This has been such an incredibly helpful thread to read through! I'm in a similar situation - work in concrete and always get laid off during the slow winter months. I've been putting off dealing with my UC claim because I was dreading the whole process, but after reading everyone's experiences here, I feel so much more confident about what I need to do. The consensus is crystal clear: reopen first, then file weekly certifications. I love all the practical tips everyone shared - especially keeping the FEIN number saved, taking screenshots of confirmations, and having that conversation with your employer ahead of time about the separation paperwork. Emma, thank you for asking this question! You probably helped dozens of people who were in the same boat but didn't know where to turn. This is exactly the kind of community support that makes dealing with these government systems so much less stressful. I'm bookmarking this whole discussion for future reference!

Just wanted to add my voice to this fantastic thread! I'm in seasonal roofing and have been through the PA UC reopening process several times over the past few years. Emma, you absolutely did the right thing by asking here first - I wish I had known about this community when I was figuring things out on my own. One additional tip I haven't seen mentioned: if you're on mobile when doing the reopening process, I'd recommend switching to a desktop or laptop if possible. I've had the mobile site glitch out on me before during important steps, and having to start over was frustrating. The desktop version seems much more stable. Also, for anyone reading this who might be new to seasonal unemployment - don't feel embarrassed about being laid off regularly if you work in weather-dependent trades. It's just part of how these industries work, and the UC system is designed to handle exactly these situations. This thread proves there's a whole community of us going through the same cycle! Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences here. This kind of peer-to-peer knowledge sharing is invaluable when dealing with complex government systems.

I'm so grateful I found this thread! I just filed my first weekly certification this morning and was already starting to panic when I saw "In Progress" appear on my dashboard this afternoon. I thought maybe the system processed things instantly and something was wrong when I didn't see an actual payment date right away. Reading through William's original question and everyone's responses has been incredibly reassuring. It's clear that "In Progress" is just part of the normal process, especially for first payments. The timeline everyone's describing (2-4 business days to show a payment date, then 1-2 more days for the money to hit your account) actually makes total sense when you think about it - there's a lot of processing that has to happen behind the scenes. I also chose direct deposit, so I'm hoping that'll help speed things up once the payment processes. This community has been such a valuable resource for understanding what to expect. Thanks to everyone who took the time to share their experiences - it really helps us newcomers feel less anxious about the whole process!

Just want to add my experience to help reassure anyone else going through this! I was in the exact same situation about 2 months ago - first time filing, saw "In Progress" and immediately started panicking that I had messed something up. What I learned is that "In Progress" basically means your weekly certification was successfully submitted and approved, and now you're just waiting for the payment system to catch up. Think of it like when you order something online - your order is confirmed and being processed, but it takes a few business days to actually ship. My first payment took exactly 4 business days to go from "In Progress" to showing an actual payment date, then the money hit my direct deposit account the very next day. Every payment since then has been much faster - usually 1-2 business days max. The waiting is definitely stressful when you have bills coming up, but based on everything I've seen in this community, if your claim is approved and you don't have any open issues (which William confirmed he doesn't), the "In Progress" status resolves normally 99% of the time. You're doing everything right - just hang tight!

I had my PA UC appeal hearing about 3 months ago and wanted to share some encouragement! My employer did show up (their manager and HR rep), but honestly, it wasn't as scary as I built it up to be in my head. The referee was professional and gave both sides equal time to present their case. Your situation sounds very similar to mine - I was terminated for what they claimed was a policy violation, but they had never given me any warnings or documentation about it being an issue. During the hearing, the referee kept pressing them on why they jumped straight to termination without following progressive discipline. They couldn't give a good answer. The fact that you have documentation showing no prior warnings is going to be your strongest asset. Make copies of everything and have it organized by date. Also, be ready to speak about your 3 years of perfect attendance - that shows you were a reliable, conscientious employee, which makes their claim of willful misconduct much harder to prove. One practical tip: when they're speaking, jot down any claims they make that you disagree with, but don't interrupt. When it's your turn, you can address each point methodically. The referee will appreciate your professionalism. You're doing all the right things to prepare. With your clean record and their lack of progressive discipline, you have a really solid case. Try not to stress too much - you've got this!

I just had my PA UC appeal hearing last week and wanted to share my experience while it's still fresh! My employer definitely showed up - it was my former supervisor plus someone from their legal department. The whole thing lasted about 90 minutes. Here's what really stood out to me: the referee spent a LOT of time asking about their progressive discipline policy and why they didn't follow it. Your case sounds incredibly strong - a 5-minute lunch extension after 3 years of perfect attendance with zero warnings? That's exactly the kind of situation where referees question whether the employer was looking for an excuse to terminate. A few things that helped me: I had my timeline written out with specific dates, I stayed calm even when they made claims I disagreed with, and I asked them direct questions about their policies when it was my turn (like "Can you show me where in the employee handbook it specifies exact lunch timing?" or "What progressive discipline steps did you take before termination?"). The referee seemed really focused on whether the policy was clearly communicated and consistently enforced. If you know of coworkers who regularly took longer breaks without consequences, that inconsistent enforcement could be huge for your case. One last tip - bring up your 3-year perfect attendance record early and often. It shows you were a model employee, which makes their willful misconduct claim much harder to prove. You're going to do great - your case honestly sounds like a slam dunk to me!

I'm dealing with the exact same situation right now! Filed my transitional claim about a week ago and it's been stuck on "under review" status. Like you, I was on UC last year, worked for several months, and now I'm filing again after being laid off. Reading through all these responses is giving me hope that this is just the normal process for transitional claims. It's so stressful when you need the benefits to cover basic expenses like rent and groceries. I've been checking my portal multiple times a day looking for any updates or messages requiring action from me. Thanks for posting this question - it's really helpful to see I'm not the only one going through this right now. Sounds like we just need to be patient for another week or so based on what others are saying about the 10-14 day timeframe.

I'm going through this exact same situation right now! Filed my transitional claim 8 days ago and it's been "under review" the whole time. Like many of you, I was on unemployment last year, worked for about 10 months, and now I'm back to filing again after my position was eliminated. The anxiety is real when you're waiting for benefits to come through - especially with rent due next week. But reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly reassuring. It sounds like the 10-14 day review period is completely normal for transitional claims, and most people seem to get approved without major issues as long as they worked enough between claims. @Javier Morales thanks for posting this question! It's so helpful to see others going through the same process. I'll try to be more patient and stop obsessively checking my portal every few hours. Going to keep filing my weekly certifications and hope for good news soon.

I'm currently going through this exact same situation! Just switched to paper checks 4 days ago after my bank account got compromised and had to be closed. My payment shows "issued" since Wednesday but still nothing in the mail. This thread has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea that 7-10 business days was normal for the first check after switching from direct deposit! The tip about there being a 3-4 day delay between "payment issued" status and actually mailing the check is eye-opening. That explains why the timing feels so unpredictable and stressful. I'm definitely signing up for USPS Informed Delivery today based on everyone's recommendations - seems like a simple way to at least know what's coming each day instead of just wondering. Also planning to call PA UC tomorrow to verify they have my current address since I moved about 8 months ago. Better safe than sorry with address discrepancies potentially causing even more delays. Once this first paper check finally arrives, I'm absolutely switching to the Money Network card - sounds like that's the unanimous recommendation here for faster, more reliable payments. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences - it really helps to know this frustrating wait is totally normal!

I'm dealing with the exact same situation right now! Just switched to paper checks 5 days ago after my bank flagged my account for suspicious activity. My payment shows "issued" from Monday but still no check in the mail. Reading through all these responses has been both stressful and reassuring - it sounds like 7-10 business days for the first check after switching is unfortunately pretty standard. I'm definitely going to sign up for USPS Informed Delivery today based on all the recommendations here. That seems like such a simple way to at least know what mail is coming instead of obsessively checking an empty mailbox every day. Also planning to call PA UC tomorrow to verify they have my current address since I moved about 6 months ago and want to make sure there's no mix-up causing extra delays. The information about that 3-4 day delay between "payment issued" and actually mailing really explains why the timing feels so unpredictable. It's frustrating when bills are due, but at least now I know this wait is normal and not a sign that something went wrong. Definitely switching to the Money Network card once this first paper check ordeal is over - sounds like everyone agrees it's much more reliable!