PA UC benefits delayed because former employer won't respond to questionnaire - what can I do?

yep thats what happened to me last year. boss was mad i filed so he ignored everything. took 2 MONTHS to get my money. pa system is a joke

Have you tried contacting HR directly instead of your old manager? Sometimes the questionnaire gets sent to the wrong department and just sits there. Or maybe your boss is ignoring it because they fired you and don't want their UC contribution rates to go up. Worth trying to reach someone higher up in the company maybe?

After 30 days from when the questionnaire was sent, PA UC can make a determination based on the information you provided in your initial claim. Call them back and specifically mention that it's been over 30 days and request that they proceed with the determination without the employer's response. They're allowed to do this per UC regulations when employers fail to respond in a timely manner. Make sure to document the name of the representative you speak with and the date/time of the call.

I had the same exact problem!!! My employer was being petty and ignored everything cause he was mad I filed. I kept calling UC but couldn't get through cause it was always busy. Finally I used Claimyr to get through to UC and it worked on the first try! They connected me right away and the agent was able to move forward with my claim without my employer's input. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 and the website is claimyr.com. So much better than calling hundreds of times!

This happens so frequently it's ridiculous. The law actually says that PA UC must make a determination within 21 days of the claim being filed, but they rarely meet this timeline. As someone already mentioned, after 30 days from sending the employer questionnaire, they can proceed with a determination based only on your information. I'd recommend doing three things: 1. Call UC again and specifically reference the 30-day rule 2. When you speak with them, ask them to document in your file that you want an immediate determination based on claimant information only 3. Request that they escalate your claim to a supervisor for review By law, they have to review your claim even without employer input. If they don't, you can file an appeal based on timeliness.

My neighbor went thru this last year n the UC people told her 2 send a email 2 there boss reminding them they need 2 fill out the form!!!! She did it and her boss finally did the form next day. Maybe try that???

Just wanting to update you on something important - after the pandemic, PA UC changed their processes slightly. They can now make a determination after 30 days without employer response, but they won't always do it automatically. You MUST call and specifically request it. Also, prepare yourself for potential appeals if the employer suddenly responds after benefits are approved. Document everything and keep all communications with both UC and your former employer.

I'm dealing with EXACTLY THE SAME THING right now!!!! Been waiting since December for my benefits because my employer is claiming I quit (I didn't!!!) and now everything is stuck in limbo while they take their sweet time responding to UC. The whole system is designed to make us give up. IT'S CRIMINAL how they treat us!!!! I've called 100+ times this week alone and can't get through. Meanwhile bills are piling up and they don't care at all.

UPDATE: I took everyone's advice and called PA UC back today (had to try 25+ times to get through). I specifically mentioned the 30-day rule and asked them to proceed with determination based only on my information. The representative put me on hold for a while, then came back and said they've escalated my claim and will be making a determination within 48 hours! Thank you all so much for your help - I would have just kept waiting if I hadn't known to specifically ask about this.

That's great news! Make sure to check your dashboard daily and continue filing your weekly claims while you wait. Sometimes they'll approve the claim but you still need to have all your weekly certifications filed to actually get the payments.

Wow, what a journey! I'm so glad you were able to get through and get your claim escalated. This thread is going to be super helpful for others dealing with the same issue. The 30-day rule seems to be something a lot of people (myself included) don't know about. I'm bookmarking this post in case I ever need to reference it. Really hope you get your benefits sorted out quickly - 7 weeks without income is way too long. Keep us posted on how it goes!

This is such valuable information! I'm currently dealing with a similar situation where my employer hasn't responded to their questionnaire for over 5 weeks now. I had no idea about the 30-day rule - I've just been sitting here waiting and getting more stressed each day. Reading through all these responses has given me hope and a clear action plan. I'm definitely going to call tomorrow and specifically ask them to proceed with determination based on my information only. Thank you Ella for sharing your experience and everyone else for the helpful advice. It's frustrating that we have to jump through so many hoops just to get benefits we're entitled to, but at least now I know there are options!

This whole thread is incredibly helpful! I've been struggling with PA UC for the past 6 weeks because my former employer (a retail chain) hasn't responded to their questionnaire either. I had no idea about the 30-day rule or that I could specifically request they move forward without the employer response. I've been calling constantly but never knew the magic words to say. Reading Ella's success story gives me so much hope - I'm definitely calling first thing Monday morning and using the exact language everyone suggested here. It's ridiculous that we have to fight this hard for benefits we've earned, but I'm grateful for communities like this where we can share strategies and support each other. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and experiences!

This is such an eye-opening thread! I'm currently in week 4 of waiting for my benefits because my former employer (a small manufacturing company) hasn't responded to their questionnaire either. I had absolutely no idea about the 30-day rule until reading through all these responses. It's honestly shocking that PA UC doesn't inform claimants about this option upfront - how many people are just sitting there waiting indefinitely when they could be pushing for action? I'm definitely going to call tomorrow and use the specific language everyone mentioned here about "proceeding with determination based on claimant information only." Thank you Ella for sharing your experience and congrats on getting your claim escalated! This community is invaluable for helping each other navigate this broken system.