I'm going through the exact same situation right now! My husband got a job offer in Texas and we moved last month. I filed my PA UC claim about 4 weeks ago and still haven't heard anything beyond the initial confirmation. It's reassuring to hear that others have been approved for spouse relocation, even though the wait times seem really long. I'm a teacher so remote work definitely wasn't an option for me. Has anyone had experience with the fact-finding interview? I'm nervous about what kinds of questions they'll ask and want to be prepared when they finally call.

I went through this same situation in 2023 when my husband got transferred to North Carolina. The waiting is brutal, I know! Mine took about 9 weeks total for the determination. A few tips that helped me: 1) Keep detailed records of every conversation with UC - dates, times, who you spoke to 2) Set up call forwarding to make sure you don't miss their call (they usually call between 9-11am) 3) Have a folder ready with all your docs - spouse's job offer, your resignation letter, lease/mortgage info for new state, marriage certificate. The interview was pretty straightforward - they mainly wanted to confirm the timeline and that you had no choice but to move. Since you're a nurse, emphasize that patient care requires physical presence and remote work wasn't possible. Hang in there, it does eventually work out for legitimate spouse relocations!

Any update on your situation? Did you file the appeal yet? And were you able to get through to someone at the service center to get more details about the denial reason?

That vacation time issue explains a lot! I had a similar problem when I got laid off - HR processed my final day wrong in their system and it looked like I quit. Make sure you keep copies of everything you submit for your records. Also, just a heads up that the hearing referee might ask about your job search efforts during those first 6 weeks even though you weren't getting paid, so have those records ready too. Sounds like you caught this early enough that it should get resolved quickly once you have your hearing. Good luck!

Hey Logan! I was in a really similar situation in PA about 6 months ago. Got laid off, collected UC for about 4 months, then got a job that lasted only 8 weeks before they had "restructuring" (aka layoffs). I was super worried about what would happen with my benefits. The good news is that since you're still within your benefit year (February 2025 - February 2026) and you haven't used all 26 weeks, you can definitely reopen your existing claim. I was able to do it online through the PA UC portal - it was actually much easier than I expected. Just make sure you have all the details about your 2-month job ready (exact start/end dates, final pay, reason for separation). One thing that really helped me was calling early in the morning (like 8:05 AM) right when the phone lines opened. I got through on my second try that way instead of dealing with busy signals all day. Your benefit amount should stay the same since it's based on your 2023 earnings from the original claim. The 2 months at the new job won't change your weekly amount for this benefit year, which is actually good if the new job paid less than your original job. Fingers crossed your current job situation improves, but at least you know you have a safety net if needed!

Just wanted to chime in with another perspective on this! I work for a workforce development agency in PA and help people navigate UC claims regularly. You've gotten some really solid advice here already. One additional thing to keep in mind - when you do reopen your claim (if needed), PA UC will send a "Notice of Financial Determination" that shows your updated claim status including remaining weeks and benefit amount. Keep this document! It's super helpful for tracking exactly where you stand. Also, since you mentioned your new job is showing signs of slowing down, you might want to start quietly networking and putting feelers out now. Even if things turn around, having connections ready can make your job search much smoother if layoffs do happen. The fact that you're thinking ahead about this shows you're being really smart about planning for different scenarios. Most people don't realize they can reopen an existing claim until after they get laid off and panic. You're way ahead of the game here!

I just wanted to jump in and say don't panic about the process! I know it seems overwhelming but everyone here has given you solid advice. The key things are: 1) Call ASAP to request the phone hearing (mention transportation hardship), 2) Submit the form at least 7 days early, 3) Get your documentation super organized with dates/details, and 4) Test your phone setup beforehand. I've seen people stress themselves out so much about the hearing that they forget the basics. You clearly have good records if you're keeping a spreadsheet, so you're already ahead of a lot of people. The referees deal with these cases all day - they're not out to get you, they just need to see that you followed the rules. Take a deep breath and tackle it one step at a time!

I went through a similar situation with my PA UC appeal hearing last year. You absolutely CAN request a phone hearing - I had the same transportation issue since the office was over 2 hours away. Here's exactly what you need to do: Call the UC Service Center RIGHT NOW and ask for a "telephone hearing due to transportation hardship." They'll send you a form to fill out, but make sure you submit it at least 7 days before your hearing date. Don't wait on this! I made the mistake of calling just 5 days before and it was cutting it close. The phone hearing itself was actually much less stressful than I anticipated. Just make sure you're somewhere quiet with good reception and have all your documents organized. The referee will ask similar questions to what they would in person, so be ready with dates, details, and any evidence you have. You've got this - the transportation hardship is a totally valid reason and they approve these requests regularly!

I've been dealing with PA unemployment for about 6 months now and can confirm what others have said - those status labels are just the system's way of categorizing your payment based on what applies that specific week. When I first started getting benefits, I would panic every time I saw a different status thinking something was broken with my claim. But after tracking my payments for a while, I realized it's actually pretty logical: "partial check" shows up when you report part-time earnings that reduce your benefit, "taxes withheld" appears when you have the 10% federal tax deduction but no part-time work to report, and sometimes you'll see other labels like "direct deposit" or "Money Network" depending on your payment method. The frustrating part is that PA's system only displays one primary status even when multiple things apply to your payment. My advice is to focus on whether you're receiving the correct dollar amount rather than stressing about the status label - as long as the math works out based on your weekly benefit rate minus any taxes or earnings deductions, you're getting what you should be getting.

As someone who's been collecting PA UC benefits for about 4 months now, I can definitely relate to this confusion! When I first noticed my payment status switching between different labels, I thought there was an error with my claim too. But after going through similar situations and reading through all these helpful responses, I've learned that these status changes are actually totally normal. The system is just reflecting what's happening with your specific payment that week - whether you had part-time earnings, tax withholding, or other factors. What really helped me was starting to keep track of my weekly claim details in a simple notebook: what I reported for earnings, what my expected benefit amount should be, and what I actually received. Once I started doing that, the pattern became clear and I stopped panicking every time I saw a different status label. The PA unemployment system definitely isn't user-friendly when it comes to explaining these things, but this community has been amazing for helping figure it out together!