PA UC appeal hearing - employer no-show, how long for verdict?

same happened with me in january. took 22 days to get my decision letter in the mail. and yeah the employer no-show usually helps your case ALOT

When an employer doesn't appear at a UC appeal hearing, it typically works in your favor because they aren't present to dispute your version of events. However, the referee will still make a decision based on all available evidence, including any documentation your employer may have submitted before the hearing. Regarding timing, PA UC is supposed to issue decisions within 30 days, but in my experience helping claimants through appeals, it's usually 2-3 weeks. If you don't receive anything after 25 days, I'd recommend contacting the UC Service Center to check on the status. Make sure you continue filing your weekly claims during this waiting period. If your appeal is successful, you'll receive all back payments for eligible weeks.

I went through an appeal hearing in April 2025 and my employer was a no-show too. The referee specifically told me that the burden of proof falls on the employer to prove misconduct in most cases. When they don't show up, they can't provide that proof. I received my decision in 16 days and it was in my favor. The decision will come both through regular mail and will appear in your PA UC dashboard under the "Determinations" section. One tip that helped me: If you're really anxious about the wait, you can try calling the Referee Office directly (not the main UC number) where your hearing was held. Sometimes they can tell you if a decision has been made but just hasn't been mailed yet.

my hearing was last year and it took them 47 days to get me a decision!! and i called like everyday. pa unemployment is the worst seriously

I've been through 2 appeal hearings with PA UC (won both!). Here's what happens with no-shows: 1) Employer no-show DEFINITELY helps your case because they can't present contradicting evidence 2) The referee can only use whatever documents are already in the system 3) They still have to follow proper legal standards even with a no-show Timeline from my experience: - First appeal: 18 days to decision (employer showed up) - Second appeal: 12 days to decision (employer no-show) If you're desperate to reach someone at PA UC while waiting, I discovered a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual human when I couldn't get past the busy signals. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 It saved me hours of redial frustration when I needed to check my appeal status. Good luck!

NOBODY MENTIONING THE REAL ISSUE HERE!!!! Even if you win the appeal it can STILL take 2-3 weeks AFTER the decision for them to actually release your payments!!! This system is DESIGNED to make people give up. I won my appeal in February and didn't get paid until almost APRIL!!! The referee will probably rule in your favor if employer didnt show but that's just the START of your waiting game with these people!!!! 😡

my cousin just went thru this whole thing with her job at the hospital and they didnt show up either and she got her benefits like 2 weeks after the hearing i think employers not showing up happens alot actually

The fact that the employer didn't show up could potentially help your case, but it's not a guarantee. My employer didn't show up for my hearing but submitted a written statement beforehand that the referee still considered. I still had to answer all the referee's questions thoroughly. For timeline, my decision came exactly 21 days after the hearing. Make sure your mailing address is up to date in the system. One odd thing I noticed: my online portal status didn't change until a week AFTER I got the paper decision in the mail. So don't rely just on the website - watch your mailbox.

@OP to answer ur question from earlier - yes i won my appeal! they started paying me like 10 days after i got the decision letter. backpay came all at once on my unemployment card thing

I'm in a similar situation right now - had my appeal hearing last week and my employer was a complete no-show too! The referee seemed really annoyed that they wasted everyone's time. From what I've been reading online, it seems like employer no-shows are actually pretty common in PA UC appeals. One thing that helped me feel more confident during the hearing was that the referee explained they can only make decisions based on evidence that's actually presented. So if your employer didn't show up AND didn't submit any strong documentation beforehand, that really works in your favor. I'm also anxiously waiting for my decision - it's only been 5 days but feels like forever when you're stressed about money! Keep us posted on how it goes for you. Fingers crossed we both get good news soon!

I just went through this exact same situation about 6 weeks ago! My former employer was supposed to attend my PA UC appeal hearing but completely ghosted it. The referee waited about 15 minutes past the scheduled time and even tried calling them twice - nothing. In my case, it definitely worked in my favor. The referee explained that when an employer fails to appear, they lose the opportunity to present their side of the story or challenge any evidence I provided. Since the burden of proof is typically on the employer to demonstrate misconduct or other disqualifying factors, their absence really weakened their case. My decision came exactly 19 days after the hearing, and I won the appeal! The backpay hit my ReliaCard about 8 days after I received the written decision in the mail. One thing I learned during the process - even though your employer didn't show up, make sure you still answered all the referee's questions thoroughly and provided any supporting documentation you had. They still need to make a proper legal determination based on the evidence available. Hang in there! The waiting is brutal but employer no-shows usually work out well for claimants. Keep filing your weekly claims and checking your mailbox daily!

I went through this exact situation about 3 months ago with my PA UC appeal! My former employer was supposed to appear but never showed up or called in. The referee waited about 25 minutes and tried contacting them multiple times before proceeding without them. From what the referee explained to me, when an employer fails to appear at an appeal hearing, they essentially forfeit their opportunity to present evidence or challenge your testimony. Since the burden is typically on the employer to prove misconduct or other disqualifying factors, their absence significantly strengthens your position. My decision took exactly 17 days to arrive by mail, and I won the appeal. What really helped was that I had prepared thoroughly - brought all my documentation, answered every question clearly, and stayed professional throughout the hearing even though my employer was a no-show. One important tip: the decision letter will come by regular mail first, and your online portal might not update for several days after that. I kept checking online obsessively but the paper letter arrived 4 days before my portal showed the decision! The backpay process moved pretty quickly once I got the favorable decision - took about 10 days for all the retroactive payments to hit my ReliaCard. Keep filing those weekly claims during the waiting period because you'll get paid for all eligible weeks if you win. Employer no-shows are actually more common than you'd think, and in my experience, they usually work out well for claimants. Stay positive and keep checking that mailbox!

I went through almost the exact same thing last month! My employer completely ghosted my PA UC appeal hearing - they didn't even bother to call in or send anyone. The referee waited about 30 minutes and made several attempts to reach them before proceeding. In my case, it definitely worked in my favor. The referee explained that when employers fail to show up, they can't present their side of the story or dispute your testimony. Since they typically need to prove misconduct or other disqualifying factors, their absence really weakens their case significantly. My decision came in 20 days exactly, and I won the appeal! The whole backpay process took about 2 weeks after I got the decision letter. One thing I learned - the decision will definitely come by mail first, and your online portal might not update for days or even weeks after that, so don't rely on checking the website. Keep filing your weekly claims during this waiting period because if you win, you'll get paid for all those weeks retroactively. Employer no-shows happen way more often than you'd think, and from what I've seen in this community, they usually result in favorable decisions for claimants. The waiting is absolutely nerve-wracking when you have bills piling up, but try to stay positive. The fact that they didn't show up to defend their position is actually a really good sign for your case!

I had my PA UC appeal hearing about 6 weeks ago and my employer was also a complete no-show! The referee waited almost 30 minutes and tried calling them twice before proceeding without them. I was honestly shocked because they had been fighting my claim so aggressively up until that point. The good news is that it absolutely worked in my favor! My decision came in exactly 23 days and I won the appeal. The referee explained that when employers don't show up, they basically forfeit their chance to present evidence against you or challenge your testimony. Since they usually need to prove misconduct or violation of company policy to justify termination, their absence really hurts their case. One thing I noticed from reading everyone's experiences here - the timeline seems pretty consistent around 2-3 weeks, which matches what the referee told you about 30 days being the maximum. Mine came right in that window. My backpay hit my ReliaCard about 12 days after I got the decision letter in the mail. Make sure you keep filing those weekly claims because you'll get paid for every eligible week if you win! The waiting is absolutely brutal when you're stressed about rent and bills, but employer no-shows seem to have a really good success rate based on what I've seen in this community. Hang in there - you're probably in a much better position than you realize!

I just went through this exact situation about 2 months ago with my PA UC appeal! My former employer was supposed to call in for the hearing but never showed up or even bothered to contact the referee's office. The referee waited about 25 minutes and made multiple attempts to reach them before proceeding with just my testimony. This definitely worked in my favor! The referee explained that when employers fail to appear, they lose their opportunity to present contradicting evidence or challenge your version of events. Since the burden of proof is typically on them to demonstrate misconduct or policy violations, their absence significantly weakens their case. My decision arrived exactly 18 days after the hearing, and I won the appeal! The backpay process was pretty smooth too - all retroactive payments hit my ReliaCard about 9 days after I received the decision letter in the mail. A few tips from my experience: Keep filing your weekly claims during the waiting period, watch your mailbox instead of relying on the online portal (mine didn't update until almost a week after I got the paper decision), and don't stress too much about the timeline - most people seem to get their decisions within that 2-3 week window. Employer no-shows are actually really common in PA UC appeals, and from what I've observed in this community, they almost always result in favorable outcomes for claimants. The waiting is nerve-wracking when you have bills to pay, but you're probably in a much stronger position than you realize. Stay positive!

I had my PA UC appeal hearing about 5 weeks ago and experienced the exact same thing - my employer was a complete no-show! The referee waited around 30 minutes and tried calling them multiple times before moving forward with just my testimony. This absolutely worked in my favor. The referee explained that when employers don't appear, they forfeit their chance to dispute your version of events or present evidence against you. Since they typically need to prove misconduct or policy violations to justify denial of benefits, their absence really strengthens your position. My decision came in 21 days and I won the appeal! The backpay hit my ReliaCard about 10 days after receiving the decision letter. One important thing I learned - focus on checking your physical mailbox rather than the online portal. My paper decision arrived 5 days before my online account was updated. Keep filing those weekly claims during the wait because you'll get retroactive pay for all eligible weeks if you win. Based on everything I've seen in this community, employer no-shows are surprisingly common and almost always result in favorable decisions for claimants. The waiting is absolutely brutal when you're stressed about bills, but you're likely in a much better position than you realize. Hang in there!

I went through this exact same situation about 8 weeks ago with my PA UC appeal! My former employer was supposed to participate in the hearing but completely ghosted it - didn't call in, didn't send anyone, nothing. The referee waited about 20 minutes and tried contacting them twice before proceeding with just my testimony. This definitely worked in my favor! The referee explained that when employers fail to show up, they lose their opportunity to present evidence against you or challenge your testimony. Since the burden of proof is usually on them to demonstrate misconduct or other disqualifying factors, their absence really weakens their case. My decision came exactly 19 days after the hearing and I won the appeal! The backpay process moved fairly quickly too - all retroactive payments hit my ReliaCard about 11 days after I received the decision letter in the mail. A few things that helped me during the wait: Keep filing your weekly claims (you'll get paid for all eligible weeks if you win), focus on checking your physical mailbox instead of the online portal (my paper decision arrived 6 days before my online account updated), and try not to stress too much about the timeline - most decisions seem to come within that 2-3 week window. From what I've observed in this community, employer no-shows are actually pretty common in PA UC appeals and they almost always result in favorable outcomes for claimants. The waiting is absolutely nerve-wracking when you have bills piling up, but you're probably in a much stronger position than you realize. Stay positive and keep us updated when you get your decision!

I'm going through a very similar situation right now! Had my PA UC appeal hearing just 3 days ago and my former employer was also a complete no-show. The referee waited about 15 minutes and tried calling them twice before proceeding without them. I was honestly surprised because they had been so aggressive in fighting my initial claim. Reading through all these responses is giving me so much hope! It seems like employer no-shows are actually pretty common and almost always work out in the claimant's favor. The consistent timeline everyone's sharing (around 2-3 weeks) is also reassuring - much better than the horror stories you sometimes hear about PA UC taking months. I've been keeping up with my weekly claims like everyone suggested, and I'll definitely focus on checking my mailbox instead of obsessively refreshing the online portal. It's such a relief to see so many success stories from people who had their employers ghost the hearing. The waiting is absolutely brutal when you're stressed about bills, but this thread has been incredibly helpful. I'll make sure to come back and update everyone once I get my decision - hopefully it'll be another positive outcome to add to this collection of success stories! Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and timelines. This community is a lifesaver when you're going through this stressful process alone.

I had my PA UC appeal hearing about 4 weeks ago and my employer was also a no-show! The referee waited around 25 minutes and tried calling them multiple times before proceeding. It definitely worked in my favor - I got my decision in exactly 22 days and won the appeal. What really helped was that I had all my documentation organized and answered every question thoroughly, even though my employer wasn't there to challenge anything. The referee explained that employer no-shows are actually more common than you'd think, and when they don't appear, they can't present evidence to support their case for denying benefits. My backpay hit my ReliaCard about 8 days after I received the decision letter. One thing I learned - don't rely on the online portal for updates. My paper decision arrived almost a week before my online account showed any changes. Keep filing those weekly claims and try not to stress too much about the timeline. Based on everyone's experiences here, employer no-shows almost always work out well for claimants. The waiting is torture when you have bills due, but you're likely in a really good position. Good luck!

I just went through this exact situation about a month ago! My employer completely no-showed my PA UC appeal hearing - the referee waited 20 minutes and tried calling them twice before proceeding without them. It definitely worked in my favor! The referee explained that when employers don't appear, they forfeit their opportunity to present evidence against you or dispute your testimony. Since they typically need to prove misconduct or policy violations to justify denying benefits, their absence really strengthens your case. My decision came in exactly 24 days and I won the appeal! The backpay process was pretty smooth - all my retroactive payments hit my ReliaCard about 12 days after I got the decision letter in the mail. A few tips from my experience: definitely keep filing your weekly claims during the wait (you'll get paid for all eligible weeks if you win), focus on checking your mailbox instead of the online portal (my paper decision arrived 4 days before my online account updated), and try not to stress too much about the exact timeline - it seems like most people get their decisions within that 3-week window. From reading through this thread, employer no-shows are surprisingly common in PA UC appeals and they almost always result in favorable outcomes. The waiting is absolutely brutal when you're worried about rent and bills, but you're probably in a much better position than you realize. Hang in there and keep us posted when you get your decision!