PA UC claim stuck in examiner queue after filing additional claim - will employer delay impact me?

Unfortunately, this is pretty standard with PA unemployment right now. The examiner CAN give your employer extra time to respond, but they don't always. When I had this issue in January, the rep also told me they'd 'expedite' my claim (seems like they say that to everyone), but it still took 3 weeks to process. The state rep inquiry is a good move though - mine called back within 4 days and was able to get my claim pushed through faster. Make sure you're still filing your weekly certifications even though you're not getting paid yet!

3 WEEKS??? I can't wait that long!! My rent is due next Friday. I'm definitely filing my weekly claims but it's so frustrating. Did you have to do anything special to get the state rep to help? The person I talked to just took my info but didn't sound very confident.

i had the EXACT same thing happen to me last month!!! employer never sent stuff in and my claim was stuck for like 5 weeks. kept calling and calling but couldnt get thru to anyone useful. finally my cousin told me about this service called Claimyr that got me thru to an actual PA UC agent in like 20 minutes instead of calling for days. check out their site claimyr.com they have a video showing how it works https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 saved me so much headache

5 WEEKS?!? That's insane! I'll check out that Claimyr thing if I don't hear back from the state rep by Monday. Did you have to do anything once you got through to an agent? I'm not sure what to say to make them actually help me and not just tell me to wait.

Just be careful with services like that. My brother used something similar (might have been the same one) and said it worked for getting through but the agent still couldn't do much to speed things up. Said it was 'in the examiner's queue' and there was nothing they could do to move it along.

I work with UC claims regularly as part of my job. Here's what's actually happening: When you file an additional claim, it goes into the examiner queue for review. The employer has 7 days to respond to the Form UC-45, but examiners can grant extensions if the employer requests one. However, there's an important distinction - if your previous benefit year is still active and this is just an additional claim after a temporary work period, they should be able to process it faster than a completely new claim.\n\nThe state rep inquiry is definitely your best option right now. They typically get responses within 3-5 business days. When the UC office receives an inquiry from a state representative, they flag the claim for priority review. Make sure you continue filing your weekly certifications during this time - when your claim is approved, you'll receive all back payments.\n\nOne more thing to check: log into your PA UC account and make sure there are no outstanding issues or information requests. Sometimes they need additional documentation but the notification gets missed.

This is really helpful, thank you! Yes, it's an additional claim within my benefit year - I was laid off in November, found seasonal work in February, and now that's ended. So it's not a completely new claim. I just checked my portal and don't see any information requests, just says 'additional claim' status. I'll keep filing weekly and hopefully the state rep inquiry speeds things up.

The whole PA UC system is COMPLETELY BROKEN!! I had an additional claim last year and waited 7 WEEKS before getting a single payment! Called hundreds of times, emailed, wrote letters, everything! The employers have all the power and UC doesn't care if we starve waiting for them to review claims. The state rep might help but don't hold your breath. Mine promised to help and then did NOTHING. The examiners are probably buried under thousands of claims and you're just a number to them. Good luck but prepare for a long wait!!

I don't think that's entirely fair. The UC system is definitely overloaded, but there are processes in place. When I had an additional claim issue last year, I found that specific language helps when talking to reps. Don't just ask about status - specifically mention 'financial hardship due to delayed benefits' and ask if there's a 'hardship escalation process.' Worked for me and I got paid within 10 days after being stuck for 2 weeks.

have u tried calling the employer to ask them to submit the paperwork? sometimes they just forget or don't realize ur waiting on them. i called my old boss directly and she sent it in that day and my claim was processed like 2 days later

That's actually a really good idea! I didn't think of that. I'll try calling HR tomorrow morning. The place I worked was pretty disorganized so they might have just forgotten about it.

Just wondering - did you check if you have an \

I just double-checked and don't see any open issues listed. I've been really careful about documenting my work searches even during the weeks I was working (just in case). The UC rep I spoke with didn't mention anything about that either, just the employer response.

Update on my earlier comment - I just remembered that after my state rep inquiry, I actually got an email from someone at UC about a week later. They asked for some additional information that supposedly had been

Thanks for the update! I'll definitely keep checking both my email and the portal messages every day. Maybe I'll even call the UC line again tomorrow using the tips someone mentioned about specifically asking about financial hardship. At this point I'm willing to try anything!

my brother works 4 pa uc (not supposed to tell anyone lol) but he says they're super behind on additional claims right now because of seasonal construction layoffs + school district summer breaks. he said they prioritize hardship cases and state rep inquiries first so ur on the right track

That's really good insider info, thank you! I'll definitely emphasize the financial hardship angle when I follow up.

Just to follow up on my earlier advice - I checked with a colleague who specializes in additional claims, and there's one more thing you should try. Call the UC helpline again, but instead of asking about the status, specifically request to speak with an examiner about your \

Thank you so much! I'll definitely try this tomorrow morning. I'll ask specifically about the status escalation form if they can't transfer me to an examiner. I really appreciate everyone's help here - feeling a bit more hopeful now about getting this resolved!

I went through something similar with PA UC last year and it's absolutely maddening how long these additional claims can take. One thing that helped me was documenting everything - dates of calls, reference numbers, names of reps I spoke with. When I finally got through to someone who could help, having all that information made them take my situation more seriously. Also, if you do call your employer's HR department like someone suggested, ask them to confirm they received the UC-45 form and get a name/date when they say they'll submit it. Sometimes they genuinely don't realize how urgently you need it processed. The financial hardship angle is definitely worth emphasizing - I mentioned I was at risk of eviction and that seemed to get more attention than just asking about status. Keep pushing and don't let them brush you off with generic responses!