PA UC claim stuck for 8 weeks with no payment - weekly claims filed but case 'under review'
My husband lost his job in March and immediately filed for PA unemployment. It's been 8 WEEKS now and he hasn't received a single payment! He got the approval letter showing his weekly benefit amount ($487) and the UC handbook. He's done everything right - filing his weekly claims every Sunday without fail, verifying his work search activities, everything. The online portal just shows his claim as 'under review' with no explanation. We're getting desperate at this point. He's called the UC number hundreds of times but it's always busy or disconnects. He finally managed to get through on the chat system yesterday and all they said was 'your case needs to be reviewed by an examiner' but couldn't give any timeline or reason. Our savings are almost gone and mortgage is due next week. Has anyone dealt with a similar delay? Is there anything we can do to get this moving? Some special number to call or office to contact? Why would they send approval letters if they weren't going to pay?
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Isla Fischer
I had the same issue in january. Turns out my claim got flagged for 'separation issue' review even though I was laid off. I finally got through to an agent after 3 weeks of trying who explained they needed more info from my former employer. Once that was cleared up, all my backpay hit my Money Network card at once. Did your husband's employer contest the unemployment claim? That's often why claims get stuck in review - the employer disagrees with the reason for separation.
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Logan Chiang
•His employer actually told him they wouldn't contest it since it was a company-wide downsizing. Should he try contacting his former HR department to make sure they responded to PA UC? I'm just worried because we've been waiting twice as long as you did with no progress.
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Miles Hammonds
omg ur situation sounds just like mine from last year!!! i waited 11 weeks b4 i saw a penny. the stupid system is DESIGNED to make ppl give up!! keep filing every week no matter what. when they finally approve it you'll get all the backpay at once. but yeah its totally normal for them to make u wait forever even when everything is correct 🙄
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Logan Chiang
•11 weeks?? That's insane! Did you do anything special to finally get it approved or did it just randomly go through one day?
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Ruby Blake
Have you tried reaching out to your state representative? This worked for me when my claim was stuck for 6 weeks. I emailed my state rep with my claim details and they contacted UC on my behalf. Had my issues resolved within 10 days after that. They seem to prioritize inquiries that come through government offices.
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Logan Chiang
•That's a great suggestion, I hadn't thought of that! I'll look up our state rep right now. Did you just email them or call their office? And what details did you need to provide?
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Micah Franklin
I actually just went through this exact thing. My claim was stuck "under review" for about 9 weeks and I was losing my mind. What finally worked for me was using Claimyr to get through to an actual agent. It's a service that basically calls PA UC for you and when they get through, they connect you to the agent. I watched their video demo (https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2) and then tried it through their website claimyr.com. Got connected to an agent in about 40 minutes who found that my claim had an "employer response" flag that nobody was reviewing. They cleared it right on the call and my payments started the next week.
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Miles Hammonds
•wait does this actually work?? i thought those services were scams! did they fix ur issue on the same day??
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Micah Franklin
•Yes, it worked for me! The agent I spoke with was able to see exactly what was holding up my claim and cleared the issue while I was on the phone. It wasn't a magic fix though - they just helped me actually talk to a real PA UC agent instead of getting busy signals for weeks.
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Ella Harper
Another thing to check - sometimes these delays happen when there's a discrepancy between the wages your husband reported and what the employer reported. Did he work any overtime or have variable income? Also, make sure he's doing the work search requirements correctly - PA UC requires applying to at least 2 jobs each week and documenting 1 additional work search activity. Messing that up can put a claim on hold.
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Logan Chiang
•He worked consistent hours with occasional overtime, but nothing unusual. And yes, he's been keeping detailed records of all his job applications (actually doing 4-5 per week) and logging them correctly in the system. The chat representative confirmed his work search activities weren't the issue, but didn't specify what WAS the issue. That's what's so frustrating!
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PrinceJoe
THE PA UNEMPLOYMENT SYSTEM IS A JOKE!!!! They make everything IMPOSSIBLE on purpose!!!! I waited 13 WEEKS last year before getting ANY money and almost lost my apartment. They don't care AT ALL about people struggling. My advice - keep calling 300+ times a day until you get through. That's literally the only way. The chat people have NO power to help with anything important.
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Brooklyn Knight
•While I understand your frustration, the delays aren't always intentional. The UC system gets overwhelmed with claims periodically. The representatives are actually trying to help, but they're limited by staffing and the aging computer systems. To the original poster: One specific thing that might help is calling right when they open (7:30am) on Thursdays or Fridays, which tend to have slightly lower call volumes than Monday-Wednesday. And make sure you're calling from the phone number listed on the claim - they prioritize those calls in the queue.
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Isla Fischer
After reading all the comments, I think your best options are: 1. Contact your state representative (as mentioned above) 2. Try to reach an agent directly either through persistent calling or a service 3. Have your husband check with his former employer to ensure they didn't contest the claim One thing to keep in mind - sometimes claims get flagged if there was ANY income reported during the waiting week or subsequent weeks. Even a final paycheck or vacation payout can trigger a review. Did your husband receive any final payments after his last day?
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Logan Chiang
•Yes! He did receive his final paycheck plus payout for unused vacation time about 2 weeks after his last day. He reported that on his initial application and in his weekly claims. Could that be causing the hold? Would the system eventually sort that out on its own or does he need to speak to someone?
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Isla Fischer
•That's very likely the issue! The system often flags claims with separation payments for manual review. The examiner needs to determine how to allocate that vacation payout - sometimes they count it as a lump sum, other times they spread it across weeks. He definitely needs to speak with an examiner to get this resolved. It won't fix itself automatically.
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Owen Devar
My cousins husband had his claim stuck for weeks too they finally got it fixed when they went in person to the PA CareerLink office? Maybe try that if you have one nearby they can sometimes help or at least tell you what's wrong
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Ruby Blake
•CareerLink staff can provide some general guidance, but they don't have direct access to the UC claim system. They often just end up calling the same UC number that claimants call. However, they might help identify if there's something obvious missing from the claim that's causing the delay. Worth a try if other options aren't working.
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