Finally got PA UC payment after senator's office intervened - 18 month nightmare over!
After fighting with PA unemployment for 18 MONTHS my payments FINALLY came through yesterday! The only reason I got paid was because I reached out to Senator Salisbury's office last week. Her staff called UC and suddenly my 'unresolvable issues' were fixed in 3 days? Funny how that works! I've been drowning in debt, almost lost my apartment twice, and maxed out 3 credit cards just trying to survive while UC sat on my legitimate claim. If anyone else is stuck in limbo for months, CALL YOUR LOCAL REPRESENTATIVES! The system is completely broken but apparently still responds to political pressure. Has anyone else had to go this route to get what they were legally entitled to?
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Liam Brown
Congrats on finally getting paid! That's crazy it took a senator to make it happen. I waited 4 months last year and thought THAT was bad! How much backpay did they end up giving you??
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Emma Johnson
•Thanks! They paid me $22,450 in backpay all at once. Almost fell out of my chair when I saw the deposit. Still doesn't make up for the 18 months of stress and having to borrow money from family just to eat, but at least I can start paying people back now.
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Olivia Garcia
This is actually a common strategy that works well. PA UC claims can get stuck in what they call 'examiner queues' where they sit for months without anyone looking at them. When a legislative office inquires, it flags the claim for priority review. I recommend this approach to anyone waiting more than 6-8 weeks without resolution. Contact your state rep or senator - their constituent services are literally there to help with these exact situations. Make sure you have your claim number, filing date, and specific issues ready when you call them.
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Noah Lee
•is there a list somewhere of which reps to call for which counties? im in allegheny and getting desperate, been waiting since january
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Emma Johnson
Just to add - I tried EVERYTHING before contacting the senator's office. I called UC literally hundreds of times (mostly couldn't get through), sent messages through the portal (never got responses), emailed the UC help address (automated replies only), and even sent certified mail (which they signed for but ignored). The system is DESIGNED to wear you down until you give up.
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Ava Hernandez
•EXACTLY THIS!!! They hope people give up! I had the SAME experience last year waiting 7 months for my benefits. Called every single day for WEEKS!!! Never got through except twice, and both times got disconnected after waiting on hold for 2+ hours. The whole system is corrupt and needs to be completely rebuilt from the ground up. Probably half the people who deserve benefits never get them because they can't fight for 18 freaking months!!!
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Isabella Martin
Have you tried using Claimyr? It's a service that helps you get through to a PA UC representative on the phone. I was in a similar situation (6 months waiting), and after trying for weeks to call and getting busy signals, I used Claimyr and got through to a rep in about 15 minutes. They connected my call directly to PA UC and stayed on the line until a representative answered. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2. The website is claimyr.com if anyone wants to check it out. It worked for me when nothing else did.
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Noah Lee
•does this actually work? seems too good to be true after trying to call for 3 months straight
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Elijah Jackson
I'm in the same boat right now! Been waiting 7 months with 'open issues' on my claim. Every time I call they just say 'an examiner needs to review it' but no one ever does. Did Senator Salisbury's office require any specific info from you? I'm desperate and willing to try anything at this point. This is so frustrating because I worked for 12 years straight before getting laid off and paid into the system the whole time!
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Emma Johnson
•They asked for my full name, address, last 4 of SSN, and claim confirmation number. Also the date I first filed and brief description of the issue. I spoke with someone named Jessica in the senator's office who was super helpful. I had to sign a form authorizing them to inquire about my case, then they called me 3 days later saying UC was processing my payments. Hope this helps - don't give up!
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Sophia Miller
congrats on getting ur money! i did the same thing last year but with rep davis office. took them 2 weeks to fix what UC couldnt fix in 5 months lol. the whole system is a joke
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Liam Brown
•It's crazy how this seems to be the 'secret' solution that nobody tells you about! Why don't they just post this on the UC website - 'If we ignore you for months, call your representative'? Would save everyone a lot of trouble!
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Ava Hernandez
I'm happy for you but THIS IS EXACTLY what's wrong with America!!! Regular people have to SUFFER while the government sits on OUR MONEY that WE PAID INTO THE SYSTEM!!! Meanwhile they approve benefits instantly for people who've never worked a day in their lives!!! I waited 11 months last year and lost my car AND house before getting paid. The system is DESIGNED to make people give up!!! It should be ILLEGAL what they're doing!!!
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Olivia Garcia
•While I understand your frustration, the delays aren't actually designed intentionally - they're the result of an outdated system that wasn't built to handle the volume of claims PA UC receives. The mainframe system they use was built in the 1970s, and they're currently in the process of modernizing it. Unfortunately, the backlog of claims from the pandemic is still affecting processing times. But I do agree that 11 months is completely unacceptable regardless of the technical challenges they face.
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Mason Davis
my cousin works for UC and says they're still super understaffed since covid. they lost like half their experienced examiners who retired or quit and the new people take way longer to process claims. not saying its right but thats why everything takes forever now
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Elijah Jackson
•That makes sense but doesn't make it any easier for those of us who can't pay rent while waiting! Do you know if they're planning to hire more people? Or is this just how it's going to be forever now?
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Isabella Martin
Just as an update for anyone reading this thread later - I contacted Representative Salisbury's office based on this post. They took my information and contacted UC on my behalf. Within a week, my claim that had been pending for 5 months was processed and I received all my backpay. Definitely reach out to your local representatives if you're stuck in the UC system! They can often help move things along much faster than you can on your own.
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Emma Johnson
•That's awesome!! So glad it worked for you too! Spread the word to everyone you know who's dealing with UC issues. The system is broken but at least there's a workaround that actually gets results.
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