused when i first started filing my weekly claims to lol

Just to add one important point - if your claim is under review because of the previous fraud, your weekly certifications might show as "pending" for a while even if you answer everything correctly. This is normal while they verify your identity and employment history. Keep filing your weekly claims on time even if you're not receiving payments yet. Once they complete the review, you should receive all back payments for the weeks you properly certified. If your claim stays in review status for more than 3 weeks, I'd recommend trying to speak with someone directly to check on the status.

why didnt u jst ask to switch to evenings or weekend shifts? seems like that woulda been the ez solution with ur ex working diff hours

Make sure when you're explaining your case that you emphasize the timeline and sudden nature of your childcare crisis. PA UC regulations recognize that unforeseen emergencies (like your mother becoming abusive to your children) can create legitimate reasons to quit. The fact that you continued working for weeks/months while actively seeking solutions (internal transfers, schedule changes) shows good faith on your part. During your fact-finding interview, be very clear about the immediate safety concerns for your children that forced your hand - this isn't just about convenience but about protecting your kids from harm when no other options existed.

just go to the unemployment office in person. they cant ignore u when ur standing there

UPDATE: I finally got through!!! Used the Claimyr service that someone suggested here and was connected to a UC rep in about an hour. The rep was able to see that my open issue was just waiting for supervisor review - apparently they tried to call me last week but it went to voicemail (I never got a notification they called). He expedited my case and said my payments should be released within 3-5 business days. Such a relief! Thanks everyone for your help!

Wait I'm confused about something in this process - do they schedule these hearings automatically or did you have to request an appeal first? I got disqualified last week and I'm still trying to figure out what to do.

UPDATE: I called the appeals office this morning and got through after about 45 minutes on hold. They confirmed they sent the hearing instructions to an old email address I haven't used in years (no idea how they even had that one). They updated my contact info and are sending new instructions to my current email. The woman I spoke with said my hearing will be rescheduled for next week, so not as bad as I feared. Thanks everyone for the help and advice!

wait do we have to pay state tax on it too or just federal??

heres a tip - if u end up owing a bunch in taxes bc of this, u can set up a payment plan with the IRS. thats what i had to do. its online and pretty easy

This whole "under review" status drives me NUTS. The PA UC system is deliberately designed to be as frustrating and opaque as possible. They hope people will just give up or find jobs before they have to pay. I went through 11 weeks of "under review" last year and got zero explanations until I finally reached someone by phone who fixed it in literally 5 minutes. The system is BROKEN.

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice! I'll definitely keep filing my weekly certifications even after I start my job, and I'll report my work and wages properly to avoid any issues. It sounds like I should eventually receive the backpay for these 5 weeks, which is a relief. It's frustrating that the system works this way, but at least I know what to expect now. I might try contacting them directly to see if I can figure out what's causing the delay, even though I'll be working soon.

hey did u get partial unemplyment or regular? my sister got partial when her hours got cut and she said she still had to get a 1099G even tho it wasnt full benefits

remember to also check if u qualify for earned income credit when u file especially if u had lower income for the year due to being unemployed part of it... my tax person said alot of people miss that after being on unemployment

To update on what I mentioned earlier - you should also check if the "Payment Type" for your eligible weeks shows as "Credit Applied to Overpayment" in your payment history. If so, once the overpayment is removed, these payments should be reissued to you. Regarding your appeal decision, you can typically access a copy through your dashboard under "Appeals" or by contacting the UC Service Center. Having this document is crucial if you need to follow up on your case.

Based on your update about seeing "Credit Applied to Overpayment" on your payments, that's actually good news. It means the system has record of those payments, and they should be released to you once the overpayment is removed. One thing I learned from my experience - if it's been more than 3 weeks since your appeal decision became final and you don't see changes in your account, don't just wait. That's when issues tend to fall through the cracks. Try to get through to someone who can check if there are any holds or flags on your account that need manual intervention.

Glad to hear payments are starting to come through. This happens from time to time. For those who received payments, was there anything different about the transaction description? Sometimes when there's a delay, they change how it appears in your account which can be helpful to know for future reference.

does anyone know if we're getting that extra $300 this month? i heard something about it on the news but my payment was just the regular amount