PA UC denial after employer falsely claimed 'unprofessionalism' - no evidence or prior warnings given

This is actually pretty common. Employers sometimes claim misconduct after the fact to try avoiding UC charges to their account. Your situation sounds strong for an appeal because: 1. You have documentation showing 'no reason given' on termination paperwork 2. You received a recent raise (shows good performance) 3. No prior disciplinary actions 4. They paid you for days not worked (unusual for misconduct termination) At the appeal hearing, bring 3 copies of ALL documentation (termination paper, pay stubs showing raise, performance reviews). PA UC puts the burden on the employer to prove misconduct. Be professional, stick to facts, and specifically ask the referee to note the inconsistency between your termination paperwork and their UC claim. Also bring any emails/texts that show positive feedback or normal communication right before termination.

i had same thing happen. my boss fired me then told uc i was late all the time but never wrote me up for it. i lost my apeal bc i didnt have paperwork. bring EVERYTHING u have!!!!!

Just to give you some more details on the appeal hearing process: The referee will conference call both you and your former employer. You'll both give testimony under oath, and you'll have a chance to question your employer about why they're suddenly claiming unprofessionalism when no reason was given at termination. A few tips that helped me win my appeal: 1. Write down your timeline of events - when you were hired, last raise date, termination date 2. Practice explaining the situation calmly in 2-3 minutes 3. Let the employer speak first if possible - this often reveals inconsistencies 4. If your employer can't provide specific incidents of unprofessionalism with dates, the referee will likely rule in your favor In Pennsylvania, an employer must prove "willful misconduct" to deny benefits. Simply being "unprofessional" (without specific examples) doesn't usually meet that standard - especially when they gave no reason at termination.

Ugh, the system is so rigged against workers! I went through something similar and spent WEEKS trying to get through to someone at PA UC to explain my situation. Called literally 75+ times and kept getting busy signals or getting disconnected. So frustrating when employers can just make stuff up and we have to fight through this broken system!!

I won my appeal in this EXACT situation in 2024! Here's what worked for me: - I organized all my evidence in chronological order with a table of contents - I wrote out specific questions to ask my former employer like "On what dates did you inform me of unprofessional behavior?" and "Why does my termination paper state 'no reason given' if unprofessionalism was the cause?" - I stayed SUPER calm even when my employer started making up new accusations during the hearing - I specifically cited PA UC law that burden of proof is on employer for misconduct claims The referee actually stopped my employer multiple times when they couldn't provide documentation of warnings. My benefits were approved retroactively to my initial claim date. One more thing - if you had good attendance, bring proof of that too. Sometimes they switch to attendance issues when the original claim falls apart.

To answer your question about witnesses - yes, you can bring witnesses to your PA UC appeal hearing. Call the UC Appeals office at the number on your hearing notice and inform them you'll have witnesses. Your coworkers can participate by phone if they can't attend in person. Witnesses should be people with DIRECT knowledge about your work performance or termination. They should be prepared to answer specific questions, not just give character references. For example, if your employer claims you were rude to customers, a coworker who worked alongside you could testify they never observed such behavior. Having someone who was present during your termination meeting would be especially valuable if they can confirm no reason was given.

dont 4get to file ur weekly claims even while waiting 4 appeal!!! big mistake ppl make is stopping weekly claims during appeal process. if u win, they only pay u 4 weeks u filed!!!

Another important point - check if your employer is actually planning to attend the hearing. Many times employers don't show up, especially if they know their case is weak. If they don't attend, the referee generally only has your evidence to consider. You can call the UC service center (though it's hard to get through) to see if your employer has responded to the hearing notice. If they haven't, there's a good chance they won't participate. Also, even if you don't have witnesses, writing down specific questions for the referee to ask your employer can be very effective. For example: "Please ask my employer to provide the date of any written or verbal warnings about unprofessionalism" or "Please ask why I received a raise just before termination if my performance was problematic."

if u lose the first appeal DON'T GIVE UP!! u can appeal to the UC board of review. my friend lost his first hearing but won at the board level. he said its all about having documentation tho

UPDATE: Just got back from my hearing and I WON!!! The employer did show up, but they had ZERO documentation of any unprofessional behavior. The referee kept asking them for specific incidents with dates and they couldn't provide anything concrete. When I showed my termination paper with "no reason given" plus my recent positive performance review, the referee seemed really convinced. She even commented on how unusual it was to pay someone for days not worked if misconduct was involved. Thank you all SO MUCH for your advice - it truly made all the difference! Now I'm just wondering how long until I actually see payments? The referee said I should receive a written decision within 10-14 days, but didn't say when payments would start.