PA UC claim stuck in pending review for 5+ months - Will it expire before determination?

I feel your frustration!! My claim was also stuck in pending review for FOUR MONTHS. The system is completely broken. From my experience, your claim won't expire but you need to keep filing your weekly certifications even while it's pending review. If you don't keep filing, you could lose those weeks. You might want to try contacting the PA UC service center at exactly 7:59am - that's when I finally got through. Don't give up!

the claim stays open for the benefit year which is 52 weeks from when u filed. but if they dont make determination by then u might have to file new claim. happened to my cousin last yr

Unfortunately, your situation is all too common with PA UC right now. Since you've already involved your local representative, here's what you need to know: 1. Your claim will NOT expire while under review, even if it crosses the benefit year. The determination must be made on your original claim. 2. Continue filing your weekly certifications without fail. If your claim is eventually approved, you'll receive backpay for all properly filed weeks. 3. While claims are supposed to be reviewed in order, certain issue types get prioritized. Claims with simple eligibility questions move faster than those with complex separation issues or employer disputes. 4. If it's been more than 5 months, you can file what's called a "Request for Determination" directly with the service center. This form (UC-328) sometimes triggers a review sooner. Also, document everything - every call, every letter, every email. If you need to appeal later, this documentation will be crucial.

Have you tried using Claimyr to get through to PA UC? After 3 months of busy signals trying to reach someone about my pending claim, I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they got me connected to a UC rep in about 10 minutes. The rep was able to tell me exactly why my claim was delayed and escalated it to a supervisor. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 It was seriously the only thing that worked after months of frustration.

Your situation is frustrating but not unusual in the current PA UC system. To directly answer your question: claims do NOT expire while under review, even if they cross the benefit year boundary. The determination must be completed regardless of how long it takes. However, there's an important distinction between: 1. Claim establishment (the basic claim) 2. Weekly certifications (need to be filed each week) You need to continue filing weekly certifications even while your claim is pending review. Each weekly certification has its own time limit (typically you must file within 14 days of the week ending date), but the underlying claim determination has no expiration. If your claim is eventually approved, you'll receive backpay for all properly filed weekly certifications within your benefit year (52 weeks from filing date).

u should call them EVERYDAY. thats what i did. got thru after like a week of calling nonstop. sometimes the system is just stupid and ur claim gets stuck. they fixed mine right away once i got a person.

The whole system is rigged to deny people benefits they deserve!!!! I waited 8 MONTHS for my determination only to be DENIED for some made-up reason. When I called my state rep they said the same thing about not being able to do anything more than get it assigned. IT'S ALL LIES!!! The truth is they hope you'll give up because every claim they deny saves the state money. DON'T GIVE UP!!

I work for a different state agency (not UC) but interact with them occasionally. While I can't speak to your specific case, I can tell you that claims do remain active during review regardless of how long it takes. The one-year benefit year only affects how long you can collect benefits, not the determination process. One thing that might help: when you call, specifically ask if there are any "information requests" showing on your claim that you haven't responded to. Sometimes determinations are delayed because they're waiting for information they requested but you never received (mail gets lost, emails go to spam, etc.).

Omg my husband went through almost the EXACT same situation last year! His claim was pending for 7 months!!! What finally worked was emailing the UC executive director (not just calling the regular service center). I found the email address on LinkedIn and sent a very detailed but professional email explaining the hardship the delay was causing. His claim was magically "found" and processed within 2 weeks after that email. Sometimes you have to go above the regular channels.