PA UC claim reopening after medical leave taking forever - faster than initial claim?
Hey PA UC folks, I'm getting worried about my unemployment benefits situation. I was getting payments fine for about 6 weeks after my nursing assistant position was cut to part-time hours. Then in January, I ended up with pneumonia and was hospitalized for 5 days. When filing my weekly claim for that hospital week, I honestly marked "unable to work due to medical reason." As expected, no payment for that week (totally understand). But here's where it gets frustrating - when I tried to file for the following week (when I was recovered and available), the system said I needed to REOPEN my claim! I never lost my job - I was just briefly on medical leave! Called PA UC after trying for 3 days straight and finally got through. The agent had me file to reopen the claim, but now I'm stuck waiting AGAIN. My initial claim took almost 9 weeks to process back in November/December, and now I'm already 14 days into waiting for this reopening to be approved. Anyone know if reopening approvals typically go faster than brand new claims? I'm really stressing about bills - especially since I'm still only getting part-time hours (around 18-22 per week). My benefit year doesn't expire until November 2025, so that shouldn't be the issue.
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Malik Robinson
Reopenings usually take 2-3 weeks, definitely faster than a new claim. The system automatically closes claims after any week you report as unavailable to work (even for valid reasons like medical). It's just how the PA UC system is programmed. You did the right thing by being honest about your hospital stay, though many people don't realize this triggers a claim closure.
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Emma Taylor
•That's such a relief to hear! I was panicking thinking I'd be waiting another 2 months. Do you know if the payments will be retroactive for the weeks I've been filing while waiting for reopening approval?
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Isabella Silva
same thing happnd to me last month when i had surgery!! waited 5 weeks for them to reopen it. its so stupid that they close ur claim just bc ur sick for a week!! like we're supposed to lie??
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Ravi Choudhury
•Unfortunately the law requires you to be "able and available" for work each week to receive benefits. It's not that they're punishing you for being sick - it's just how unemployment insurance is designed. The system is meant for people who CAN work but don't have work available, not for disability/medical situations. That's why it triggers a reopening.
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CosmosCaptain
If you're still struggling to get updates on your reopened claim after 3 weeks, I'd recommend trying Claimyr (claimyr.com) - it helped me get through to a PA UC agent in about 15 minutes when I was dealing with a similar reopening issue after a brief medical leave. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 that shows how it works. Much better than spending days hitting redial hoping someone picks up.
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Freya Johansen
•I used Claimyr too when I had an issue with my appeal. Got through to someone who actually fixed my problem instead of just telling me to wait. Wish I'd known about it months earlier!
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Omar Fawzi
wait why did u even tell them u were in hospital? they don't need to know that, i would have just filed normal
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Malik Robinson
•This is terrible advice. Lying on your weekly certification is fraud and can result in having to repay all benefits plus penalties. They cross-check medical records and employment data.
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Emma Taylor
•I wanted to be honest because I literally couldn't have worked that week even if offered. I was hooked up to IV antibiotics and oxygen! I don't want to risk fraud charges over one week of benefits.
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Chloe Wilson
My reopening took exactly 17 days to process back in December after I had to take care of my mom for a week. So yeah, WAY faster than a new claim (mine took 11 weeks to start!). The most annoying part is you still have to do weekly certs while waiting for the reopening to be approved, but at least they'll pay you retroactively once approved. Make sure you're still doing your work search activities every week while waiting! You need at least one job application and two work search activities each week or they can deny benefits.
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Emma Taylor
•Thanks for sharing your experience! Yes, I've definitely been keeping up with the work search activities and saving all the info. I'm on day 14 of waiting, so hopefully just a few more days based on your timeline. It's so stressful being in this limbo!
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Ravi Choudhury
I process UC claims (not in PA though), and yes, reopenings generally take 2-4 weeks while initial claims can take 6-12 weeks depending on complexity and volume. Keep filing your weekly certifications during this waiting period! When approved, all eligible weeks will be paid retroactively. One thing that can delay reopenings is if they need to verify your medical issue. Did they ask you to provide any documentation about your hospitalization? If they requested this and you haven't provided it, that could cause delays.
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Emma Taylor
•They didn't ask for any documentation yet, but I do have my discharge paperwork ready just in case. Do you think I should proactively upload it to my dashboard, or wait until they request it?
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Ravi Choudhury
•I would wait until they request it rather than uploading proactively. Their system is designed to process documents when they're specifically requested. Uploading before being asked could actually confuse things and potentially delay processing further.
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Omar Fawzi
PA UC is the worst!! took them 4 months to approve my claim and then another month for my card to arrive!! system is broken
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Chloe Wilson
•The Money Network card delays are ridiculous! You can actually call them directly at the number on the PA UC website to check if your card has been issued yet. Sometimes they mail it but don't tell you it's coming.
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Freya Johansen
Don't panic yet! My reopening was approved after about 3 weeks (compared to the 10 weeks my initial claim took). The waiting is super frustrating though - I was checking my portal like 10 times a day! One thing that might help speed things up: check if you have any messages or tasks in your dashboard. Sometimes they need additional info but the notification emails end up in spam.
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Emma Taylor
•Thanks, that's good advice. I just double-checked my dashboard and don't see any tasks or messages yet, but I'll keep checking daily. It's weird how the system works sometimes!
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Isabella Silva
has anyone tried contacting their state representative about speeding up claims? my sister did that and her claim was fixed in like 3 days after waiting for weeks
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Malik Robinson
•This is actually solid advice. State representatives often have liaisons who work directly with UC offices to help constituents. They can sometimes get things unstuck when normal channels are taking too long. Worth a try if you hit the 3-4 week mark with no movement.
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