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I just went through something very similar last month! I had to miss two days of work due to a family emergency and was panicking about my claim getting closed. Everyone here is giving you great advice - your claim absolutely will NOT close just because you get disqualified for one week. The key is to keep filing every single week, even if you get $0. When you file this Sunday, just honestly report that you missed work due to vacation. The system will likely deny benefits for that week, but your claim stays open. Then next week when you have no scheduled hours, file normally and you should get your full benefit amount. I learned the hard way that being honest is always better than trying to hide missed days - they can catch discrepancies later and hit you with overpayment penalties. You've got this!
Thank you so much for sharing your experience with the family emergency situation! It's really helpful to hear from people who've actually been through similar scenarios. I was definitely overthinking this and getting myself worked up over nothing. Your point about being honest is spot on - I'd rather get denied for one week than deal with overpayment issues later. I'm feeling much more confident now about just filing normally and reporting the vacation day truthfully. Really appreciate everyone's advice in this thread!
I went through almost the exact same situation about 6 months ago! Had to take a vacation day that conflicted with my part-time work schedule and was so worried about my claim getting messed up. Everyone here is giving you perfect advice - just be completely honest when you file this week about missing work for vacation. You'll probably get $0 for that week, but your claim will stay open as long as you keep filing every Sunday. The following week when you have no hours scheduled, just file normally and you should get your full benefit amount. The PA system is actually pretty forgiving about these common situations as long as you're transparent. I was stressed for nothing - it all worked out fine and my benefits resumed the next week without any issues. Don't let the anxiety get to you!
Thank you for sharing your experience! It's so reassuring to hear from someone who went through almost exactly what I'm dealing with. I was definitely letting my anxiety get the better of me, but everyone's responses here have really put my mind at ease. It sounds like this is actually a pretty common situation and the PA system handles it well as long as you're honest. I'll file this Sunday and report the vacation day truthfully, then just continue filing normally. Really appreciate you taking the time to share how it worked out for you - knowing it all resolved without issues makes me feel so much better about the whole situation!
This is y i always transfer my UC money to my regular bank account as soon as it hits the card. dont trust these government cards AT ALL
Glad you got it sorted out! For future reference, PA UC also has a text alert system you can sign up for that will notify you about system outages and maintenance. You can enable it in your UC dashboard under notification preferences. Would have saved you (and all of us) a lot of stress! Also seconding the automatic transfer suggestion - I've been doing that for months and it's been a lifesaver.
This is super helpful - I had no idea about the text alert system! Just signed up for it. Definitely would have prevented the panic yesterday. And yes, setting up the automatic transfer is next on my list. Thanks for all the tips everyone, this community is amazing for sharing these kinds of solutions!
Glad you got it sorted out! It's so frustrating when these technical issues happen right when you need to check your balance. I've been using the phone number method for years now - it's actually faster than logging into the website even when it's working properly. Just a heads up, you can also ask them to set up balance alerts via text when you call, so you'll automatically get notified whenever your UC deposit hits your card. Really saves the stress of wondering if your benefits came through!
That's such a great tip about the balance alerts! I definitely want to set those up - it would save so much anxiety about whether my payment went through. I'm also thinking about switching to direct deposit like Carmen suggested earlier, since these website issues seem to be a recurring problem. Thanks for all the helpful advice everyone!
I've been dealing with Money Network issues for months now and honestly it's so reassuring to see I'm not the only one! The website crashes constantly and the app is even worse. What really helped me was downloading a different browser (I switched from Chrome to Firefox) and that seemed to work better with their system. Also, if you're comfortable with it, you can enable automatic text notifications for every transaction - that way you always know your balance without having to log in. Just call that customer service number and ask them to set it up. It's been a lifesaver for me since I can't rely on their website at all anymore.
I just went through this exact situation last year! Got laid off from my factory job, kept my part-time bookkeeping gig, and enrolled in a radiology tech program. You definitely still need to do your 2 weekly work searches - PA doesn't waive this requirement just for being in school. BUT here's what made it manageable for me: I focused all my applications on healthcare support roles that would actually work with my class schedule. Think medical receptionist, patient registration, hospital housekeeping, or medical records clerk positions. Many of these jobs are used to working with students and offer flexible scheduling. The key is making sure you can genuinely accept any job you apply for - don't just apply to random stuff you'd never take. UC can audit your work search activities and they want to see good faith efforts. Also, definitely file that UC-1921W form everyone's mentioning. It took about 2-3 weeks to process when I submitted mine, but having it on file prevented any issues when they reviewed my case later. Even though it doesn't exempt you from work search, it shows you're serious about your training and helps if any questions come up about your availability. One last tip - when you do your weekly certifications, I found it helpful to keep a simple spreadsheet tracking my part-time hours and gross pay before taxes. Makes the reporting much easier and you'll have backup documentation if needed. Nursing is such a great field - stick with it! The juggling act is tough now but it's so worth it long-term.
@GalaxyGuardian This is incredibly helpful - thank you for sharing your experience! Your approach of targeting healthcare support roles is exactly what I needed to hear. I've been feeling overwhelmed about the work search requirements, but focusing on positions like medical receptionist or patient registration makes it feel so much more purposeful. These could actually help me build relevant experience while I'm in school. I really appreciate the timeline on the UC-1921W form processing - knowing it takes 2-3 weeks helps me plan better. I'm definitely going to get that submitted this week along with starting that spreadsheet for tracking my part-time retail hours. Your point about having backup documentation is smart - I'd rather be over-prepared than caught off guard later. It's so encouraging to hear from someone who successfully made it through a similar program! Did you find that having healthcare-related work search activities helped you network or learn about opportunities in your field while you were studying?
I'm in a very similar boat! Got laid off from my warehouse job in December after 14 years, still working my part-time delivery gig on weekends, and just started an HVAC certification program. The whole UC system is so confusing when you're trying to better yourself! From what I've learned so far, you definitely need to keep doing those 2 weekly work searches even with school and part-time work. But I've been taking everyone's advice here about making them relevant - I focus on applying to maintenance positions at hospitals, schools, or office buildings where HVAC skills would be useful. Makes it feel less like busy work and more like I'm actually building toward something. The UC-1921W form is crucial - I just submitted mine last week after reading all these comments. Better safe than sorry, especially since it sounds like it protects you if UC questions your school schedule later. One thing that's helped me stay organized is using a simple notebook to track everything - my weekend delivery hours, what work searches I did each week, and any school-related activities that might count. Keeping it all in one place makes the weekly certifications way less stressful. Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences here - it really helps to know we're not alone in trying to juggle all this stuff while getting back on our feet!
@Dylan Wright I m'so glad to see another person in a similar situation! It really does help knowing we re'all figuring this out together. Your approach of targeting maintenance positions at healthcare facilities is really smart - that s'exactly the kind of strategic thinking that makes these work search requirements feel more worthwhile. I love your idea about keeping everything in one notebook. I ve'been trying to track things digitally but honestly, having it all written down in one place sounds way more reliable. I m'definitely going to start doing that this week, especially for documenting those school activities that might count toward work search. It sounds like you re'being really proactive about the whole process, which gives me confidence that I can handle this too. The fact that you submitted the UC-1921W form after reading these comments shows you re'staying on top of everything. Good luck with your HVAC program! It s'encouraging to see so many of us using this layoff as an opportunity to level up our skills. We ve'got this!
Miguel Ortiz
Omg that's terrifying! I just took screenshots of everything in my portal. I also recorded the date and time of my call with the rep and her name. The whole system feels designed to make people give up. I'm not going to let them get away with
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Ella rollingthunder87
I went through something similar last year and want to share a few additional tips that helped me. First, when you call Treasury at that number mentioned above (800-304-3107), ask them to put a note on your file about the pending offset removal - this can help if there's any confusion when your next refund comes in. Second, I'd recommend setting up email alerts through your bank if you're expecting direct deposit refunds, so you know immediately if anything gets intercepted. Finally, if you have any other federal payments coming (like stimulus payments, child tax credits, etc.), those could potentially be affected too until the offset is fully removed. The good news is that once Treasury processes the removal, it should protect all future federal payments, not just tax refunds. Stay persistent - you've already done the hard part by winning at the referee level!
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