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!

i think it also depends on how much ur severance was? my cousin got like 6 months severance from his company and he couldnt get UC until that was all used up but if its just 1 week maybe its different idk the rules are weird

Just went through this exact same thing 2 months ago! Definitely upload BOTH stubs. I made the mistake of only uploading my regular final paycheck at first and got a message back asking specifically for "all separation payments including severance." Had to resubmit and it delayed everything by like 3 weeks. The system flags incomplete documentation automatically when they cross-check with what your employer reported. Save yourself the headache and just include everything from the start - regular pay stub, severance stub, any unused PTO payments, everything. They'd rather see too much than too little!

Good news! Just got the determination letter today and I was APPROVED! The UC examiner said my employer didn't provide sufficient evidence that I committed willful misconduct. They said performance issues without proper documentation and warnings don't constitute misconduct under PA law. Thank you everyone for your help and support through this stressful process! First payment should arrive next week.

Congratulations! This is such a relief to read. Your case gives me hope since my situation sounds almost identical. I'm still waiting for my determination letter after my employer contested my claim with similar vague accusations. It's reassuring to know that PA UC actually does look for real evidence of misconduct rather than just taking the employer's word for it. Thanks for sharing the positive outcome!

UPDATE: You guys were right! Decision came through this morning (Tuesday) and I was APPROVED! Payments are now listed as "in progress" - feeling so relieved right now. Thanks for helping me not freak out too much while waiting.

Congratulations Julian! This is such great news and hopefully gives others hope who are in similar situations. It's really encouraging to see that when PA UC examiners give specific dates like they did with you, they actually follow through. Your story is going to help a lot of people who are stressed about waiting for decisions. Glad you can finally breathe easy and get caught up on your bills!

UPDATE: I used Claimyr this morning and actually got through to PA UC in about 25 minutes! The agent was really helpful - turns out a company I interviewed with last month accidentally reported me as hired when they meant to report another candidate. The agent put a note on my account and is sending the issue to a supervisor who will review and fix it. She said I should keep filing my weekly claims and should see the issue resolved within 7-10 business days. Such a relief! Thanks everyone for your help!!

So glad you got this sorted out! This is exactly why I always recommend people file appeals right away and use services like Claimyr to actually reach someone at UC. The phone system is basically useless otherwise. Your story will definitely help other people who run into the same issue - it's scary how common these employer reporting mistakes seem to be. Hope your benefits get restored quickly!