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Do I need a lawyer for PA UC appeal after wrongful termination? Help!
I was let go from my warehouse job last month for "failure to meet productivity standards" but that's complete BS. They changed our quotas 3 times in 2 months and didn't provide proper training on the new inventory system. I filed for unemployment and just got denied yesterday! The determination letter says I was fired for willful misconduct because I "repeatedly failed to meet reasonable employer expectations" which is NOT what happened. I have my appeal deadline in 15 days and I'm wondering if I need to hire a lawyer for this? Never been through an appeal before and don't know if I can handle it myself. Has anyone won their PA UC appeal without a lawyer? What evidence should I bring? The termination came right after I reported safety violations, but I don't know if that matters for unemployment purposes.
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PA UC system adding incorrect information to my weekly claims without my input - 3 weeks no payment
Has anyone else experienced the PA UC system adding information to your weekly claim that you NEVER entered yourself? I'm going crazy trying to fix this! For the past 3 weeks, when I submit my weekly certification (tried both online and over the phone), somehow the system is adding incorrect information that I never input. Like it's saying I refused work when I didn't, or adding earnings I never reported. Each time I call to fix it, they say it's corrected, but then the next week THE SAME THING happens again! I've gone 3 weeks without payment now because of these phantom entries. My rent is due next week and I'm seriously stressing out. Is this a known glitch in their system? Does anyone know how to permanently fix this or talk to someone who can actually help?
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u have to go to the career link office in person. thats the only thing that worked for me when this happened. they can see stuff in the system regular phone people cant
Just to follow up - were you able to get this resolved? For anyone else reading this thread later, there's now an official procedure for this issue. You need to: 1. Submit form UC-1699A "Data Correction Request" (available online) 2. Specifically mention "recurring data integration error" in the comments 3. Include screenshots or detailed descriptions of the incorrect entries 4. Request a "claim profile review" PA UC has acknowledged this is happening to some claimants due to a data migration issue when they updated their systems. The correction can take 2-3 weeks to fully process, but they should be able to release any held payments once they verify the issue.
Thank you so much for following up! I did finally get it resolved after taking everyone's advice here. What worked was a combination of things: 1) I got through to a supervisor who submitted an IT ticket, 2) My former employer's HR also called to confirm the information was incorrect, and 3) I submitted that form you mentioned. My backpayments were finally released yesterday after 5 weeks of fighting with the system. For anyone else with this problem - be persistent and use all the advice in this thread! And thanks everyone for your help!
PA UC hearing suddenly canceled - told I never got 'telephone hearing rules' email - what's a continuance?
Just had the most frustrating experience with PA UC today. I had my appeal hearing scheduled for this morning that I've been waiting WEEKS for, and they straight up canceled it at the last minute! The referee said something about me not receiving an email with the 'telephone hearing rules' so they couldn't proceed. I never saw any email like that in my inbox or spam folder! Now they're talking about a 'continuance' which I'm guessing means rescheduling? Has anybody been through this before? I'm starting to wonder if this is just their way of dragging things out so they don't have to pay my benefits. I've been waiting almost 2 months already for this appeal hearing and now who knows how much longer. Do continuances usually take forever to reschedule or what? I'm completely broke at this point.
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Wait I'm confused about something in this process - do they schedule these hearings automatically or did you have to request an appeal first? I got disqualified last week and I'm still trying to figure out what to do.
You need to file an appeal first. When you're disqualified, you should receive a determination letter that explains your appeal rights. You typically have 15 days from the date on that letter to file an appeal. You can file online through your PA UC dashboard or by mail. Only after you submit the appeal will they schedule a hearing.
Thanks! Just found the determination letter and filed the appeal online. Now I just wait for them to contact me I guess.
UPDATE: I called the appeals office this morning and got through after about 45 minutes on hold. They confirmed they sent the hearing instructions to an old email address I haven't used in years (no idea how they even had that one). They updated my contact info and are sending new instructions to my current email. The woman I spoke with said my hearing will be rescheduled for next week, so not as bad as I feared. Thanks everyone for the help and advice!
That's great news! Make sure to check your email (including spam folder) throughout the day. And when you get the instructions, read them carefully and click any confirmation links. Good luck with your hearing!
thats so fast! my cousin had to wait way longer! good luck!!
PA UC tax withholding issue tanked my tax return by $1500 - need explanation!
I'm freaking out about my taxes right now. I collected unemployment benefits last year ($4,500 total) and didn't have taxes withheld because I needed every penny at the time. I knew I'd have to pay something back at tax time, but my return just DROPPED by $1,500!!! How is that even possible? I only made about $31,000 total for the year (including the UC) and paid around $1,300 in taxes throughout the year from my regular job. I was expecting to owe something on the unemployment, but losing $1,500 from my expected return seems completely insane for only $4,500 in benefits. Is PA unemployment taxed at some ridiculous rate I didn't know about? Or is this an error? Has anyone else had their return absolutely destroyed because of unemployment taxes?
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wait do we have to pay state tax on it too or just federal??
Yes, in Pennsylvania, unemployment compensation is subject to both federal AND state income tax. The state tax rate in PA is a flat 3.07%. If you're currently on UC, you should consider having both federal and state taxes withheld to avoid a surprise at tax time.
PA UC forced second claim after one-day gig job - now stuck in new waiting week
I'm so confused by what just happened with my PA unemployment claim! I've been collecting UC since February and everything was going smoothly until I picked up a short bartending shift last week ($510). I reported the income when filing my weekly claim as required. But when I went to file this week, the system suddenly made me complete a whole new claim saying I "recently separated from an employer." It was literally just ONE SHIFT at a wedding event! The system gave me no option to explain it was temporary work - I had to select "laid off" since that was closest to the truth. Now it's telling me I have to wait through another waiting week before getting benefits again. Did I mess something up? I thought temporary/gig work was just supposed to reduce my weekly benefit amount for that week, not force me to start a whole new claim. My rent is due next week and I was counting on this payment. Has anyone dealt with this before or know how to fix it?
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Has anyone had luck getting through by using the chat feature on the website instead of calling? I tried that route once but got disconnected after waiting 40 minutes...
The chat feature is connected to the same queue as phone calls - both are severely understaffed. Your chances aren't much better with chat, unfortunately. And some actions (like overriding a new claim process) usually need to be handled by phone anyway.
UPDATE: I finally got through to someone! Used the Claimyr service mentioned above and got connected in about 35 minutes. The agent confirmed everything you all said - the one-day job triggered a new claim because I earned over 6x my weekly benefit rate. She was able to expedite my claim processing and marked it as a "special handling case" due to it being just temporary work. She said I should see my benefits resume within 7-10 days and YES they will backdate and remove the waiting week requirement since this shouldn't have been processed as a completely new claim. Thanks everyone for the help! This forum saved me from weeks of stress.
That's great news! Glad you got it sorted. This is exactly why it's so important to get through to a real person when these things happen.
Zara Ahmed
wait are these hearings in person or on phone now? i got something saying mine might be on zoom but im not sure cuz the letter was confusing
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Chloe Taylor
Since COVID, most PA UC appeal hearings are conducted by phone or video conference (usually Teams or Zoom). Your hearing notice should specify which method will be used for your particular case. If you're not tech-savvy, you can request a phone hearing instead of video, but you need to do that well in advance by contacting the UC Appeals office.
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Omar Hassan
Update: I just reviewed my determination letter more carefully, and it specifically says I was denied because I "demonstrated careless disregard for employer standards through repeated failures despite warnings." But here's the thing - I only received ONE written warning about productivity, and that was right after they changed the system! Does this help my case? It seems like they're claiming there were multiple warnings when there wasn't.
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Diego Ramirez
This is EXACTLY the kind of discrepancy you want to highlight in your appeal! If the determination states "repeated warnings" but you only received one, that's a factual error you can directly challenge. Bring documentation showing the single warning and its timing relative to the system change. This type of concrete contradiction in the employer's claims can be very effective in appeals. Make sure to state this clearly and calmly during the hearing.
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