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I'm dealing with a similar situation right now - got hit with 4 penalty weeks for reporting income from a side gig 2 weeks late. The whole system feels designed to trip people up. I called the UC office about 30 times before finally getting through, and the agent basically said "you should have known better" even though I explained it was an honest mistake. Filed my appeal last week but still have to serve the penalty weeks while waiting. It's so frustrating because I was diligent about reporting everything else correctly. Hang in there @Yara - at least you're not alone in this mess!
@Ella Knight I feel your pain! It s'so frustrating that they treat honest mistakes the same as intentional fraud. The you "should have known better attitude" from the agents is infuriating when you re'already stressed about losing weeks of benefits. I hope your appeal goes better than your phone experience. At least we can support each other through this nightmare process!
I'm so sorry you're going through this! I just joined this community after getting slapped with 8 penalty weeks for a similar reporting issue. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been both terrifying and reassuring - at least we're not alone in dealing with PA UC's harsh penalties. I made the mistake of reporting cash payments from odd jobs late and now I'm basically broke for the next 2 months. The stress is unreal. Has anyone had luck with legal aid organizations helping with appeals? I can't afford a lawyer but I'm wondering if there are free resources available. Also want to echo what others said about continuing to file weekly claims during penalty weeks - my caseworker confirmed you MUST keep filing or you'll lose your place in line entirely. This whole system feels like it's designed to punish people who are already struggling.
@NeonNomad Welcome to the community, though I wish it was under better circumstances! 8 penalty weeks is absolutely brutal - I can't imagine the stress you're dealing with. For free legal help, try contacting Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network (palanet.org) - they sometimes help with unemployment appeals for low-income folks. Also check if your county has a legal aid society. Some law schools have clinics that provide free assistance too. You're right that the system feels designed to punish rather than help people who are already struggling. Hang in there and definitely keep filing those weekly claims even though you won't get paid during the penalty weeks. Hoping your appeal goes well!
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Just wanted to add another perspective as someone who works in HR - your case actually sounds quite strong for an appeal. The fact that you called ahead 5 out of 7 times shows good faith effort, and transportation issues are often viewed more favorably than other attendance problems. One thing I'd suggest is checking if your company had any written attendance policy that mentioned progressive discipline or accommodations for transportation issues. Sometimes the policy itself can work in your favor if they didn't follow their own procedures properly. Also, keep in mind that "willful misconduct" has a pretty high bar in PA - it needs to be deliberate disregard of company rules, not just struggling with circumstances beyond your control. Your repair receipts and bus delay documentation should definitely help establish that this wasn't willful. Good luck!
This HR perspective is really valuable - thank you! I never thought about checking whether they followed their own progressive discipline policy properly. Looking back, I think they might have skipped some steps because I went from a verbal warning to termination pretty quickly compared to other attendance issues I saw with coworkers. I'll definitely dig up my employee handbook and see what their official policy says about accommodations and the disciplinary process. It's reassuring to hear from someone on the HR side that transportation issues are viewed more favorably - I was worried the judge would just see it as making excuses. Thanks for the encouragement!
I'm in almost the exact same situation right now! Got denied for tardiness at my retail job - was late 8 times in 4 months due to childcare issues and unreliable public transit. Reading all these success stories is giving me hope that I can win my appeal too. One question for everyone who's been through this - how long did it take from filing the appeal to actually having the hearing? I'm worried about going without income for months while waiting. Also, did anyone use legal aid or an attorney, or is it better to represent yourself? I'm scared I'll mess up the hearing if I don't have professional help.
I can answer both your questions from my experience! My hearing was scheduled about 6-7 weeks after I filed the appeal, which seems pretty typical from what others have said here. The income gap is tough - I had to rely on savings and some help from family during that time. As for legal representation, I went alone and it worked out fine. The hearing was much less formal than I expected - more like a conversation than a courtroom drama. The referee asked straightforward questions and I just told my story honestly. Your childcare and transit issues sound very similar to the transportation problems that many people here have successfully appealed. Just make sure to document everything (childcare schedules, transit delays, any communication with your employer) and file that appeal ASAP. You've got this!
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Just wanted to chime in here since I see you already got your new claim filed - congrats on getting it done today! I went through this same stressful situation last year and made the mistake of waiting almost a week because I kept second-guessing myself about the timing. Big mistake! Like others mentioned, I ended up losing benefits for that week and it took forever to get through to someone to help sort it out. The PA UC system can be really confusing with all these different deadlines and processes. One thing that helped me feel more confident this year was bookmarking the official PA UC page that explains benefit year transitions - it's buried pretty deep in their website but has the most accurate info. Also, for what it's worth, I've found that filing earlier in the week (like you did today) tends to get processed faster than filing on weekends when there's probably more volume. Hope your new claim goes through smoothly!
Thanks for sharing your experience! It's such a relief to hear from someone else who went through the same stress and confusion. I was definitely second-guessing myself all morning before finally just doing it. Do you happen to have a link to that official PA UC page about benefit year transitions? I'd love to bookmark it for future reference since I know I'll probably be just as confused next year! And good point about filing earlier in the week - I hadn't thought about the volume being higher on weekends but that totally makes sense.
I don't have the exact link saved but if you go to the PA UC website and search for "benefit year end" or "reapplying for benefits" it should come up. I think it's in their FAQ section under something like "What happens when my benefit year ends?" The page explains all the timing rules and what documents you might need. Definitely worth bookmarking! I also bookmarked the page that shows all the weekly certification deadlines since I always forget if it's Saturday night or Sunday night cutoff.
This whole thread has been so helpful! I'm actually in a similar boat - my benefit year ended on 12/21 and I've been procrastinating on filing my new claim because I wasn't sure about the timing. Reading everyone's experiences here finally convinced me to stop overthinking it and just get it done. Just filed my new application about an hour ago after reading through all these responses. It's crazy how the PA UC website doesn't make this process clearer - you'd think something this common would have better guidance. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences, especially the warnings about waiting too long. Hopefully my new claim processes as smoothly as yours did!
I'm so glad this thread helped you too! I was in the exact same situation - procrastinating because I wasn't sure about the timing and the PA UC website is honestly terrible at explaining this stuff clearly. It's such a relief to hear from people who actually went through it recently instead of trying to decipher the confusing official guidance. Hopefully both of our new claims process quickly! It sounds like most people here had good experiences once they actually filed, so fingers crossed we'll both be back to regular weekly certifications soon. Thanks for sharing that you were in the same boat - makes me feel less alone in being confused by this whole process!
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Thank you everyone for the advice! I'm going to appeal to the Board of Review within the 15-day window and gather all my documentation about the transportation issues. I'll also prepare myself for having to repay just in case the appeal doesn't work out. If anyone has gone through the Board of Review appeal process and has specific tips, I'd really appreciate hearing them.
Good plan. For the Board of Review appeal, write a clear statement explaining why you believe the referee's decision was incorrect. Reference specific evidence from your hearing and cite any new evidence you're submitting. Be concise but thorough. And remember, you can still request a payment plan even while appealing. Best of luck!
I went through a Board of Review appeal last year and wanted to share some tips that helped me. Make sure your written statement is organized - I used headings like "Facts" and "Legal Arguments" to make it easy to follow. Include copies of ALL your documentation with your appeal, even if you submitted some at the referee hearing. The Board doesn't always have access to everything from the lower level. One thing that really helped my case was showing a pattern of good attendance before the issues started, and demonstrating concrete steps I took to fix the transportation problems. If you have any emails or texts with your employer about the tardiness or your efforts to resolve it, definitely include those. The whole process took about 6-8 weeks for me to get a decision. Even though it's stressful, the Board really does look at cases with fresh eyes. My referee decision got overturned because they found my employer didn't follow their progressive discipline policy properly. Keep your hopes up but prepare for both outcomes!
This is really helpful advice! I'm definitely going to organize my appeal statement with clear headings like you suggested. I do have some text messages with my supervisor about the bus route changes and a few emails where I notified HR about the transportation issues. I also kept records of my attendance from the previous year which was pretty good. Did you submit your appeal by mail or was there an online option? I want to make sure I get it submitted properly within the 15-day deadline.
Paolo Conti
Good news: After you get this fixed, your weekly claims should process normally. Bad news: It won't fix itself. My friend who works in seasonal fishing industry had an almost identical situation. His employer's HR person coded the holiday bonus as January wages instead of December. Took him calling and explaining to get it fixed, but once it was resolved, he got all his back payments at once. The agent manually recoded the bonus to the correct date. Just be ready to clearly explain that the bonus was received in December 2024, before your new benefit year started on Jan 1, 2025.
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Yara Sayegh
•That's actually super helpful - thank you! I'll make sure to have my December pay stub ready to show the date clearly. At least it sounds like it's a common issue they should know how to fix.
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NebulaNova
so did u get this fixed yet? im curious cuz im having similar problems with my seasonal claim
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Yara Sayegh
•Yes!! Finally got through yesterday after using that Claimyr service someone recommended above. You guys were right - it was exactly what several of you said. My employer reported the bonus in January instead of December. The agent was able to fix it on the spot and said my payments should start processing within 3 days. The whole call took less than 10 minutes once I actually got through to someone.
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