PA UC claim restarting issue when reporting seasonal college job holiday pay

sounds like u hit the wrong button somwhere. same thing happened to my cousin last yr. the system thinks ur situation changed when u said laid off

This system is GARBAGE!!!!! The PA UC computers are programmed to find ANY reason to make you reapply and delay your money!! When you said "laid off" after previously getting holiday pay it triggered their STUPID algorithm to think your status changed. Even though it's THE SAME SITUATION as before. They WANT you to get confused and give up!!!

You encountered what's called a "separation issue" in the PA UC system. For educators with summer breaks, your employment status is unique. When you reported holiday pay and then the next week reported being "laid off," the system detected what it thought was a new separation from employment, triggering a new claim. For seasonal education employees, you should answer that you're still employed (since you're technically still on the payroll and will return), but report zero earnings for weeks you don't work. Since you reported a new separation reason, the system followed its programming to start a new claim process. You'll need to call UC to explain this situation. They can potentially help you get that missed week's payment by explaining the educational employment relationship correctly.

I went through something similar with my school district job. For education employees, PA UC has special rules. You need to be super careful about how you answer those weekly questions. The trick is understanding you're still "employed" even during breaks when you have zero hours - it's just that you're not being assigned work. This is different from a true layoff. When it asks if you're still working, the correct answer is YES, but with zero earnings (except for that holiday pay). That way it doesn't trigger a new claim application. You'll definitely need to call them to sort this out though. It took me 3 days of constant calling to get through.

Have you tried using Claimyr? It helped me get through to PA UC when I had a similar issue with my claim. I was getting busy signals for days too, but Claimyr got me connected to an agent in about 30 minutes. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2. Their website is claimyr.com. It was worth it for me since I needed to fix an issue that was holding up multiple weeks of payments.

To clarify what others have said - with educational institutions, PA UC considers you to have "reasonable assurance" of returning to work after scheduled breaks. This affects how you should answer the weekly certification questions. Specifically for your situation: 1. You should answer "Yes" to still being employed 2. Report zero earnings for weeks with no work 3. Report any holiday pay for weeks it's received Educational employees have different rules than standard layoffs. Your holiday pay confirms you still have an ongoing relationship with the employer even during the break. Call PA UC and explain specifically that you're a seasonal educational employee who mistakenly reported a new separation. They should be able to fix the issue and restart your proper claim.

my sister works at a university and she says u should file an appeal for that week they didnt pay u. she says to explain it was a mistake in how u answered the question

I have exact same job situation at my community college! The UC system is super confusing for us. Last summer I learned to ALWAYS say I'm still employed even during summer break months. The key is that we have an expected return date. That's different from a true layoff. For the holiday pay week, you actually handled that right - it's just the following week where saying "laid off" triggered the problem.

Update on your options: 1. Continue with new claim - This is simplest but you'll lose that one week's payment permanently. 2. Appeal the new claim - File an appeal explaining the misunderstanding about your employment status as an educational employee. Include documentation showing your regular employment pattern and return date. 3. Contact UC directly - Explain that as an educational employee with reasonable assurance of returning to work, you mistakenly indicated a new separation when you should have reported continuing employment with zero earnings. Option 3 is fastest if you can reach them. If you decide to continue with the new claim, make sure to answer correctly going forward - always indicate you're employed but with zero earnings during non-work periods.

Just wanted to update that I got through to PA UC today using Claimyr after trying for 3 days on my own. The agent explained exactly what others here said - for educational employees, we should report still being employed but with zero earnings during scheduled breaks. She was able to fix my claim and release my payment for the missed week! So relieved.