This is such a frustrating situation and unfortunately way too common with school districts! I'm a former school secretary and saw this happen to substitutes all the time. The reasonable assurance letter is supposed to guarantee you have a position, but when they start requiring NEW interviews and then ghost you, they've basically broken that assurance. You definitely qualify for UC in this situation. The fact that they asked you to interview shows they didn't consider your position guaranteed from the letter alone. Then their failure to follow through on the interview process and complete lack of communication shows they haven't maintained reasonable assurance. File immediately and be sure to emphasize that YOU were ready and willing to work, but THEY failed to provide you with the promised employment opportunity. Save every email, text, and document any phone calls you made trying to get answers. PA UC will likely contact the school district, and when they can't provide evidence that they maintained reasonable assurance, you should be approved. Don't let them leave you hanging without income because of their poor communication and disorganized hiring process!

I'm going through almost the exact same thing right now! I was a substitute teacher last year and got the reasonable assurance letter in June. They scheduled me for an interview in early August, then called the day before to postpone it "indefinitely." I've called HR three times since then and keep getting told someone will call me back, but nobody ever does. School starts next week and I still don't know if I have a job! Reading through all these responses is giving me hope that I might actually qualify for UC despite the letter. I was so worried that having that letter meant I was automatically disqualified no matter what happened after. It sounds like their failure to follow through on the hiring process and complete lack of communication basically invalidates the reasonable assurance they originally gave us. I'm definitely going to file tomorrow and document everything - all the unreturned calls, the postponed interview, the whole mess. It's crazy that school districts can just leave people hanging like this with no consequences. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and advice!

Just wanted to add that you should also keep records of your original work schedule and the documentation showing your hours were reduced. PA UC sometimes asks for proof that the reduction wasn't voluntary on your part. I'd recommend getting something in writing from your supervisor or HR about the temporary hour cut - even just an email confirming the change. This can be really helpful if any questions come up during your claim review. Also, when you do your weekly certifications, be consistent with how you calculate and report your weekly earnings from that biweekly pay. Good luck with your application!

One thing I wanted to mention that I don't think anyone covered yet - when you're reporting your biweekly earnings, make sure you report them for the week you actually WORKED, not the week you got paid. This tripped me up when I first started filing partial claims. So if you work Week 1 and Week 2, but don't get your paycheck until Week 3, you still report those earnings for Week 1 and Week 2 when you file your weekly certifications. The pay date doesn't matter - it's all about when you performed the work. This is especially important with biweekly pay since there's often a delay between when you work and when you get paid. Also, definitely apply ASAP once your hours get cut. You can't get benefits for weeks before you file your initial claim, so don't wait thinking you might not need it. Even if your situation improves, you can always stop filing weekly claims later.

I'm so glad I found this thread! I just got my RESEA notification yesterday and immediately started panicking about whether I was doing everything correctly. Like many of you, I've been exclusively using CareerLink to track my job search activities and had never heard of this UC-304 form before. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly reassuring - it sounds like CareerLink is actually the better system to use anyway since it's all integrated electronically. I've been documenting 3-4 job applications per week plus attending virtual workshops, so hopefully I'm in good shape. It's amazing how much clearer everything becomes when you hear from people who have actually been through the process rather than trying to decipher the official website. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and helping newcomers like me feel less anxious about this whole thing!

I've been following this thread as someone who went through RESEA about 6 months ago, and I just want to echo what everyone else has said - you're absolutely on the right track with CareerLink! I was in the exact same situation, confused about forms and worried I was doing something wrong. My RESEA coordinator actually told me that CareerLink is their preferred system now because it automatically syncs with your unemployment claim and makes everything easier for both you and them to track. She said the UC-304 is basically a legacy form that some older materials still reference, but it's not necessary if you're using CareerLink properly. One tip I'd add - make sure you're entering detailed descriptions for each job search activity in CareerLink, not just "applied for job." Write something like "applied for Customer Service Representative position at ABC Company via Indeed" or "attended virtual resume workshop hosted by PA CareerLink Pittsburgh." The more specific you are, the better it looks during your review. You're clearly being proactive about this whole process, so I'm sure your appointment will go smoothly!

UPDATE: I finally got through to someone at UC this morning! Used the Claimyr service that someone recommended here and it worked pretty well. The agent explained that my employer didn't contest anything - it was actually a system flag because my last day of work on my initial application was different from what my employer reported (off by one day). The agent corrected it immediately and removed the hold. I can file my weekly claim tomorrow! So relieved this got resolved quickly.

So glad you got this resolved quickly! This is a perfect example of why these system holds can be really misleading - it made it seem like a major issue when it was just a one-day discrepancy. Your experience will definitely help others who run into similar problems. The PA UC system really needs better error messages to explain what's actually going on instead of just giving scary dates like September 15th with no context.

To answer your question about timing - the Board of Review typically takes 4-8 weeks to make a decision, though it can sometimes take longer during busy periods. The good news is that the Board reviews the entire case fresh - they listen to the recording of your referee hearing and review all evidence. In my experience helping claimants with appeals, the Board is often more thorough than individual referees and more likely to properly apply the legal standards regarding good cause for voluntary quits. Just be sure to file your appeal within the 15-day deadline, continue certifying weekly, and gather any additional supporting documentation you can.

Don't lose hope - your case actually sounds very strong for the Board of Review! A 41% pay cut is absolutely substantial and should qualify as good cause under PA law. I went through something similar where the referee seemed to have made up their mind before I even spoke. The Board of Review is usually much more thorough and actually reads all the evidence. Make sure when you write your appeal that you lead with the facts: hired at $17/hr, employer unilaterally cut to $10/hr after 5 weeks (41% reduction), you objected based on financial necessity, employer told you to leave. That's constructive dismissal, not voluntary quit. Also document that similar positions in your area pay around $18/hr (like your previous job) to show the $10 rate was unreasonable. You've got this!