PA UC benefits while traveling: Do I answer 'no' to able/available & will payments resume automatically?

Yes, you should definitely answer 'no' to the able and available question for the weeks you're traveling. PA UC requires you to be able and available for suitable work, and being out of town means you're not available to accept work or attend interviews. When you return and start answering 'yes' again, your benefits should resume without any special steps needed. Just make sure you keep filing your weekly claims even for the weeks you're away - you'll get $0 for those weeks, but it keeps your claim active.

i did this last summer when i went to my cousins wedding for 10 days. just answer no for the able and available question and you wont get paid for those weeks but its fine when u come back. dont forget to do the work search stuff when u get back tho

BE CAREFUL!! I did this and ended up with a huge mess! When I got back and started answering YES again, my account got flagged for an 'issue' and my payments stopped for almost a month! Had to call them like 50 times before I finally got through to fix it. The system sometimes thinks there's something suspicious when you switch from NO to YES on the able/available question.

Yeah it was awful. When I finally got through to someone, they had to manually remove the "issue" flag from my account. The rep told me it happens sometimes when your answers change suddenly. I wish I'd known ahead of time I could've avoided the whole thing.

If your going to be away for two weeks and answer No to being able an available, I think it will cause your claim to go inactive. My sister did this last month and when she came back she had to call to get it reactivated which was a NIGHTMARE. You could be waiting weeks to get thru to someone at UC.

If you're really worried about having issues when you get back, you might want to try Claimyr to reach a UC representative before you leave. They helped me get through to someone at PA UC in about 25 minutes when I was dealing with an able and available issue last month. The service connects you with a PA UC agent so you can explain your situation and ask what to do. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2. Their website is claimyr.com - much better than spending days hitting redial.

My cousin had a similar situation when he went to Florida for his honeymoon and when he came back and started answering yes again everything was fine and his payments started again right away. But I think it really depends on your specific claim situation and whether you have had any issues before. Everyone's experience seems different with the unemployment system lol

One important thing to remember: You still need to complete your work search activities for any week you want to receive benefits. So the week you return, make sure you complete your required work search activities if you want to get paid for that week. And yes, definitely continue filing your weekly claims even when you answer 'no' to able and available. This keeps your claim active and prevents any gaps that could cause administrative issues.

Hey did anyone tell you about the 40% rule? If you're available at least 40% of the week, you can technically still answer YES to being able and available. So depending on which days you're gone exactly, you might still qualify for those weeks!

I went through this exact situation last year when I had to travel for a family emergency. Here's what I learned: definitely answer 'no' to able/available for the weeks you're traveling, but make sure you still file your biweekly claims to keep everything active. When I returned, my payments resumed automatically the next week I answered 'yes' - no issues at all. The key is being honest about your availability. Some people worry about temporary gaps, but PA UC expects this kind of situation and the system handles it fine as long as you're truthful and keep filing. Just document your travel dates in case anyone ever asks, and you'll be good to go. Enjoy the wedding!

I'm actually planning to travel for a wedding next month too, so this thread is super helpful! From what I'm reading, it sounds like the safest approach is to be honest and answer 'no' to able/available for the weeks you're gone, but definitely keep filing those biweekly claims. It's reassuring to see that most people who did this had their payments resume automatically when they returned. I'm bookmarking this thread for reference - thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!

I had a very similar situation when I traveled for my brother's wedding last fall - was gone for about 10 days. I answered 'no' to the able/available question for those weeks and continued filing my biweekly claims as usual. When I got back and started answering 'yes' again, my benefits resumed immediately with no problems whatsoever. The system handled it exactly as it should. One tip: I kept screenshots of my filed claims showing the 'no' answers just in case, but I never needed them. PA UC really does expect people to have occasional travel for family events, so don't stress too much about it. Just be honest about your availability and keep those claims filed every two weeks!

I just want to add another positive experience to help ease your concerns! I traveled out of state for 12 days last summer for a family reunion and handled it exactly like everyone is suggesting - answered 'no' to able/available for those weeks but kept filing my biweekly claims. When I returned and answered 'yes' again, my benefits kicked back in immediately with zero complications. The PA UC system really is designed to handle these temporary situations. One thing that helped me feel more prepared was calling the day before I left to verify this was the correct approach, and the representative confirmed it was exactly right. Don't overthink it - just be honest about your availability, keep filing those claims, and enjoy the wedding celebration with your family!

I went through this same situation about 6 months ago when I had to travel for my sister's wedding. I was nervous about it too, but it actually went really smoothly! I answered 'no' to the able and available question for the two weeks I was gone, made sure to keep filing my biweekly claims (even though I got $0 for those weeks), and when I came back and started answering 'yes' again, my payments resumed right away with no issues. The key is definitely being honest about your availability - don't try to game the system. PA UC expects people to have legitimate reasons to be temporarily unavailable, and family weddings absolutely count. Just make sure you jump back into your work search activities as soon as you return. Have a great time at the wedding and don't stress about this - the system handles it well when you follow the proper steps!

I'm so glad you asked this question because I was literally wondering the same thing! I have a destination wedding coming up in July and was stressing about how to handle the unemployment filing. Reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly helpful - it seems like the consensus is pretty clear: be honest about your availability, keep filing those biweekly claims even when answering 'no', and the system should handle the transition back smoothly. It's really reassuring to see so many people share positive experiences with this exact situation. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories - this thread is going to save a lot of people from unnecessary worry!

I just wanted to add my experience to this helpful thread! I was in almost the exact same situation last year when I had to travel for my cousin's wedding - gone for about 10 days. I followed the advice that everyone here is giving: answered 'no' to able and available for the weeks I was traveling, but made absolutely sure to keep filing my biweekly claims on schedule. When I returned and started answering 'yes' again, my benefits resumed automatically with zero issues. The whole process was much smoother than I expected! One thing I'll add is that I made sure to have all my work search activities lined up for the week I returned, so I could jump right back into meeting those requirements. PA UC really does handle temporary travel situations well when you're honest about your availability. Don't let the stress of managing this take away from enjoying the wedding - just follow the proper steps and you'll be fine!

I'm seeing a lot of great advice here, but wanted to add something important that hasn't been mentioned yet. When you're filing your biweekly claim for the weeks you're traveling, make sure you're also answering accurately about any work you performed or earnings you had during that period. Even though you'll be answering 'no' to able/available, you still need to report any freelance work, odd jobs, or other income accurately. Also, if your wedding travel spans across two different biweekly filing periods, you'll need to answer the questions appropriately for each specific period based on your actual availability during those exact dates. The system tracks everything by specific claim weeks, so just make sure you're thinking about which days fall into which filing period. This attention to detail will help ensure everything processes smoothly when you return!

I just wanted to say how incredibly helpful this entire thread has been! I'm in a very similar situation - I have a family wedding coming up in May where I'll be out of state for about 8 days. Reading through everyone's experiences has really put my mind at ease about how to handle this properly. It sounds like the overwhelming consensus is to be completely honest about your availability, continue filing those biweekly claims even when answering 'no' to able/available, and the system will handle the transition back smoothly. I especially appreciate all the practical tips people have shared, like keeping screenshots of your filed claims, having work search activities ready for when you return, and being mindful of which specific days fall into which filing period. It's so reassuring to see that PA UC actually expects and handles these temporary travel situations well when you follow the proper procedures. Thanks to everyone who took the time to share their real experiences - it's made what seemed like a complicated situation much clearer and less stressful!

I'm also dealing with a similar situation - I have a wedding to attend next month that will take me out of state for about a week and a half. Reading through all these experiences has been incredibly reassuring! It's clear that the key is just being honest about your availability and keeping up with those biweekly filings. What I'm taking away from this thread is that PA UC actually handles temporary travel situations quite well when you follow the proper steps. I was initially worried about creating complications with my claim, but seeing so many positive outcomes when people simply answer 'no' to able/available during travel and 'yes' when they return gives me confidence. Thanks to everyone who shared their real-world experiences - it's made navigating this much less stressful. Now I can focus on enjoying the celebration instead of worrying about my benefits!