Pennsylvania Unemployment
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PA UC claim stuck in 'Under Review' for 2 months - almost evicted, need urgent help
I'm seriously panicking at this point. My UC claim has been stuck in 'Under Review' status for 8 weeks straight with ZERO payments. Rent is now 45 days late, electric company sent final notice, and my landlord just handed me a pre-eviction warning yesterday. I've called PA UC so many times I've lost count (probably 30+ attempts) and when I finally got through TWICE, they just told me my claim 'needs examiner review' and that they'd 'expedite' it. Nothing has changed! I've sent 5 messages through the portal and got generic responses each time telling me to 'continue filing weekly claims' and 'be patient.' HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BE PATIENT WHEN I'M ABOUT TO BE HOMELESS?? Someone on another forum mentioned contacting my state representative. I'm in zip 19144 (Germantown area), so I emailed Rep. Kinsey's office last Thursday but haven't heard anything back yet. What else can I possibly do at this point? Has anyone actually gotten results after being told your claim was 'expedited'? I've burned through my entire savings just trying to keep afloat. Any advice would be life-saving right now.
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PA UC hearing nightmare - showed up 9 minutes late and got locked out! What happens next?
I totally messed up today. Had my PA UC appeal hearing scheduled for 10:00am but got stuck in horrible traffic on I-76 and arrived at 10:09am. The referee wouldn't let me participate because I was 9 MINUTES late!!! I left a written statement explaining why I was late (accident on highway + construction detour) but I'm freaking out about what happens next. Will they automatically reschedule or do I need to file another appeal? My former employer contested my unemployment claim saying I quit (I was definitely laid off) and I really need these benefits. Anyone been through this? How long before I find out what happens next?
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anyone else think its weird that they make these hearings at such specific times but dont have any flexibility for real life? like some of us have kids and jobs and traffic exists lol. 9 minutes is nothing, they should have still let you in. the whole system feels like its designed to deny as many people as possible.
exactly!!! and then they wonder why people get so frustrated with the system. i bet if you were an employer who was 9 min late they'd have waited for you.
UPDATE: I filed the Request for Reopening form today and also used Claimyr to get through to an actual UC rep! The rep confirmed they received my written statement from yesterday and said they would attach it to my file. She said the referee will likely issue a decision on my original case within 7-10 days, but I should still be prepared to appeal if it goes against me. Thanks everyone for the help - will post another update when I hear something!
Excellent! You've done everything right. Make sure you continue filing your weekly claims while you wait. If you win your case, you'll be eligible for back payments for all the properly filed weeks.
When will PA UC actually deposit our payments? Stuck in limbo for weeks!
I swear this is beyond ridiculous! Been filing my weekly claims on time for the last 3 weeks since I got approved, and STILL haven't seen a single cent hit my Money Network card. Online status just says 'payment pending' with no explanation. Anyone else stuck waiting forever for their money to actually show up? My rent is due next week and I'm seriously stressing out. Do they expect us to just magically pay bills with no income? Called the UC office probably 50+ times but just get that stupid busy signal everytime.
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THE SYSTEM IS RIGGED they make it impossible on purpose so people give up!! been through this 3 times now and its always something different
I'm starting to feel the same way! It's so frustrating when you're doing everything right but still can't get paid.
UPDATE: I finally got through this morning after calling around 20 times! The claims rep said my payments were on hold because they needed to verify my last employer's information, even though nothing showed up online about this. She released all three weeks of payments while I was on the phone, and said they should be on my card within 2-3 business days. Keep trying to call!
OMG AMAZING!! Congrats! This gives me hope. I'm going to keep trying to call tomorrow morning. Did you do anything special to get through or just keep redialing?
Just kept redialing over and over from 8am until about 9:30 when I finally got through. So annoying but worth it!
Can I get PA UC backpay for 18 weeks after starting a new job? Appeal hearing coming up
Hi everyone, I'm in a weird situation with my PA unemployment. I got denied originally about 5 months ago and immediately filed an appeal. I've been dutifully filing my weekly claims for 18 weeks while waiting for this appeal hearing (which is FINALLY scheduled for next week). But here's my dilemma - I just started a new job 2 weeks ago that pays well above what would qualify for benefits, so I've stopped filing weekly claims. If I win my appeal, will I still be eligible to receive all those 18 weeks of backpay even though I'm employed now and no longer filing weekly claims? I'm worried that because I stopped filing, I might lose out on thousands of dollars I should be entitled to. Anyone deal with something similar?
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btw i forgot to mention, when i won my appeal they sent all the backpay at once to my Money Network card. it was like $8,400 for my 12 weeks! but be prepared that it might take another 2-3 weeks AFTER u win before the payments actually hit ur account. at least thats what happened to me
That's great to know! My backpay would be around $11,500 if I get approved for all 18 weeks, which would be life-changing right now. Even with my new job, I'm still catching up on bills from the months without income.
One more important point: make sure to thoroughly review the referee handbook before your hearing. You can find it on the PA UC website. It explains the hearing process and your rights. Since your case involves misconduct vs. position elimination, the burden of proof is on your employer to prove misconduct. If they don't appear at the hearing or don't provide sufficient evidence, that significantly strengthens your case. Also, if you win, don't be alarmed if you see "overpayment" notices in your account before the backpay arrives. This is a common system quirk that happens when they're processing large backdated payments and generally resolves itself.
Thank you! I'll look up the referee handbook today. That's interesting about the burden of proof being on my employer - that makes me feel more confident. And thanks for the heads-up about potential overpayment notices, that would have definitely scared me if I saw that without knowing!
PA UC eligibility after quitting due to no maternity leave position hold - who to contact?
So my company told me they wouldn't hold my position when I needed maternity leave (I just had my baby 3 weeks ago). They basically said I could reapply after but no guarantees. I felt forced to put in my two weeks notice before leaving since there was no point in coming back to no job anyway. Now I'm wondering if I can claim unemployment in PA since technically I quit but only because they wouldn't hold my job? This seems illegal but I'm not sure. Who do I even call to figure this out? The UC website is confusing and I can't get anyone on the phone. Has anyone dealt with something similar?
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Good luck! My sister had twins last year and her boss was horrible about it. Make sure you apply for WIC too if you haven't already. And congrats on the baby :
One other thing to consider - you mentioned the company wouldn't "hold your position" but did they explicitly say you were terminated, or that you had to resign? If they told you that you had to resign, that's actually a constructive discharge which is treated differently than a voluntary quit. The details matter a lot here for your UC claim. Also, how large is the company, and how long had you worked there? That determines FMLA eligibility which could be relevant to your case.
They didn't say I was terminated. It was more like "we can't guarantee your exact position will be available, but you can apply for any openings we have when you're ready to return." It's a small company (about 30 employees) and I was there for 10 months, so probably not FMLA eligible I think.
That's helpful information. You're right that FMLA wouldn't apply (needs to be 12 months and 50+ employees), but that phrasing from your employer still supports your case for UC benefits. It effectively forced you to quit since they weren't guaranteeing your position. Just make sure to emphasize this when filing your claim.
Ava Thompson
i had the same issue last yr and i kept filing my weekly claims and when it finally got approved they paid me for all the weeks i claimed so dont stop filing even tho it seems pointless. i know that doesnt help ur immediate $$ situation but at least youll get everything eventually
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Liam McGuire
UPDATE: Great news!!! My claim was finally approved yesterday (9/8) and I received ALL my back payments today (9/11)! Almost $4,600 in total which is saving me from eviction. What worked: I called my state rep's office Monday morning, spoke with their UC liaison, and they submitted an inquiry that same day. By Wednesday afternoon my dashboard updated to show all my weeks as paid! Thank you all SO MUCH for your advice and support during this nightmare. For anyone else stuck in review status - definitely contact your state representative, it made all the difference for me.
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Dylan Mitchell
SEE! The system only works when you force them to do their jobs! Glad you got your money, it's ridiculous you had to go through all this stress when they could have just processed your claim correctly in the first place!
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Sofia Martinez
Excellent outcome! This is exactly why we always recommend the state representative approach for claims stuck in review. Thanks for updating us - it's helpful for others to see what works.
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