PA UC appeal decision timeframe - got mine faster than expected! Anyone else?
I just had my appeal hearing last week for my PA unemployment claim and got my decision letter TODAY! The referee told me at the end of the hearing to expect at least a 2-week wait before I'd get anything. I'm honestly shocked it came so fast. The letter was dated literally the day after my hearing. Is this normal? Did I just get super lucky with timing? I'm curious how long it took others to get their appeal decisions. For those wondering - yes, I won my appeal! So relieved after 5 weeks of zero income.
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Adrian Connor
Congrats on winning ur appeal!!! Mine took like 3 weeks to come in the mail after my hearing. I think it totally depends on the referee and how busy they are. Some are faster than others.
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Mikayla Davison
•Thanks! That makes sense. I wonder if they prioritize certain types of cases? Mine was pretty straightforward - just a misunderstanding about my last day worked.
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Aisha Jackson
It varies widely. The PA Unemployment Compensation Board of Review has statutory guidelines that give them up to 45 days to issue a decision, but many referees try to complete their decisions much faster. Simple cases where the facts aren't disputed can be decided very quickly. More complex cases with multiple witnesses and conflicting testimony take longer. Congrats on your favorable outcome!
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Ryder Everingham
•45 DAYS?!?!? OMG I'm on day 32 waiting for my decision and I'm FREAKING OUT!!! Does that mean I'm getting denied? Why would it take so long if they're going to approve me?
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Lilly Curtis
Same thing happened with me - got my decision in 3 days when they said it would take 2-3 weeks! But I LOST my appeal 😠I think they rush out the denials and take their sweet time with approvals. The whole system is designed to discourage people from collecting benefits they're entitled to. I'm filing a 2nd level appeal but not holding my breath.
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Mikayla Davison
•Sorry to hear about your denial. That really sucks. Did you have representation at your hearing? I had a free legal aid attorney help me prepare and she was amazing.
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Lilly Curtis
•No I didn't know free legal help was even an option! Where did you find that? Maybe I need to get help for my 2nd appeal to the Board of Review.
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Leo Simmons
My husband waited 4 weeks for his decision letter and it was SENT TO THE WRONG ADDRESS even though we updated our address in the system! By the time we figured it out, he missed the deadline to file a second appeal. Such a mess. Make sure your address is correct in your profile!
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Lindsey Fry
It's definitely unusual to get a decision that quickly, but it does happen! The official guideline is that referees should issue decisions within 30 days, but many take 2-3 weeks depending on their caseload. Since the pandemic, the appeals system has been trying to clear backlogs, which might explain faster processing in some cases. If anyone is struggling to get through to PA UC to check on appeal status, I recommend trying Claimyr (claimyr.com). They helped me get through to a live agent when I was waiting on my appeal. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2. It saved me days of busy signals and hang-ups.
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Mikayla Davison
•Thanks for the info! That service would have been helpful earlier in my claim when I couldn't get through to anyone. I'll keep it in mind if I have issues in the future.
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Saleem Vaziri
I won my appeal too but had to wait the full 2 weeks for the letter. After I won, did you get back pay for all the weeks you were waiting for the appeal? I'm still waiting for mine to be released and it's been almost 3 weeks since I got the decision letter. My portal still shows those weeks as "appeal pending" status even though I won!
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Mikayla Davison
•I actually haven't received any back pay yet. My portal still shows my claim as disqualified even with the approval letter in hand. I was planning to call tomorrow to ask about it. So frustrating!
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Saleem Vaziri
•Ugh, let me know what they say. This system is so broken! I've been waiting 9 weeks total now between the appeal and trying to get my backpay released.
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Ryder Everingham
my frend got hers in 4 days and another person i know took 6 weeks for the EXACT SAME ISSUE!!! its so random lol. did u have a phone hearing or in person? i heard phone ones are faster
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Mikayla Davison
•Mine was over the phone. Maybe that is why it was faster? The hearing itself only lasted about 20 minutes too. My employer didn't even show up to contest it.
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Aisha Jackson
•When the employer doesn't appear at the hearing, that often results in a much quicker decision. The referee only needs to evaluate your testimony without weighing conflicting evidence, which streamlines the process considerably.
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Adrian Connor
Does anyone know if winning an appeal means you automatically get paid? My account still says disqualified even though I got a letter saying I won my appeal 3 weeks ago. Do I need to do something else???
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Aisha Jackson
•You should contact the UC service center. Sometimes there's a delay in updating the system after an appeal is won, but 3 weeks is excessive. Your payments won't process until your claim status is updated from disqualified to eligible. Make sure you've been filing your weekly claims during this period - you'll need to have those weeks claimed to receive payment once your eligibility is confirmed.
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