PA UC denial after 10 weeks due to 'transportation issues' - need appeal strategy ASAP!

I successfully appealed a similar denial last year. Here's what worked for me: 1. Get documentation of alternative transportation options - bus routes near you, confirmation that you can use rideshare services, or neighbors who can give you rides 2. Get a letter from your mechanic with an estimated completion date for your car repairs 3. Find job postings in your field that are accessible by your alternative transportation methods to prove you're able to work 4. During the hearing, emphasize that this was a temporary situation and that you've always been willing to use alternative transportation Most importantly - be super prepared for your hearing date. Have all documents organized and practice explaining your situation clearly. The referee just wants to know you're actually able to get to potential jobs. Good luck!

same thing happend to me!! they twist your words around and use ANYTHING to deny you. i told them my car broke down once and they tried to deny me too but i won my appeal. just show them u have other ways to get to work like bus or uber or whatever

This entire system is DESIGNED to deny people. They train these agents to find any little excuse to flag accounts for denial. I had three different denials before finally getting approved. The transportation thing is one of their favorite tricks because it's subjective. For your appeal, get EVERYTHING in writing. Record dates and names of everyone you talk to. The appeal referee will actually listen to you unlike the regular UC staff who are just trying to clear cases as fast as possible. And KEEP FILING YOUR WEEKLY CLAIMS during the appeal process!! Many people don't realize this. If you win your appeal, they'll only pay you for weeks you properly certified.

If I were you, I'd try reaching PA UC directly again before your appeal hearing to see if they can just fix this misunderstanding. Sometimes you can get a different agent who actually listens and can correct the issue. It took me 14 calls over 3 days before I finally got someone helpful who fixed my issue without needing an appeal. If you're struggling to reach someone, I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to PA UC after weeks of busy signals. They have a service that basically waits on hold for you and calls when an agent is available. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 Might be worth trying before going through the whole appeal process, which can take 6-8 weeks for a hearing date.

had my appeal hearing last month, won bc I showed I could take the bus to jobs. bring printed bus schedules from areas ur applying to jobs in + the letter from mechanic saying car will be fixed soon. referee was actually pretty nice and understanding. very different experience from regular UC people.

Make sure you're still keeping records of your work search activities even while you're waiting for the appeal! I made the mistake of slacking off on that while my appeal was pending, and they tried to use it against me during the hearing. You need 2 work search activities per week in PA. And bring proof of those to your hearing too. The whole transportation issue is annoying because the law just says you need to be "able and available" for work - it doesn't specify you must own a working vehicle. Plenty of people take public transit to jobs!

how far away is ur appeal hearing? mine took almost 2 months to get scheduled! such a joke

One other thing - make sure to submit any evidence to the referee before the hearing. There should be instructions with your hearing notice. If you wait until the actual hearing to present documents, they might not accept them. Also, if your car is fixed before the hearing date, take date-stamped photos of the repaired vehicle and the receipt showing when the work was completed. That proves the issue was temporary.

i tried claimyr and it worked for me got through in like 30 mins after trying for days on my own

Just a heads up - even after you win your appeal, it could take 2-3 weeks for them to actually process the backpay. The whole system is frustratingly slow. But don't give up! With proper documentation and preparation, transportation-related denials are among the easier ones to get overturned on appeal.

I went through something very similar about 6 months ago - got denied for "transportation issues" when my car was in the shop for a week. What really helped me win my appeal was creating a detailed timeline showing: 1. Exact dates my car broke down and when it was repaired 2. Screenshots of bus routes from my address to at least 5-10 job locations I'd applied to 3. A sworn statement that I was willing to use rideshare/public transit for work The referee seemed most interested in seeing that I had actually researched realistic transportation alternatives rather than just saying "I'll figure it out." I also brought up jobs I'd applied to that were specifically accessible by bus during that time period. The whole appeal took about 7 weeks from filing to getting the decision, but I got all my backpay eventually. Stay strong - these transportation denials are really common but very winnable if you show you were genuinely able to work despite the car issue.

I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now! Got denied after being honest about temporary car trouble during a phone interview. Reading through everyone's advice here is giving me so much hope - especially seeing that multiple people have successfully won these transportation-related appeals. I'm definitely going to follow the suggestions about getting a mechanic's letter, documenting bus routes, and creating that timeline showing this was just a temporary issue. It's so frustrating that they twist honesty against you, but at least the appeal process seems more fair than dealing with the regular UC staff. Has anyone here had experience with how long it typically takes to get the hearing scheduled? I just filed my appeal yesterday and I'm worried about how long I'll be waiting without any income.