Thanks everyone for all this advice. I contacted HR today and they confirmed they're processing my termination for "job abandonment" despite all my documentation showing I followed procedure. I'm going to file for UC tomorrow morning. I'm really nervous about the whole process but feeling better equipped with all your advice.

I'm so sorry you're going through this - it's incredibly stressful to deal with job termination while you're already recovering from surgery. Based on everything you've shared, you definitely have a strong case for unemployment benefits. The fact that you have text messages with your previous supervisor and doctor's notes proving you followed proper procedure is huge in your favor. One thing I'd add to the great advice already given: when you file your claim tomorrow, make sure to upload copies of all your documentation right away if the system allows it. Sometimes having everything in your file from the beginning can speed up the process. Also, keep detailed notes of every conversation you have with your employer from this point forward - dates, times, who you spoke with, and what was said. You mentioned feeling nervous, but remember that you did everything right here. This situation is entirely on your employer for not having proper communication between supervisors about approved medical leave. Stay strong and don't let them intimidate you!

After 2 weeks with no update on my UC claim I finally got through to a rep yesterday. Apparently my employer is contesting it (no surprise) but the agent said with my documentation I should be fine. Just a waiting game now!

I was in a similar situation with my union job at a steel plant. Got fired for "excessive tardiness" - was late 4 times in 6 weeks due to childcare issues. The union didn't fight for me during the termination but here's what saved me: I kept detailed records of every time I notified my supervisor AND I had the union contract which stated employees get progressive discipline (verbal warning, written warning, then termination). They skipped the written warning step completely! PA UC approved me because the employer didn't follow their own disciplinary procedures. Make sure you get a copy of your union contract and check if they followed all the steps. Also, being 10 minutes late with documented car trouble is NOT willful misconduct - you communicated proactively each time. That shows good faith effort to get to work. You should be fine!

I'm in week 2 of my PA UC claim and this discussion has been incredibly eye-opening! I was doing the exact same thing as everyone else - applying for jobs but constantly second-guessing whether I was meeting the "work search activities" requirement properly. The PA system really does a terrible job explaining this basic concept. I've been submitting 2-3 applications weekly and sporadically saving confirmation emails, but reading about all these audit experiences has convinced me I need to get way more organized with documentation. The spreadsheet approach that so many people have shared sounds like exactly what I need to implement. One thing I'm curious about - for those who've been through this process longer, do you find that certain types of applications (company websites vs job boards like Indeed) are better from a documentation standpoint? I've been applying through various channels but wondering if some provide clearer confirmation trails than others in case I ever need to prove my activities during an audit. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed experiences - this thread contains more useful information than I could find anywhere on the official PA UC website!

Great question about different application channels! From my experience over the past year, company websites tend to provide the clearest documentation trail. Most send detailed confirmation emails with application numbers and job details, plus many have candidate portals where you can log back in to see your application history. Job boards like Indeed and ZipRecruiter are fine too, but as others mentioned, you definitely want to screenshot those in-app confirmations since the email notifications can be pretty basic. LinkedIn actually does a good job with confirmation emails and has a great "Applied Jobs" section you can reference later. One tip: regardless of where you apply, I always copy the job posting URL and save it in my spreadsheet along with everything else. Takes 2 seconds but gives you that extra layer of documentation showing the position actually existed when you applied. The most important thing is being consistent with whatever channels you use. I mix company websites, Indeed, and LinkedIn depending on where I find the best opportunities, but I document everything the same way. As long as you can prove you applied for legitimate positions with dates and details, the specific platform doesn't matter much for audit purposes.

I'm currently going through this exact same situation! Filed my first weekly certification on Monday and it's been showing "In Progress" since Tuesday morning. Reading through this entire thread has been such a lifesaver - I was starting to panic thinking I had messed something up with my claim. It's incredibly reassuring to see William's update that his payment processed normally after 3 business days, and how consistent everyone's timeline seems to be. The fact that "In Progress" actually means your certification was accepted and is just moving through the payment queue is so helpful to know - I was worried it meant there was some hidden issue. I also chose direct deposit, so I'm hoping that helps speed things up once it processes. This community has been amazing for helping newcomers like me understand what's normal vs. what's actually cause for concern. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it really helps knowing we're not alone in this waiting game!

I just went through this exact same thing about 3 weeks ago! Filed my first weekly certification on a Wednesday and saw "In Progress" for what felt like forever but was actually just 3 business days. I was so nervous because I had never been on unemployment before and had no idea what to expect. What really helped me was realizing that "In Progress" means your certification was successfully submitted and accepted - you're just waiting for the payment system to process it. If there were actual problems with your claim, you'd typically see error messages or notifications about issues that need to be resolved. Mine updated to show a payment date on the following Monday, and I had the money in my direct deposit account by Wednesday. Since you mentioned your claim is already approved and you don't have any open issues, you should definitely be fine! The first payment always takes longer than subsequent ones because the system has to set up all your payment information initially. Hang in there - based on everyone's experiences here, you should see movement in your status within the next day or two!

This thread has been so incredibly helpful! As someone who's been stressing about this exact situation for weeks, I can't thank everyone enough for sharing their experiences and practical advice. I wanted to add one thing that might help others - I just discovered that PA UC has a "Virtual Assistant" chat feature on their website that's separate from the regular customer service chat. It's not a real person, but it was actually able to point me to the UC-1487 form and some specific guidance about sideline businesses that I hadn't found before. It's under the "Get Help" section if anyone wants to try it. Also, for anyone else dealing with AirBnB income specifically - I found that Airbnb's "Transaction History" download gives you a really clean record of all payments and fees that makes calculating weekly net income much easier than trying to piece it together from bank statements. Going to submit my UC-1487 form tomorrow with all the documentation everyone recommended. Fingers crossed for a quick determination! Will definitely update this thread once I hear back - this community has been a lifesaver during such a stressful time.

Wow, this entire thread has been absolutely invaluable! I'm in almost the exact same situation with my small AirBnB property - lost my marketing job 4 weeks ago and have been completely confused about how to report the rental income properly. The certification screens changing week to week has been driving me insane too! I had no idea about the UC-1487 form or the sideline business exclusion. I've been reporting my AirBnB income inconsistently because I kept getting different information from different sources. This thread has given me such a clear action plan: 1. Download and submit UC-1487 with documentation showing my 18-month AirBnB history before unemployment 2. Continue certifying weekly while waiting for determination 3. Use net income calculations consistently 4. Try the Claimyr service to actually speak with someone 5. Ask specifically for the Adjudication Unit when I call The tip about the Virtual Assistant chat and using AirBnB's Transaction History download are game-changers. I've been struggling with the weekly income calculations, but that should make everything much cleaner. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences so openly - knowing that others have successfully navigated this process and even received retroactive payments after determination gives me so much hope. I was honestly losing sleep over potentially getting hit with a huge overpayment down the road. Going to get my documentation together this weekend and submit everything Monday. Will definitely update with my experience!