I've been lurking in this community for a while as a new small business owner and finally decided to jump in because this hits so close to home! I'm dealing with almost the exact same situation at my coffee shop. I hired three part-timers specifically for weekend morning rushes, made it crystal clear during interviews that Saturday/Sunday availability was non-negotiable, and now two of them are saying they can't work weekends anymore because of "lifestyle changes." It's incredibly frustrating because I'm scrambling to cover shifts that were supposed to be reliably staffed. After reading all these responses, I realize I made the same mistake many of us small business owners make - not having written policies in place from the start. I'm definitely going to implement a formal availability policy ASAP. One question though - for those who've been through UC hearings, do the representatives actually understand the challenges small businesses face, or do they tend to side with employees regardless of the circumstances? I'm worried about getting hit with UC claims when I eventually have to let these people go.

I'm a new member here and going through this exact same nightmare with my auto repair shop! I hired a mechanic who said he could work any shift, then three weeks later tells me he can't do evenings anymore because he wants to "spend time with family." Meanwhile, I'm stuck with no coverage for my evening appointments and customers are getting angry. What really gets me is that during the interview, I specifically asked about evening availability and he said it was "no problem at all." Now I'm reading all these responses and realizing I don't have any written policies either - just verbal agreements. This is such a valuable thread for small business owners like us who are learning the hard way. I'm definitely implementing a written availability policy this week and requiring all schedule change requests in writing with proper justification. Has anyone here successfully challenged a UC claim based on availability issues, or do most small businesses just end up paying regardless?

Congratulations on finally getting approved, Jeff! That's a huge relief after 7 weeks of waiting. For Huntington Bank, deposits typically hit between 12:01 AM and 3:00 AM on the day they're processed, but it can sometimes take until later in the morning (around 6-9 AM). Since it was processed early Monday morning, there's a good chance you'll see it today. You can also check your UC dashboard to see if the payment status has updated to "paid" which usually means it's on its way to your account. Keep us posted on when it comes through - and great job keeping all those emails as documentation!

I went through something very similar when I was laid off from my retail job in 2023. My claim was stuck in review for 7 weeks even though I had all my paperwork in order. What finally helped was filing a complaint with the PA Department of Labor & Industry's customer service department (separate from the UC phone line). You can do this online through their website. Within 3 days of filing the complaint, I got a call from a UC supervisor who was able to see that my former employer had never responded to their separation inquiry. They expedited my case and I had my benefits approved within the week. It's worth trying if you've been waiting this long - the complaint process forces them to actually look at your file instead of just letting it sit in the queue.

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now - filed in early February and still stuck in review after 6 weeks! It's so frustrating because like you, I have all my documentation submitted and have been doing everything required. The financial stress is really getting to me too. One thing I learned from calling repeatedly is that they're apparently severely understaffed and have a huge backlog from the holidays. The representative I finally spoke to said termination cases are taking 6-8 weeks minimum because they have to verify everything with the employer first. She assured me that as long as I keep filing my weekly claims, I'll get all the back pay once it's approved. I know that doesn't help with immediate bills, but at least there's light at the end of the tunnel. Hang in there!

That's exactly what I need! Thank you again. This whole system is so frustrating but at least there's a way to actually talk to someone who can help.

I'm dealing with the exact same issue right now! Been waiting 8 days for a response about my benefit calculation and getting really worried about making rent. The automated response said 48 hours but clearly that's not happening. Reading through these comments, it sounds like calling is the only real option even though it's nearly impossible to get through. Has anyone found specific times of day that work better for calling? I've tried mornings and afternoons with no luck. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences here - at least I know I'm not alone in this mess.

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!