UPDATE: Finally got through to someone at UC this morning! Used that Claimyr service someone mentioned above and got connected in about 30 minutes. The agent explained that my employer coded my separation as "lack of work" but I had selected "laid off" on my application. She fixed it while I was on the phone and said my payments should start processing within 48 hours. Such a relief! Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions.

Wow, what a journey! So glad you got it resolved @Harper Collins. Your experience really shows how important it is to actually speak with someone - these separation coding issues seem pretty common but the system doesn't make it clear what's wrong or how to fix it. For anyone else dealing with similar issues, it sounds like the key is persistence in getting through to a real person who can actually see what's causing the hold-up. Four weeks of stress for what turned out to be a 5-minute fix is ridiculous, but at least you'll be getting all those back payments soon!

After reading through all the comments, I wanted to mention that when my hearing was finally scheduled, it was by telephone due to the backlog. Make sure your phone number is correct in the system, and be prepared to answer when they call - even if it shows as an unknown or blocked number. They're very strict about being available at the scheduled time, and if you miss the call, it can further delay your case.

I'm in the exact same boat - filed my appeal in December after being wrongfully denied (employer falsely claimed misconduct) and it's been radio silence since then. The stress is unreal, especially with rent and utilities piling up. One thing I learned from calling around is that you can also try reaching out to your local legal aid society - some offer free help with UC appeals and can sometimes get better responses from the system than we can as individuals. Also, if you have any coworkers who witnessed your layoff or have knowledge of the circumstances, start getting their contact info now in case you need them as witnesses for your hearing. Hang in there - from what everyone's saying it sounds like 4+ months is unfortunately the new normal, but at least there's light at the end of the tunnel!

Just tried and its working now!! Just filed my weeks!

I've been dealing with this exact same issue! Started getting the 503 error on Monday when trying to file my weekly certification. What's really frustrating is that there's no clear communication from PA UC about these outages - I had to find out about the maintenance from this thread. For anyone still having problems, I found that using an incognito/private browsing window sometimes helps, and definitely try the direct link Omar shared. Also, if you're still stuck, document the error messages with screenshots in case you need to prove you tried to file on time. The system really needs better error handling and user communication!

glad u got it figured out! make sure u activate the new card right away cuz sometimes they lock it if u dont do it fast enough

This is such a relief to see you got it sorted out! The Money Network card expiration issue catches SO many people off guard. I went through something similar last year and spent weeks thinking it was a UC processing problem when it was actually just my card. For anyone else reading this thread - definitely save that Money Network number (888-233-5916) in your phone. Their customer service is actually pretty good compared to trying to reach UC directly. And like Romeo said, activate that new card ASAP when it arrives! Hope your rent stress is resolved now that you know the payment is actually there waiting for you!

o yeah i forgot to mention when i had my hearing the employer didnt even have any proof of the misconduct they claimed. the ref asked them for documentation and they just had like one writeup from months b4 i was fired that had nothing to do with why they fired me. if ur employer is lying they probably dont have good records to back it up

I'm going through this exact same situation right now! Filed my appeal about 2 weeks ago and still waiting to hear back. Reading all these responses is both helpful and terrifying - some people waited 3 weeks, others waited 11 weeks?! One thing I'm wondering about - should I be gathering character references from coworkers who can vouch that I wasn't fired for misconduct? Or is that overkill? I have a few former colleagues who would be willing to write statements or even testify if needed. Also, has anyone had success reaching out to their state representative's office for help with UC issues? I heard they sometimes have staff who can help expedite things or at least get answers when you can't reach anyone directly. The stress of potentially owing thousands back is really getting to me, especially since I know I did nothing wrong. Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences - it helps to know I'm not alone in this mess!