PA UC claim suddenly asking me to reopen after only 2 weeks - employer hasn't responded yet

same thing happened 2 me! wait dont reopen yet!! when i got that message last month & clicked reopen it pushed my payments back by 3 weeks. try calling first its probably just a system glitch

This is a system issue that's been happening since they updated the PA UC portal last month. The "reopen claim" message is appearing for many claimants who've recently filed. Here's what you should do: 1. DO NOT reopen your claim yet - this can reset your benefit year and cause delays 2. Try logging out completely, clearing browser cache, and logging back in 3. If the message persists, call the UC service center first thing tomorrow The important thing is to continue your work search activities during this time and document them carefully. This way, even if there's a delay in processing, you'll be able to certify for those weeks retroactively when the issue is fixed.

Just to add some clarity - what you're experiencing is related to the system's automatic triggers when there's no certification for a certain period. Even though you certified last week, sometimes the timing between your initial filing and first certification creates this glitch. The official PA UC service center opens at 8:00 AM, but I recommend trying to reach them using Claimyr (claimyr.com) - it's a service that helps you skip the busy signals and connects you directly to an agent. Saved me hours of redial frustration last month when I had a similar issue with my claim. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 While waiting to speak with someone, log into your dashboard and screenshot the active claim status. This evidence might help when explaining your situation to the agent.

DONT REOPEN!!! I made this EXACT mistake when this happened to me in February. The system is COMPLETELY BROKEN and nobody at UC admits it!!! When you reopen, they treat it as a new claim and then you have to go through the whole verification process again AND they'll probably say you have an "open issue" that takes WEEKS to resolve. Call them first but GOOD LUCK getting through - I had to call 47 TIMES before getting someone!!! This department is a DISASTER!!!! 😡😡😡

I remember getting this message back in January when I filed for PA unemployment. From my experience and what I've learned since, the system sometimes triggers a "reopen claim" message if there's been ANY break in weekly certifications or if there's a timing issue between your initial filing and first certification. I actually did end up reopening as the website instructed, but only AFTER talking to an agent who confirmed it was the right step in my specific situation. Every claim is different! One thing to note - if your employer hasn't responded yet, that could be contributing to the system confusion. They have 7 days to respond, and sometimes the system gets weird right around that deadline. Definitely try to speak with someone before proceeding. Keep documentation of everything, including screenshots of your active claim status.

my cousin works for PA unemployment (not supposed to say that lol) but she told me they rolled out a new system update two weeks ago that's causing these weird glitches. the reopen message is a known bug theyre working on fixing. she said just call and theyll fix it on their end

anyways i forgot to mention when this happened to me i tried for 2 days straight to get through on the phone and kept getting busy signals. ended up using that claimyr thing someone mentioned above and got through in like 20 mins. just saying if ur in a hurry its worth it

Just wanted to check back - were you able to resolve this issue? Did you end up having to reopen your claim or did you get through to someone at the UC office? I'm asking because I'm helping my brother with a similar situation and wondering what worked for you.

This is such valuable information for anyone dealing with similar UC system glitches! I'm glad you shared the resolution - it really shows how important it is to speak with an agent before making any changes to your claim. The fact that it was triggered by the timing between your employer's response and your certification attempt makes total sense. For anyone else reading this thread, this is a perfect example of why the "call first, don't reopen" advice is so crucial. The PA UC system seems to have these timing-related triggers that can cause confusing messages, but the agents can usually fix them quickly once they understand what's happening.

Just wanted to add my experience here since I went through something very similar last month. I got the same "reopen claim" message after my second week of certifying, and like everyone else said - DO NOT reopen without calling first! I made the mistake of panicking and almost clicked through the reopening process, but thankfully found a thread like this one that warned against it. Called the UC office (took about 45 minutes of redialing to get through) and the agent explained it was a system glitch related to how their new portal processes employer responses. The whole thing was fixed in about 5 minutes once I got someone on the phone. They just had to reset something on their end and I was able to complete my certification immediately after. For anyone still dealing with this - the key is patience and don't let the system scare you into making changes to your claim. These glitches seem to be pretty common with the updated PA UC portal, but they're usually easy fixes once you reach an actual person. Good luck to everyone navigating this frustrating system!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm dealing with the exact same situation right now - filed my initial claim 2.5 weeks ago, did my first weekly certification with no problems, and now suddenly getting the "reopen claim" message when I tried to do my second certification today. My employer also hasn't responded yet (it's only been 5 days since I filed). Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful and honestly a huge relief. I was about to panic and just follow what the system was telling me to do, but now I know better. Definitely going to try calling tomorrow morning first, and if I can't get through I'll look into that Claimyr service people mentioned. It's really frustrating that PA's unemployment system has these glitches that can be so scary for people who are already stressed about losing their jobs. Thank you to everyone who shared their stories - this community support means so much when dealing with these confusing government systems!

Wow, this thread has been such a lifesaver! I'm going through the exact same thing right now - filed my claim about 2 weeks ago, completed my first weekly certification without any issues, and now I'm getting this confusing "reopen claim" message when I tried to certify today. My employer still hasn't responded to the claim either (it's been 6 days). I was literally about to click through the reopen process because I thought something was wrong with my claim, but reading everyone's experiences here stopped me just in time. It's incredible how many people are dealing with this same system glitch - you'd think PA would put out some kind of notice about it! I'm definitely going to try calling tomorrow morning before doing anything else. If that doesn't work, I'll check out that Claimyr service that several people mentioned. Has anyone had recent success getting through to the UC office by phone, or is it still taking forever to reach someone? Just trying to plan my day around potentially spending hours on hold. Thank you so much to everyone who shared their stories, especially @Genevieve Cavalier for the update on how it got resolved. This community really makes a difference when dealing with these stressful government systems!

I'm seeing this same pattern with so many people in this thread! It really seems like there's a widespread system glitch affecting new claimants around the 2-3 week mark. What's particularly concerning is that PA UC hasn't issued any official communication about this known issue - people are just stumbling into these scary "reopen" messages without any context. Based on everyone's experiences here, it sounds like the common factors are: 1) Claims filed within the last 2-4 weeks, 2) First weekly certification completed successfully, 3) "Reopen" message appears during second certification attempt, and 4) Often coincides with timing around when employers respond (or haven't responded yet). For anyone new to this thread dealing with the same issue - the consensus is crystal clear: DO NOT reopen your claim without calling first. Multiple people have confirmed that calling gets it resolved quickly, while reopening can cause weeks of delays and complications. It's really unfortunate that people have to rely on community forums like this to get accurate information about these system bugs. Hopefully PA UC will address this glitch soon or at least put out some kind of official guidance so people don't panic when they see these misleading messages.

This entire thread has been incredibly helpful - I'm bookmarking it for anyone I know who might run into UC issues! What strikes me most is how this system glitch seems to specifically target people right around the 2-3 week mark after filing. I wonder if it's related to some kind of automated review process that kicks in around that timeframe? For anyone just finding this thread: the pattern is clear - multiple successful filers have confirmed that calling PA UC directly resolves this "reopen" message quickly, while actually reopening your claim can cause major delays. It's frustrating that we have to rely on community knowledge to navigate what should be straightforward government systems, but at least we're all helping each other out! @Genevieve Cavalier thank you for following up with your resolution - that kind of closure is so valuable for others facing the same scary situation. Glad you got your payments back on track!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! Filed my claim about 16 days ago, first weekly certification went smoothly, but when I tried to certify today I got hit with that "reopen claim" message. My employer responded to the claim just yesterday, so the timing matches what others have described here. This thread has been absolutely invaluable - I was literally hovering over the reopen button when I found this discussion. The pattern everyone's describing is identical to my situation, and seeing @Genevieve Cavalier's successful resolution by calling gives me so much hope. It's honestly shocking that PA UC hasn't addressed this widespread glitch or at least posted a notice about it. People are already stressed from job loss and then the system throws these scary messages that could potentially mess up their benefits if they follow the wrong advice. Planning to call first thing tomorrow morning. If I can't get through the regular way, I'll definitely try that Claimyr service that multiple people have recommended. Will update this thread once I get it resolved - community knowledge like this is so much more helpful than anything official from the state!

This thread has been such a lifesaver for so many people! I'm dealing with this exact same glitch right now - filed my claim 18 days ago, first certification went perfectly, and today I got that terrifying "reopen claim" message. My employer just responded 3 days ago, which fits the pattern everyone's describing here. I was about to panic and reopen my claim until I found this discussion. The fact that so many people are experiencing identical issues at the same timeframe really shows this is a widespread system bug, not something we did wrong. It's incredibly frustrating that PA UC hasn't issued any official guidance about this known glitch - we shouldn't have to rely on community forums to avoid making costly mistakes with our benefits. Based on everyone's experiences, I'm definitely calling tomorrow morning before doing anything else. If the regular phone lines are jammed, I'll try that Claimyr service that multiple people have recommended. @Genevieve Cavalier thank you so much for updating us on your resolution - knowing that calling got it fixed quickly gives me hope! This community support makes such a difference when dealing with these confusing government systems during an already stressful time.