PA UC Board of Review appeal taking 11+ weeks after employer no-show - how much longer?
I'm seriously losing my mind waiting for the PA Board of Review decision on my appeal. It's been 11 weeks since my remand hearing where the employer didn't even bother to show up! I thought that would make things go faster, but nope. My rent is due AGAIN and I have no idea what to tell my landlord. The whole process has dragged on for almost a year since I first filed my claim. How is anyone supposed to survive like this? Has anyone else had a Board of Review appeal that took this long? Is there any way to check the status or light a fire under them? Anyone got through this nightmare with some good news to share? 🙏
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Sofia Gomez
I know it feels like forever, but Board of Review appeals can legitimately take 3-4 months for a decision, sometimes even longer if they're backlogged. The fact your employer no-showed at the remand hearing is definitely in your favor, but doesn't speed up the review process unfortunately. The Board has to review everything from scratch, including all evidence and testimony from every hearing. I filed my appeal last year and it took almost 14 weeks to get a decision (which was finally in my favor). Hang in there!
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Dylan Evans
•14 WEEKS?! That's insane... I've already gone through all my savings and maxed out credit cards. Did you do anything to check on the status during that time that actually worked?
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StormChaser
my cousin waited 17 wks for board review and got approved. system is broken but dont give up
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Dmitry Petrov
Ugh, the PA UC system is DELIBERATELY designed to break people so they give up! I waited 13 weeks for my Board of Review decision after a referee hearing where the employer lied their a** off. Then I finally got approved and they STILL held my payments for another 4 weeks for "verification" of something they never explained. The whole thing is a scam to protect employers who don't want their rates to go up. Call your state rep - that's the ONLY thing that worked for me.
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Ava Williams
•I agree with contacting your state representative. I've seen many cases where this helped move things along. They can often reach someone at UC that regular claimants can't. Worth the effort when you're stuck in the appeal process this long.
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Miguel Castro
Have you tried calling PA UC to ask about the status? I know getting through is nearly impossible these days but sometimes you can get lucky if you call right when they open.
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Dylan Evans
•I've tried calling at least 30 times in the past few weeks. Either get busy signals or wait on hold for 2+ hours only to get disconnected. It's beyond frustrating.
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Zainab Ibrahim
After struggling to reach PA UC for weeks about my Board of Review appeal, I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to an agent in about 15 minutes. They couldn't give me an exact timeline, but at least confirmed my appeal was "in process" and hadn't fallen through the cracks. Huge relief after months of uncertainty. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 - definitely worth it when you're in appeal limbo and need actual answers.
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Connor O'Neill
•does that actually work? seems sketchy to pay just to talk to unemployment
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Zainab Ibrahim
•It worked for me when nothing else did. After 9 weeks of not knowing if my appeal was even being reviewed, I needed answers. Found out my appeal was actually approved but stuck in processing - the agent helped push it through. Got paid the following week.
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LunarEclipse
I'm in the same boat! Been waiting 10 weeks after my hearing where I clearly won. This is my second appeal too. First one took 8 weeks. Whole process has been going on for 7 months. I'm selling my car next week just to pay bills. Unemployment system is completely broken.
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Dylan Evans
•Sorry you're going through this too. It's crazy how they expect people to survive during these long waits. Have you tried anything that's helped at all?
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Ava Williams
The Board of Review timeframes are unfortunately quite lengthy. Here's what you need to know: 1. The average wait time currently is 12-16 weeks for Board of Review decisions 2. The non-appearance of your employer at the remand hearing is good for your case, but doesn't expedite the process 3. You can request an expedited review by faxing a hardship letter to the Board explaining your financial situation in detail 4. While waiting, continue filing your bi-weekly claims if you're still within your benefit year 5. If your appeal is ultimately approved, you'll receive all eligible back payments in a lump sum For reference, PA UC Board of Review is dealing with a significant backlog since the pandemic. The best thing you can do is submit that hardship letter and contact your state representative as others have suggested.
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Dylan Evans
•Thank you for this detailed info. I had no idea about the hardship letter option. I'll definitely try that along with contacting my state rep. Still filing those bi-weekly claims even though it feels pointless after all this time.
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Sofia Gomez
Any update? Did contacting your state rep help move things along?
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Dylan Evans
•Yes! Finally got some movement after contacting my state rep. Their office called me yesterday saying they inquired with UC and my appeal was actually approved 2 weeks ago but got stuck in processing. Should receive payment within 7-10 days they said. Still frustrated it took this long but relieved it's finally moving forward.
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Ravi Kapoor
That's such great news that your state rep was able to help! I'm dealing with a similar situation - been waiting 9 weeks for my Board of Review decision after winning at the referee level. My employer didn't show up to that hearing either but here we are still waiting. Definitely going to contact my state rep's office tomorrow morning. Thanks for sharing the update - gives me hope that there might actually be light at the end of this tunnel!
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