Just wanted to chime in with some additional support - I work as a paralegal and have seen quite a few unemployment appeals, and your case has several strong legal elements. The fact that you were originally hired for remote work and then had the conditions changed during a personal crisis really strengthens your position under PA law. One document you might want to bring if you have it: any kind of written confirmation of your original remote work arrangement (offer letter, employee handbook excerpt, email confirming remote status, etc.). This helps establish that in-person work wasn't part of your original job requirements. Also, don't underestimate the power of being genuine and straightforward during your hearing. Referees can usually tell the difference between someone gaming the system and someone who genuinely had no choice. Your situation - losing housing, ending up in a shelter 70 miles away, company refusing accommodation - reads as a perfect storm of circumstances that would make continuing employment impossible for any reasonable person. You've gotten fantastic advice here from this community. Trust in your preparation and remember that you're not asking for something you don't deserve - you're asking for benefits you paid into when you were working. Best of luck on Friday!

I've been lurking in this community for a while dealing with my own UC issues, and I just wanted to say your case sounds really compelling! Reading through all the great advice here, it's clear you've got strong documentation and a legitimate hardship situation. One small thing I'd add - if you have any screenshots or photos of the shelter conditions/location that show how remote it was from your workplace, those visual aids can sometimes help referees understand the impossibility of your situation better than just describing it. Even a simple Google Maps screenshot showing the 70-mile distance could be useful. Also, I've heard that staying calm and speaking slowly during the hearing really helps. Referees deal with a lot of emotional cases, so presenting your facts clearly and professionally can make you stand out as credible. You've gotten such thorough preparation advice from everyone here - I really think you've got a solid shot at winning this! The fact that you were hired remote originally and then had conditions changed during a housing crisis is exactly the kind of situation UC benefits are meant to cover. Rooting for you on Friday!

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this - the same exact thing happened to me about 6 months ago! The RESEA scheduling system is absolutely terrible. I kept getting that "no appointments available" message for almost a week, then when I finally got one scheduled, they flagged my account anyway. What worked for me was calling the CareerLink office directly (not the UC number) and asking them to document in their system that I had attempted to schedule multiple times before appointments became available. The CareerLink staff member I spoke with said this happens ALL the time and they're used to helping people with this specific issue. She was able to send a note to UC on my behalf explaining the technical difficulties. It still took about 10 days to get resolved, but I did get all my back pay once they cleared the flag. Definitely keep filing your weekly claims like others have said - that's super important! And if you can get to a CareerLink office in person like some others suggested, that seems to work even better than phone calls. This whole system is such a mess. Hang in there!

This exact same thing happened to me last month! The RESEA scheduling system is completely broken - I spent 3 days getting that "no appointments available" error before any slots showed up. Then when I finally got scheduled, boom, they put a hold on my benefits anyway. I ended up calling my local CareerLink office (not the UC number) and explaining the situation. The staff there said they see this all the time and were able to contact UC directly to explain that their own system was having technical issues. It took about a week to get resolved, but I got all my back payments. The most frustrating part is that this is clearly a known issue with their website, but they still automatically flag accounts instead of fixing the underlying problem. Keep filing your weekly claims no matter what - you'll get those payments once they clear the flag. And definitely try the CareerLink office approach if calling UC directly doesn't work!

I'm in a similar boat right now - had my appeal hearing last Friday and the waiting is absolutely killing me! My employer is also claiming misconduct after what was clearly a layoff due to "restructuring." The referee seemed fair during the hearing and asked really detailed questions about the timeline and documentation from both sides. For what it's worth, I've been tracking the experiences shared here and it looks like most people get their decisions between 8-14 days, with a few outliers on either side. I'm trying to take the advice about checking just once a day instead of constantly refreshing, but it's so hard when your financial stability is hanging in the balance. One thing I've been doing is keeping a detailed log of all my job search activities and any communications related to my case - partly to stay busy and partly because if I do need to appeal further, having everything organized will help. Stay strong and keep filing those weekly claims!

I'm currently waiting for my referee decision too - had my hearing 9 days ago and checking my mailbox and dashboard religiously! Reading everyone's experiences here has been really helpful in managing expectations. It sounds like most decisions come within that 8-14 day range, though the variation is pretty wide. What's been helping me cope is what someone mentioned earlier about setting a routine - I now check mail once when it arrives and dashboard once in the evening, then try to stay busy with job applications during the day. The hardest part is not knowing, but at least we're all in this together. Keep us posted when you hear something - I think we're all rooting for each other here!

Glad you got it sorted out! The address mismatch thing is so frustrating - they really should make that clearer in the system instead of just leaving people hanging with "pending" status. For anyone else reading this who might be stuck, it's worth double-checking that ALL your info matches exactly what your employer has on file - address, name spelling, SSN, etc. Even small discrepancies can trigger a manual review. Hope you get your determination soon and can finally get some relief!

So glad you got it resolved! The address mismatch issue is super common but they never make it clear that's what's causing the delay. I had a similar situation where I had to call multiple times before someone finally told me what the actual problem was. It's really frustrating that the system just shows "pending" without any hint about what they're waiting for. Hopefully this helps other people who might be dealing with the same issue - definitely worth calling if you've moved recently or if there's any chance your employer might have outdated info on file. Good luck with getting your determination!

Just went through this exact same thing a few months ago! Got the "monetarily ineligible" notice after working at a retail chain for 7 months and I was completely baffled. The whole base period system is so confusing - they don't explain anywhere that they're looking at specific quarters from over a year ago instead of your recent work. Filed my appeal requesting the alternate base period and got approved in about 4 weeks. The key things that helped me: 1) Filed the appeal immediately (don't wait around), 2) Put "REQUEST ALTERNATE BASE PERIOD CONSIDERATION" right at the top in bold, 3) Included every single pay stub from my recent job, and 4) Wrote a simple timeline showing my work history. With your $3,800/month for 5 months, you should definitely qualify under the alternate base period. That's around $19k which is way above the minimum threshold. Don't stress too much about the phone calls - the written appeal is what really matters. Just make sure you get it submitted before that 15-day deadline! The backpay situation is real too - when I got approved, they sent me a lump sum for all the weeks I had been waiting. Hang in there, this system is frustrating but it does work once you know how to navigate it!

I just went through this EXACT same situation about 6 months ago! Got laid off from my marketing job after 8 months, applied for UC, and immediately got that confusing "monetarily ineligible" determination. I was so frustrated because I had literally just been working full-time and paying into the system. The alternate base period saved my life! Here's what I learned: PA looks at your first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters, which can miss your most recent work entirely. In your case with 5 months at $3,800/month, you've got about $19,000 in recent wages that they're probably not counting in the standard calculation. File that appeal IMMEDIATELY and write "REQUEST ALTERNATE BASE PERIOD CONSIDERATION" at the very top in bold letters. Include every pay stub from your October-March job, your termination letter, and a simple timeline of your work history. Don't wait to get through on the phone - the 15-day appeal deadline is what matters most. I got approved in about 5 weeks and received a lump sum backpayment for all the weeks I waited. With your earnings, you should definitely qualify. The system is broken and confusing, but it does work once you know how to fight it. You've got this!