PA UC 8 weeks with no determination - mental health deteriorating while waiting

same boat here, on week 6 of pending. i started forcing myself to take walks outside everyday for at least 20 min. sounds stupid but it helps a little bit. also deleted my email app so im not checking for job rejections every 10 min

I went through this exact situation last quarter. The constant 'pending' status was driving me crazy! Two things that helped me: 1) Join a free support group - I found one at my local library for job seekers. 2) Set a schedule for checking your claim - ONLY check once per day at a set time instead of refreshing constantly. What worked best for me was calling my state rep's office. They have special contacts at UC and got my claim moving within a week after I'd been waiting nearly 10 weeks. Their constituent services are literally paid to help with these problems and they actually answer their phones.

Sorry you're going through this stressful time. I had an 11-week wait before my determination came through last year. Have you checked your portal to see if there are any open issues that need to be addressed? Sometimes there's an identity verification or employer response issue that's causing the delay. Also, make sure you're completing your work search activities each week (PA requires at least 2 per week) and documenting them correctly. For your mental health, consider reaching out to PA's free crisis text line at 741741 if things get overwhelming.

IT'S THE SAME EVERYWHERE!!! I waited 14 WEEKS before I got ANY money! The PA UC system is DESIGNED to break people's spirits so they give up! Every single person I know who's filed in the last year had issues. They claim they're 'processing' but they're really just sitting on our money hoping we'll get any minimum wage job out of desperation!!! And don't bother with the contact form on the website - TOTAL WASTE OF TIME. I submitted 9 messages and NEVER got a response!!

I went through this exact same situation and found a service called Claimyr that helped me actually reach a human at the UC office. I was pending for 7 weeks with an "open issue" that no one could explain. After using their phone connection service I got through to an agent who fixed the issue while I was on the phone. Within 3 days all my back payments hit my account. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2. Literally saved my sanity because I was about to be evicted.

when i was waiting for UC i started volunteering at the food bank. sounds weird but helping others made me feel better about my situation plus they let me take food home which saved money. also good for ur resume gap!!

Try contacting your state senator too not just ur rep. I did both and the senators office got my UC fixed in like 3 days after waiting 9 weeks!!!! The lady said they have special direct lines to UC examiners that regular people can't access. Weird but it worked for me!

One thing that really helped me during my 10 week wait was tracking small victories. Every job application I submitted, every networking call I made, every time I learned a new skill on YouTube - I wrote it down in a journal. It helped me see I was still moving forward even when UC was stalled. Also, be sure you're checking your spam/junk email folders! My ID verification request went to spam and I missed it for 3 weeks which delayed everything. And don't forget to check your dashboard for any Action Items - sometimes they don't send emails about those at all.

@OP - After I used that Claimyr service I mentioned, the agent told me my issue was that my former employer had contested my claim saying I quit (I was laid off). Once I explained what happened, the agent was able to make notes in the system and escalate it for review. The payments started 3 days later. Do you know if your employer might be contesting your claim?