PA UC denied because home healthcare agency claims I'm still employable - but my client passed away!

You need to appeal this decision right away. PA UC gives you 15 days from the determination date to file an appeal. Make it clear in your appeal that: 1) The healthcare position was specifically to care for your family member who passed away, 2) You had no contact from the agency offering work between April-June, 3) Your primary job was the retail position where you were laid off, and 4) The healthcare role required specific skills for your family member that don't translate to general healthcare work. The fact they suddenly contacted you after your UC claim is suspicious and potentially retaliatory.

same thing hapened to me last yr!! i was working 2 jobs and got laid off from the main 1 but my weekend job said i could work more hours there if i wanted (but it was like 8hrs a week lol) and they denied my claim!!! fought it for MONTHS. so stupid

This is actually a complex UC situation that falls under "partial employment" rules. Here's what you need to know: 1. PA considers you eligible for benefits if you lose your primary source of income through no fault of your own, even if you have potential secondary employment. 2. The healthcare agency needs to prove they offered you "suitable work" that you refused without good cause. A complete change in job duties (from family caregiver to stranger care) could constitute good cause. 3. You should immediately gather: emails showing when they contacted you after filing, your original hiring paperwork specifying care for your mother-in-law, and documentation about your mother-in-law's passing. 4. In your appeal, emphasize that the healthcare position ended naturally when your care recipient passed away, and that no reasonable work offers were made until after you filed for UC. 5. Make sure to file your appeal using the PA UC portal or by mail within the 15-day window.

Been there, done that with PA UC. The system is BROKEN. They make it nearly IMPOSSIBLE to actually get benefits when you need them! I fought for 8 weeks to get my claim approved after a similar situation. If you need to talk to an actual person at UC (which you probably do), good luck getting through on the phone lines. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an agent in about 20 minutes instead of spending days redialing. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 Once I got through to an actual human, they helped me sort out my situation. The appeal process is frustrating but winnable if you have the documentation.

Omg this makes me so mad!!! These healthcare agencies do this all the time! They keep people on their "on-call" lists for YEARS even when they never actually offer you work, then contest unemployment claims. My cousin went through the exact same thing! I think it's because they have to pay higher UC tax rates if too many former employees collect benefits. FIGHT THIS!!!

Wait i'm confused... if they're offering you work now why don't you just take it? That seems easier than fighting for unemployment right? Maybe I'm missing something?

A few more important points for your appeal: 1. PA UC regulations define "suitable work" based on several factors including your skills, experience, and normal occupation. If you were hired specifically as a family caregiver with no healthcare training, offering general healthcare work may not qualify as "suitable." 2. If the healthcare agency never formally terminated you but also never offered you suitable replacement work after your mother-in-law passed, there's a strong argument that the position naturally ended (equivalent to a layoff). 3. Document the timeline precisely - when your mother-in-law passed, last day you were paid by the agency, when retail job laid you off, when you filed UC, and when healthcare agency suddenly contacted you with new clients. 4. Request a referee hearing where you can present your evidence verbally if your written appeal is denied. 5. Be prepared to explain why the new offered work doesn't match your qualifications, experience, or the original job you were hired to do.

One more suggestion - when you file your appeal, ask for a telephone hearing rather than an in-person one. It's easier to manage, and you can have all your documents spread out in front of you during the call. Also, Pennsylvania is an "at-will" employment state, which generally means an employer can't force you to accept a dramatically different job from what you were hired to do. Make sure to emphasize that you were hired SPECIFICALLY as a family caregiver, not as a general healthcare worker.

my brother works for a home health agency and he says they do this ALL THE TIME because it saves them money on their unemployment insurance rates. they keep everyone on the books as "active" even when they have no work for them. total scam. definitely appeal and mention that you suspect this is why they're suddenly contacting you after months of silence.

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this - it's incredibly frustrating when agencies pull this kind of stuff. I had a similar experience with a different type of caregiving situation. One thing that really helped me was getting a statement from someone who knew about the specific nature of your employment arrangement. Do you have any documentation from when your mother-in-law was receiving care that shows you were hired specifically as her family caregiver? Medical records, care plans, or even correspondence that mentions your relationship to the patient can be powerful evidence that this wasn't a general healthcare position. Also, if you can get any written confirmation of her passing date from hospice, hospital, or funeral home, that creates a clear endpoint for when your specific job duties ended. The fact that they waited until after your UC claim to suddenly offer work is really telling - make sure to screenshot and save every email they've sent you since filing. You've got a strong case here!