I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Just got my "denied but modified" determination yesterday and was completely confused by the wording. Reading through everyone's responses here has been such a relief - I was worried I'd lost all my benefits permanently. It's frustrating that PA UC makes these letters so confusing when people are already stressed about their financial situation. The fact that we all have to come to forums like this just to understand what our own government is telling us shows how broken their communication system is. @GalacticGuru I'm in the same boat as you - missed the initial CareerLink deadline but registered as soon as I realized. Based on what everyone's saying, we should both get paid for the weeks after we registered. I'm going to keep checking my portal daily and will definitely follow up if I don't see payment within a week or two. Thanks for posting this question - you've helped more people than just yourself!

I just wanted to jump in and say thank you to everyone who shared their experiences here! I'm dealing with a CareerLink registration issue myself and was completely panicking when I got my determination letter. The language they use is so unnecessarily complicated - like they're trying to confuse us on purpose. Reading through all these responses has given me so much hope. It sounds like as long as you register with CareerLink (even if it's late), you can start getting benefits again for the weeks after registration. The "denied but modified" wording makes so much more sense now that everyone has explained it. @GalacticGuru - I really hope you get your payment for that second week soon! Based on what everyone is saying, it should definitely come through. And thank you for asking this question - you've helped so many of us who are dealing with the same confusing situation. It's crazy that we have to rely on community forums to understand what our own state government is telling us, but at least we're all figuring it out together! I'm going to keep filing my weekly claims and checking my portal religiously. Fingers crossed we all get our payments processed quickly!

One more thing - if you lose the hearing, you can appeal to the UC Board of Review. You'll have 15 days from the date on the decision letter. I had to do this and eventually won at that level. Just something to keep in mind as a backup plan, but focus on winning this hearing first!

I went through a similar situation about 6 months ago - employer showed up with their lawyer and everything! But I still won because I had solid documentation. Here's what really helped me: I organized all my evidence chronologically and made a simple timeline showing what actually happened vs. what they claimed. The safety complaint angle could definitely work in your favor - in PA, if they can't prove the misconduct happened BEFORE you made those complaints, it looks like retaliation. Make sure you have dates on everything. Also, don't let them intimidate you if they bring multiple people. I was terrified when my former manager showed up with HR and their attorney, but the referee kept everything fair and focused on facts. You got this! The emails about planned layoffs are going to be your strongest evidence.

UPDATE: Just finished my hearing and I think it went well! The referee was actually pretty nice and seemed to understand my situation. It only took about 25 minutes. I explained my work search activities in detail and she seemed satisfied with my evidence. She said I should receive a decision in 7-10 days. Fingers crossed! Thank you all for the advice - it really helped calm my nerves.

Glad to hear your hearing went well! That's such a relief after all the stress you've been through. The fact that the referee seemed satisfied with your evidence is definitely a positive sign. I went through something similar last year and when the referee was engaged and asking detailed questions about my job search (rather than seeming dismissive), I knew it was going in the right direction. The 7-10 day wait is tough but try to stay optimistic. Make sure to keep filing your weekly claims like others mentioned - that's crucial even while waiting for the appeal decision. Also, if by chance you don't hear anything after 10 business days, don't panic. Sometimes it takes a bit longer but that doesn't mean it's bad news. Really hoping you get that favorable decision and backpay soon. You've been through enough stress these past 14 weeks. Keep us posted when you hear back!

One additional point to consider: if you file a new claim after this one ends, make absolutely sure during the application process that you clearly indicate you no longer have any self-employment income. The PA UC system sometimes carries over information from previous claims, and you don't want this $74/week assumption to continue into your next benefit year. When you get to the income reporting section, explicitly state that the business ended and provide an approximate end date.

I had something similar happen but with a different twist - PA UC kept assuming I was still getting income from a freelance writing gig that had dried up months earlier. The frustrating part is they never actually asked me to verify if I was still earning that money, they just kept it in the system. In my case, I did end up filing the appeal (Request for Reconsideration) because I was worried it might mess up my tax documents or cause issues later. It took about 6 weeks to resolve, but they did eventually remove the phantom income from my records. The process wasn't too bad - I just had to write a letter explaining when the work ended and why I was no longer earning that income. Since you're so close to the end of your benefit year, you could honestly go either way. But if you have the energy for it, getting your records cleaned up might give you peace of mind for the future.

This is exactly the kind of situation that shows how confusing the PA UC system can be! I'm glad you got confirmation from a rep that your employer missed their window. It's frustrating that employers think they can just show up at any hearing and contest whatever they want, but at least the appeal deadlines are enforced pretty consistently. If your backdate gets approved and your employer does try to appeal those specific weeks, don't stress too much about it. You'll have already proven you were eligible for the original claim period, so the burden would be on them to show why the backdated weeks should be different. Just keep all your documentation from the backdate hearing in case you need it again. Congrats on what sounds like a successful hearing! Fingers crossed you get good news on the backdate decision.

So glad you got this resolved! Your experience is a perfect example of why it's so important to know your rights in the UC system. Employers often try intimidation tactics or attempt to exploit any opening they can find, especially when they realize they missed their initial opportunity to contest a claim. The fact that your employer showed up at a backdate hearing trying to contest your entire claim shows they either don't understand the process or were hoping to confuse the situation. Good on the referee for keeping things on track and explaining that separate issues require separate appeals. This is also a great reminder for anyone reading - always document everything and know your timelines. Employers have the same deadlines we do, and the system does enforce them (when it works properly). Hope your backdate decision comes back positive!