PA UC appeal hearing for voluntary quit - can I win with no transportation to work site?

I went through a similar hearing last year and won. For your case to be successful, you need to show you had a 'necessitous and compelling reason' to quit. Transportation impossibility can qualify, but you need to prove you tried everything possible to keep your job. During your hearing, focus on these points: 1. Document the distance (70 miles) and lack of transportation options 2. Provide any emails where you requested accommodation to work remotely 3. Show you tried to find solutions before resigning 4. Explain the shelter's network restrictions that prevented remote work Bring any texts or emails that show the company refused to work with you on alternatives. The referee will want to see you exhausted all options before quitting. If you win, payments usually start within 10-14 days, including back pay to your initial filing date.

Yes! Absolutely bring documentation from the shelter about their network policies. The more evidence you have, the better. Also, calculate and be prepared to explain exactly how much it would have cost you daily to commute 70 miles each way (gas/bus fare/etc), and compare that to your wages to show it wasn't financially feasible. Under PA UC law, a commute becoming impossible can be considered good cause for leaving employment if you can demonstrate there were no reasonable alternatives. If possible, get a written statement from the shelter confirming your residence dates and their internet restrictions. Bring a timeline showing when you became homeless, when the company changed their remote work policy, and your attempts to find solutions. During the hearing, remain calm and stick to facts. Don't criticize your employer or get emotional - just clearly explain the impossible situation you were in.

ur probly not gonna win tbh. PA UC is super strict about voluntary quits. my cousin quit bcuz his car broke down and couldnt get to work and they denied him. said he shoulda got a ride or something. hope im wrong but dont get ur hopes up

The UC system is DESIGNED to deny people!!! I quit last year because my manager was harassing me and even with PROOF I was denied initially and had to fight through 3 APPEALS before finally winning. The system is completely BROKEN. They're going to ask you why you couldn't find alternate transportation, why you couldn't find housing closer to work, why you didn't try harder, etc. Be prepared for them to blame YOU for YOUR HOMELESSNESS. It's disgusting how they treat people. If you lose, APPEAL AGAIN. Don't give up just because some bureaucrat decides your legitimate hardship isn't "compelling" enough for them!

I've been trying to reach PA UC for weeks about my own issue (benefit year ending) and it's impossible to get through on the phone. Always busy signals or disconnects. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent within 20 minutes yesterday. Might be worth using before your hearing if you have specific questions about how to prepare. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 Good luck with your appeal. The transportation issue seems legitimate to me, especially with the distance and your housing situation.

To directly answer your second question - if you win your appeal, you should get paid within 7-14 days after the decision is finalized. However, the referee may not make a decision on the spot - they sometimes take a week or two to review everything and issue their ruling. So realistically, if you win, you might be looking at 2-3 weeks total from your hearing date until money hits your account. For rent issues, if you win, you'll get a PA UC Money Network card with all your back benefits from your filing date, which should help catch up on rent. In the meantime, you might want to look into emergency rental assistance through your county.

One thing nobody's mentioned yet - during your appeal hearing, you should specifically use these exact words: "I had a necessitous and compelling reason to leave my employment." This is the legal standard the referee is looking for. Then explain how transportation was impossible due to: 1) distance (70 miles), 2) your housing crisis, and 3) the shelter's restrictions. Also, emphasize that this was a change in working conditions from when you were hired (assuming you were initially hired as remote or closer to the office). The employer changing conditions can strengthen your case. In my experience, appeals for transportation issues have about a 50/50 success rate. It really depends on showing you exhausted all options before quitting.

I had my appeal hearing over the phone last month and was sooooo nervous I could barely talk! Just remember to take deep breaths. Have all ur documents laid out in front of u and maybe write down some bullet points so u don't forget anything important when ur nervous. My hearing only lasted like 15 mins and the referee was actually pretty nice. I hope urs goes well!!

Something to consider: PA UC law recognizes that transportation issues can constitute good cause for leaving employment when: 1. The change in commute was due to factors beyond your control (becoming homeless) 2. The distance is prohibitive (70 miles definitely qualifies) 3. You attempted to resolve the issue before quitting Make sure you can show evidence for all three elements. Also, be prepared to answer why you waited until April to file when you left in January. The referee might ask about this gap - just explain your housing situation honestly and that you were focused on stabilizing before filing. If your employer shows up (they don't always), don't get defensive or argue. Let them present their side, then calmly explain your perspective.

Yes, bring any documentation of your housing situation during those months. This could include shelter intake forms, lease agreements (once you found stable housing), correspondence about looking for housing, etc. This helps explain the filing gap and supports your overall case that you were dealing with genuine hardship. One more tip: During the hearing, if your former employer attempts to claim you could have found alternative transportation, be prepared to explain exactly why each alternative wouldn't work (cost prohibitive, no public transit routes, etc.). The more specific you can be about why you had no viable options, the stronger your case will be.

I'm new to this community but have been following unemployment discussions for months while dealing with my own situation. Your case actually sounds pretty strong to me based on what others have shared here! A few things that might help that I haven't seen mentioned yet: 1. If you have any medical documentation about stress/health impacts from homelessness, that could support your case that you weren't in a position to handle a 140-mile daily commute even if transportation existed. 2. Consider bringing a printout showing gas costs for 70 miles each way - even if you had a car, that could be $30-40/day in gas alone, which might exceed your daily wages. 3. The fact that you were hired as remote originally is HUGE. This wasn't you taking a job knowing the commute - they changed the terms on you while you were dealing with a housing crisis. I've been lurking here learning from everyone's experiences, and from what I've read, cases like yours where there's a clear change in working conditions plus genuine hardship tend to have better outcomes than simple "I quit because I didn't like my job" situations. Wishing you the best of luck on Friday! The advice everyone's given here is solid - you've got a good community backing you up.

I've been following PA UC appeals for a while and your situation actually has several strong elements working in your favor. The key is presenting it as a "constructive discharge" rather than a voluntary quit - essentially, your employer created impossible working conditions by requiring in-person work when you had no feasible way to comply. Here's what strengthens your case: - You were hired as remote and worked successfully in that capacity for years - The company unilaterally changed terms during your housing crisis - 70 miles is objectively unreasonable, especially from a shelter - You made good faith efforts to find accommodation before resigning The timing gap (January quit, April filing) might seem problematic, but it actually supports your narrative that you were dealing with genuine housing instability and weren't just trying to game the system. One thing I'd add to the excellent advice already given: if possible, research what public transportation would have cost/taken. Being able to say "the only bus route would have required 4+ hours daily and cost more than my daily wages" shows you did consider alternatives. Keep your testimony focused on the impossible logistics, not on criticizing your employer. The referee needs to see this as a situation where any reasonable person would have had to quit.

I've been through the PA UC appeals process twice and want to offer some encouragement - your case actually sounds much stronger than many I've seen succeed. The combination of being hired as remote, the extreme distance (70 miles!), your housing crisis, and documented attempts to find alternatives creates a solid foundation for "necessitous and compelling reason." A few practical tips for your hearing: - Have a simple timeline written out (hired as remote → worked successfully → housing crisis → company policy change → attempts to accommodate → impossible situation → resignation) - If you get nervous, it's okay to pause and refer to your notes - The referee may ask hypothetical questions like "couldn't you have stayed at a different shelter closer to work?" Be prepared to explain why that wasn't realistic given your circumstances One thing that helped me was practicing my key points out loud beforehand. The phrase "I had no reasonable alternative but to resign due to the employer's change in working conditions during my housing crisis" captures your situation perfectly. Your employer may not even show up to contest it - many don't bother with appeals. But if they do, stay calm and stick to the facts. You've got documentation and a legitimate hardship case. Hang in there - Friday will be here before you know it, and you've prepared well!

Just wanted to chime in with some additional support - I work as a paralegal and have seen quite a few unemployment appeals, and your case has several strong legal elements. The fact that you were originally hired for remote work and then had the conditions changed during a personal crisis really strengthens your position under PA law. One document you might want to bring if you have it: any kind of written confirmation of your original remote work arrangement (offer letter, employee handbook excerpt, email confirming remote status, etc.). This helps establish that in-person work wasn't part of your original job requirements. Also, don't underestimate the power of being genuine and straightforward during your hearing. Referees can usually tell the difference between someone gaming the system and someone who genuinely had no choice. Your situation - losing housing, ending up in a shelter 70 miles away, company refusing accommodation - reads as a perfect storm of circumstances that would make continuing employment impossible for any reasonable person. You've gotten fantastic advice here from this community. Trust in your preparation and remember that you're not asking for something you don't deserve - you're asking for benefits you paid into when you were working. Best of luck on Friday!