THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO MAKE YOU GIVE UP!!!! I waited 14 weeks for my hearing and then they CANCELED it the day before because the "referee was sick" and rescheduled for another MONTH later!!! Its a complete joke and nobody cares about us regular people trying to survive.

Update: I finally called the appeals office directly and they told me my hearing is tentatively scheduled for early March! That's about 10 weeks from when I filed the appeal. They said I should receive the official notice in the mail about a week before the actual hearing. Thanks everyone for your help and advice!

im confused why ur focusing on the termination so much. just say u were laid off due to budget cuts. thats what i always say and nobody questions it. unemployment is unemployment whether u were fired or laid off, the benefits are the same either way

Update: I had an interview yesterday and tried the advice about framing it as a learning experience. It went SO much better! Instead of getting stuck defending myself, I talked about the mistake briefly, then spent more time explaining the triple-check system I developed afterward. The interviewer actually seemed impressed and we moved on to talk about my qualifications instead of dwelling on the termination. I have a second interview scheduled for next week! Thank you all for the helpful advice - it really made a difference in how I approached this.

That different overpayment ID is critical information! That likely means they've created a duplicate overpayment record in their system. In your appeal, you need to specifically mention both overpayment ID numbers and state that they appear to be duplicates for the same time period. This happens when their system undergoes updates or migrations - sometimes records get duplicated instead of transferred. Make sure to highlight this prominently in your appeal.

UPDATE: I finally got this resolved! After filing my appeal with all the documentation and following the advice here about mentioning the duplicate overpayment IDs, I also managed to get through to someone at the Overpayment Recovery Unit who was actually helpful. She confirmed they had created a duplicate overpayment record during a system migration in January. My payment from 2022 was properly applied to the original overpayment, but the duplicate was created without any record of that payment. She's submitted paperwork to have the duplicate removed and said I should receive confirmation within 2 weeks. She also put a hold on any collection activities. THANK YOU all for your help - especially the tip about checking the overpayment IDs and contacting that specific department!

Just want to add - since you were let go on February 18th, 2025, make sure you file for the benefit week that includes that date. You can backdate your claim to the week you became unemployed, but only for a limited time. Also, start documenting your job search activities immediately, even before you're approved. PA requires verification of 6 work search activities per week (applying for jobs, attending job fairs, creating profiles on job sites, etc.). One more tip: after you file, check your dashboard daily for any "open issues" on your claim. Sometimes they need additional information and won't tell you except through the portal.

UPDATE: I filed my claim yesterday following your advice (listed the agency as employer, reason as "lack of work"). My dashboard already shows an "open issue" related to "employer separation" - I'm guessing they're checking with the agency. I also started applying for jobs right away and have documented 4 applications so far this week. Thanks everyone for the help! I'll update again when I hear something.

when i had my hearing it was on the phone not in person, is that normal? they gave me like 2 days notice which was super stressful. make sure you check your mail everyday

One more thing I forgot to mention - if you're truly in a financial emergency while waiting for your appeal, contact your local state representative's office. They sometimes can help expedite UC issues or connect you with emergency assistance programs. My state rep's office actually helped get my appeal hearing scheduled faster after I explained my situation to them.