Thank you everyone for the advice! I'm going to appeal to the Board of Review within the 15-day window and gather all my documentation about the transportation issues. I'll also prepare myself for having to repay just in case the appeal doesn't work out. If anyone has gone through the Board of Review appeal process and has specific tips, I'd really appreciate hearing them.

I went through a Board of Review appeal last year and wanted to share some tips that helped me. Make sure your written statement is organized - I used headings like "Facts" and "Legal Arguments" to make it easy to follow. Include copies of ALL your documentation with your appeal, even if you submitted some at the referee hearing. The Board doesn't always have access to everything from the lower level. One thing that really helped my case was showing a pattern of good attendance before the issues started, and demonstrating concrete steps I took to fix the transportation problems. If you have any emails or texts with your employer about the tardiness or your efforts to resolve it, definitely include those. The whole process took about 6-8 weeks for me to get a decision. Even though it's stressful, the Board really does look at cases with fresh eyes. My referee decision got overturned because they found my employer didn't follow their progressive discipline policy properly. Keep your hopes up but prepare for both outcomes!

My BYE date was in January and let me tell you about the headache I went through... Filed my last week no problem, but then my new application got stuck in review for 6 WEEKS because they said they needed to verify my identity again even though nothing had changed. Make sure you have all your ID documents ready if you need to file a new claim! They wanted my SS card, birth certificate, driver's license, AND a utility bill all over again.

Just to follow up on this thread: the process for filing after your BYE date has actually improved recently. The PA UC system was updated in February 2025 to better handle these transition weeks. You should see a message when you log in acknowledging that you're filing for a week within your benefit year but after your BYE date. This is perfectly normal. Also, if you need to file a new application, there's now a streamlined process that carries over much of your information from your previous claim. It's still not perfect, but it's better than it was last year.

One thing to check - did you possibly list these old agencies on your initial application? Sometimes people list all their jobs from the past couple years, not realizing UC only needs the ones from your base year. If you included them, UC has to verify them even if they're not actually relevant to your current claim. Might be worth calling to clarify if these older employers are even part of your base year calculation.

I've been dealing with Pennsylvania UC for years and "disposition mismatch" is actually pretty common in healthcare, especially with agency work. The system automatically flags ANY discrepancy between what you reported and what employers submit - even if it's something minor like different wording for the same situation. Here's what probably happened: You listed those agencies when filing (which is normal since people aren't sure what to include), so UC has to investigate them even if they're not in your base year. The agencies might have reported you as "end of assignment" while you put "lack of work" or vice versa. Keep filing weekly! I can't stress this enough. Even if it takes 6-8 weeks to resolve, you'll get backpay for every week you certified. And honestly, most of these mismatch cases resolve in the claimant's favor once UC actually investigates instead of just going with whatever the employer initially reported.

One last piece of advice - when you eventually get your Notice of Determination, read it VERY carefully. If denied, the specific reason they cite for denial will be crucial for your appeal strategy. For example, if they deny because "employee knowingly violated established policy" your appeal would focus on proving either you didn't know about the policy OR that the policy wasn't consistently enforced. If they cite "theft of company property" you'd focus on proving the items weren't considered valuable inventory. The most successful appeals are the ones that directly address the specific reason given in the determination, rather than trying to make general character arguments.

I've been following unemployment cases in PA for a while, and your situation actually has some promising elements. The 5-month delay between incident and termination is really significant - PA UC looks at whether the employer's response was proportional and timely. If they truly considered it serious misconduct, why wait until someone reported it months later? Also, the fact that you had a positive performance review in January (after the November incident) suggests your employer didn't view it as misconduct at the time. This could be strong evidence that the termination was more about workplace politics than actual policy violation. Keep documenting everything - the timeline, your positive review, any evidence about similar incidents being handled differently, and especially anything showing the promotional items were considered disposable. Your case isn't as hopeless as some people are suggesting. I've seen similar cases get approved, especially when there's evidence the employer's response was delayed and disproportionate.

Just to add some clarity: Pennsylvania follows the "ABC Test" for determining employment status. For you to be considered an independent contractor, PA UC needs to establish that: A) You are free from control and direction B) Your service is performed outside the usual course of business of the company C) You are customarily engaged in an independently established trade or profession Based on your description of the writing work (creative freedom, project-based, no formal evaluation), you likely meet criterion A. If the company's main business IS publishing/content creation, you might fail criterion B. For criterion C, they'll look at whether you market your services to others, have your own business identity, etc. Make sure your answers are truthful but framed in a way that accurately represents the independent nature of your relationship with this client. The examiner's questions were trying to fit complex working arrangements into rigid yes/no categories.

Based on what you've shared, it sounds like you have a strong case for independent contractor status. The fact that the business coaching company uses your writing as supplemental content (not their core business) and that you've worked with other clients should help with the ABC test criteria that Miguel mentioned. One thing I'd add - when they review your case, make sure they understand that your freelance work doesn't interfere with your job search availability. Keep documenting your job applications and be ready to show you're actively seeking full-time employment. Sometimes UC gets concerned that people with side gigs aren't truly "available" for work. Also, don't panic about the tax department review - that's actually pretty standard when there are multiple income sources. They just need to verify everything adds up correctly. The process is slow and frustrating, but most people with legitimate part-time/freelance work do get approved eventually.