PA UC appeal hearing after 4 months - former employer challenging closed case - will I owe money back?

been there!! they probably want ur paystubs to calculate partial benefits since u started working again. But that hearing is more concerning. do u have the letter saying the county case was closed?? bring it and make 3 copies!!

The hearing will focus specifically on whether your employer had valid grounds to appeal. Since you have documentation showing the county case was closed before you even filed for UC, you're in a strong position. Make sure to present this evidence clearly. Regarding potential repayment: If the referee rules against you, you could be responsible for repaying benefits received since your initial approval. However, you may qualify for a fault overpayment waiver if you can demonstrate you provided accurate information throughout. For your paystubs, you need to upload them through your PA UC dashboard under "Provide Additional Documentation." The vague letter is unfortunately typical of PA UC communications. Since you started working in May, they're likely determining if you were eligible for partial benefits during your transition to employment.

FYI, I had something kinda similar happen w/ my ex-boss appealing after I got approved. The paperwork for the hearing will tell you the specific issue being contested. Your best bet is to fax a copy of that county dismissal letter to the referee office BEFORE the hearing and then also bring the original + copies to the hearing. I think the fax # should be on your hearing notice somewhere.

ur ex-boss is just being petty, they hate paying into the UC fund. same thing happened to me last year!!! if you have proof the case was closed they cant do anything about it. but the system is SO SLOW ugh

To directly answer your questions: 1. The hearing will address only the specific issue your employer raised - the alleged ongoing county case. Since you have proof it was closed, bring multiple copies. 2. About repayment: If you lose, yes, you could be required to repay benefits received since the initial approval, potentially with interest. However, you can request a waiver based on financial hardship. 3. For the paystub request: This is standard procedure when you report new employment. They're determining if you were eligible for partial benefits during May-June before you became fully employed. Upload these through your dashboard. 4. You should absolutely continue filing weekly claims until explicitly told to stop, even with your new job. Report all earnings accurately. I'd recommend organizing all your documentation chronologically. The hearing will likely be conducted by phone, so have everything laid out where you can quickly reference it.

Yes, you can have someone with you for support during the phone hearing. If you want them to speak on your behalf, you'll need to inform the referee at the beginning of the hearing. Otherwise, they can just be present to help you stay organized or provide moral support. Make sure you're in a quiet place with good phone reception, and have your evidence numbered and organized so you can refer to specific documents during the call. I'd suggest creating a simple outline of points you want to make so you don't forget anything important under stress.

I had to wait like 3 months for my appeal hearing too, PA UC is ridiculously slow!! When you finally get connected to the call be SUPER careful what you say. My friend accidentally contradicted himself during his hearing and lost everything. Don't volunteer extra info beyond what they specifically ask about!!! Just stick to facts about the county case being closed. Good luck!!

Have you tried calling the UC service center to get clarification on where to send the paystubs? I know it's nearly impossible to get through to them on the phone these days. I recently discovered a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a PA UC agent in about 25 minutes instead of spending days calling and getting busy signals. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 I used it when I had questions about my appeal process, and the agent was able to tell me exactly what documents I needed to bring and confirmed my hearing date. Might be worth it to get clear instructions about those paystubs before the deadline passes.

NOBODY HAS MENTIONED THE MOST IMPORTANT THING!!!! make sure u get on that phone call hearing EARLY!! my husband was 2 minutes late and they dismissed his whole case and he had to appeal AGAIN!!! set like 5 alarms!!!

To answer your question from earlier - yes, I did have to pay back about 6 weeks of benefits because I lost my appeal. But my situation was different - I didn't have solid documentation like you do. With your proof that the county case was closed before you even started collecting benefits, you have a much stronger position than I did.

One more important point: You mentioned you started your new job in mid-May, but you're just now getting the request for paystubs in September. Make sure you've been reporting your earnings correctly on your weekly claims since you started working. If you haven't been, you'll want to address that immediately by calling the UC service center. Unreported earnings can result in a separate overpayment issue beyond the appeal situation.

this happened to my cousin and the hearing people were actually really nice! don't stress too much, just be honest and have your proof ready. UC system is annoying but the actual referees are usually fair from what I've heard