PA UC denial changed to approved but now showing 'disqualifying weeks' after career link registration

The 'disqualifying weeks' status happens when there's an unresolved issue with your claim. Since you mentioned two separate issues - the backdating attempt and the initial CareerLink registration problem - the system is likely still processing your eligibility. When the examiner told you that you qualify, he probably meant you qualify going forward once everything is resolved, not necessarily for backdated weeks. You need to call the PA UC office directly to have them explain what's happening with your specific claim. I recommend calling right when they open at 8am for the best chance of getting through.

Thanks for explaining. So do I need to wait for them to review the open issue, or should I be proactively calling? I've been trying to call for 3 days straight but can't get past the busy signals. Is there any way to see exactly what the disqualifying reason is through the online portal?

did you veryify you ID with ID.me befoer doing the carerlink stuff? sometimes that causes problems with the sytem and makes weeks show disqualified even when ur approved. happened to me and i had to do the id thing twice before it worked right

Yeah, I did the ID.me verification back when I first applied in January. The examiner didn't mention anything about needing to redo that part. Should I try doing the verification again anyway?

What you're experiencing is actually pretty common when reopening a claim that was previously denied. The system needs time to process the changes after a manual examiner intervention. Here's what's happening:\n\n1. The \

This is really helpful, thank you! I'll keep filing my weekly claims then. Is there a way to check if the system is still processing my changes, or do I just have to wait and hope?

I went through something similar last month! The UC system is INFURIATING with these weird statuses. After my examiner call, it took almost 2 weeks for my disqualifying weeks to change to payment status. BUT - and this is important - I had to call back to get the backdating issue fixed separately. They treat those as completely different issues even though it's all part of the same claim. Keep calling until you get someone on the phone who can help!\n\nAlso, make sure you're applying for jobs EVERY WEEK and documenting them properly. If you miss even one week of job search activities while this is getting fixed, they could use that as a reason to deny you again. The system looks for any excuse to disqualify you IMO.

Oh wow, I didn't realize backdating would be handled separately. That's so frustrating! I've been documenting all my job applications carefully so at least that part should be covered. Did you eventually get paid for the backdated weeks too?

have u tried using claimyr? i was stuck in the same boat with disqualifying weeks and couldnt get through on the phone for like 2 weeks. i used claimyr.com and got connected to an actual person at PA UC in like 20 minutes. they fixed both my issues right on the call. theres a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 was worth it for me instead of calling 100 times a day and getting nowhere

herd about that but wasnt sure if it was legit. might try it myself cuz im on week 3 of trying to call about my own issue

I hadn't heard of this service before. I'm going to check out that video right now. Two weeks of trying to call sounds exactly like what I'm going through!

The same exact thing happened to me!!! Denied initially for the same CareerLink issue, got it fixed, then had

Filing an appeal sounds like it might be my best option at this point. Did you file the appeal online or did you have to mail in a form? I'm starting to get really worried about paying bills so I need to get this resolved ASAP.

i think ur overthinking this. just wait a few days. the computer system is slow to update after an examiner makes changes. my boyfriends claim looked like that for a week after he fixed his career link thing and then magically changed to payment issued.

While sometimes the system does update automatically, the fact that there are two separate issues (the CareerLink resolution AND the backdating open issue) makes this more complicated than a simple system delay. Based on recent patterns with PA UC claims in 2025, disqualifying weeks with multiple issues almost always require additional examiner intervention.

One more thing - make sure you're checking your dashboard AND your message center for any correspondence about your claim. Sometimes they'll send a message requesting additional information about the backdating, and if you miss that message, your claim could remain stuck. Also double-check that you've completed all sections of your work search record correctly for each week. A single omission can trigger a disqualification.

Thank you! I just checked my message center and there's nothing new there. I've been filling out all the fields in the work search record - date of application, company name, position, contact info, and application method. Is there anything else I should be including that might not be obvious?

After reviewing all the advice here, I think your best path forward is:\n\n1. Continue filing weekly claims and maintaining perfect work search records\n2. Try to reach an examiner through phone or the Claimyr service mentioned above\n3. If you can't get through in 5 business days, file an appeal against the disqualification\n4. In the appeal, clearly explain that an examiner told you you're eligible and that you've completed the CareerLink registration\n\nThe backdating issue will likely need to be addressed separately, but getting your current weeks processed correctly should be the priority. Once your claim is properly activated, the backdating can be handled as a secondary issue.

This is a really clear plan, thank you! I'm going to try Claimyr tomorrow morning, and if that doesn't work, I'll start the appeal process. I appreciate everyone's help with navigating this mess!

I'm dealing with something very similar right now! My claim was also denied initially for the CareerLink issue, and I'm seeing the same "disqualifying weeks" status even after registering. The frustrating part is that the online system doesn't give you any clear explanation of WHY the weeks are disqualified when you know you've met the requirements. From what I've read in other threads, it seems like PA's system has a hard time automatically updating after manual examiner interventions. I'm planning to try that Claimyr service mentioned above since I've been trying to call for over a week with no luck. Has anyone had success getting through to an actual person using the regular UC phone line recently, or is it still impossible?

I'm going through the exact same nightmare right now! Got denied initially for not registering with CareerLink (my fault too), then an examiner called and said I was approved once I registered. Did the CareerLink registration, applied for jobs, reopened my claim - and now I'm also seeing "disqualifying weeks" for the weeks I just certified. It's like the system doesn't know what the examiner told me over the phone. The most frustrating part is there's no clear explanation anywhere of what's actually causing the disqualification now that I've met all the requirements. I've been trying to call for days but can't get through. This whole process feels designed to make you give up! Going to try that Claimyr service mentioned above since the regular phone line seems hopeless.

I'm experiencing the exact same issue! Denied initially for CareerLink registration, examiner called and said I qualified once I registered, did everything they asked, and now my certified weeks are showing as "disqualifying weeks" with no clear explanation. It's incredibly frustrating that the system can't properly process what the examiner verbally approved. I've been trying the regular UC phone line for over a week with zero success - just busy signals and disconnections. Based on all the responses here, it really seems like PA's unemployment system has a serious bug when handling manual examiner interventions. I'm definitely going to try Claimyr tomorrow since multiple people have had success actually reaching someone through that service. Has anyone who used Claimyr been able to get both the disqualifying weeks issue AND any backdating issues resolved in the same call, or do those really need to be handled separately like some mentioned?

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! It's honestly reassuring to see so many others going through the identical problem - examiner says you're approved after CareerLink registration, but the system still shows disqualifying weeks. I've been stuck in this limbo for about a week now. Like others mentioned, I've been completely unable to get through on the regular UC phone line. After reading through all these responses, I'm convinced this is a widespread system bug where manual examiner approvals aren't properly syncing with the automated claim status. I'm planning to try Claimyr first thing tomorrow morning based on the success stories here. It's frustrating that we have to pay for a third-party service just to reach our own state unemployment office, but at this point I'm willing to try anything. Will report back on how it goes! Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - at least we know we're not alone in this mess.

I'm going through the EXACT same situation right now! It's honestly both frustrating and oddly reassuring to see so many people experiencing this identical issue. I was also initially denied for the CareerLink registration, had an examiner call saying I qualified once I registered, completed everything they asked for, and now I'm stuck with "disqualifying weeks" showing up after certification. What really gets me is that there's zero transparency about WHY the weeks are disqualified when we've supposedly met all requirements. The disconnect between what the examiner verbally approved and what the system is showing is mind-boggling. I've been banging my head against the wall trying to reach someone on the regular UC phone line for over a week - nothing but busy signals and dropped calls. Based on everyone's experiences shared here, this definitely seems like a widespread system bug where manual examiner decisions aren't syncing properly with the automated claim processing. I'm convinced PA's unemployment system just can't handle these manual interventions correctly. I'm going to try Claimyr first thing tomorrow morning since so many people have had success getting through that way. It's absolutely ridiculous that we have to pay a third-party service to reach our own state unemployment office, but honestly I'm at the point where I just need this resolved. Will definitely update everyone on how it goes - we're all in this together trying to figure out this broken system!

I'm experiencing this exact same problem and it's driving me absolutely insane! Got the CareerLink denial initially, examiner called last week saying I qualified after registration, completed everything they requested, and now I'm seeing those same "disqualifying weeks" with zero explanation. What's really frustrating is that the examiner was so confident on the phone that everything would be straightforward once I registered with CareerLink and reopened my claim. But clearly their system doesn't communicate with itself properly when examiners make manual approvals. I've been trying the regular UC phone line for 6 days straight - either busy signals immediately or I sit on hold for 2+ hours just to get disconnected. It's like they've designed the system to make you give up. Reading through everyone's experiences here, I'm convinced this is a widespread bug where PA's computer system can't process manual examiner interventions correctly. The pattern is too consistent across all of us to be individual mistakes. I'm definitely going to try Claimyr tomorrow morning based on all the success stories shared here. It's absolutely ridiculous that we have to pay a third-party service to reach our own state unemployment office, but I'm honestly desperate at this point. My bills aren't going to wait for PA to fix their broken system. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences - at least now I know I'm not losing my mind and this really is a systemic issue!