PA UC employer appeal to Board of Review - how long until decision?

yep went through this last year. took 9 weeks for me to hear back but that was during summer when i think they have backlogs. board ended up agreeing with the referee in my case too

The Board of Review is typically taking 8-12 weeks for decisions in 2025. This is longer than their pre-pandemic timeline of 4-6 weeks. As long as you won at the referee level, you should continue receiving benefits during the Board review process. If the Board eventually rules against you, then you'd face an overpayment situation. But statistically, the Board upholds referee decisions about 65% of the time when the employee won initially.

I WAITED 14 FREAKING WEEKS for my board decision last year!!!! The system is BROKEN!!!! Called every day for weeks and couldn't get through to ANYONE who could tell me what was happening. Meanwhile my landlord was threatening eviction and my car almost got repossessed. PA UC is a JOKE when it comes to communication!!!

I've been through this twice with PA UC. The Board of Review has specific timelines they try to follow, but they've been consistently backlogged since 2023. One thing that might give you peace of mind is documenting everything. If you haven't already, write down the exact dates of your referee hearing, the decision, and when the employer filed their appeal. This can be helpful if you need to follow up. Also, if you're experiencing financial hardship while waiting, you might want to check with PA 211 for temporary assistance resources.

I had a really hard time waiting for my Board of Review decision too. What helped me was trying to reach someone at UC to check on the status. After struggling with busy signals for weeks, I found a service called Claimyr that got me through to an agent in about 20 minutes when I'd been trying for days with no luck. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 - the agent I spoke with was able to look up my case and at least confirm it was still in process and hadn't been lost. Gave me some peace of mind. Their website is claimyr.com if you want to check it out.

my friend waited 10 weeks but then got approved and another buddy only waited like 4 weeks but got denied so i don't think theres any way to know for sure how long or what theyll decide

btw while ur waiting make sure ur still doing ur work search requirements even tho ur still getting paid. my cousin messed that up during his appeal and had a whole separate issue to deal with

To follow up on the concerns about timeline - the Board of Review publishes their backlog statistics quarterly. As of Q1 2025, they're averaging 9.3 weeks for standard appeals. If you're approaching 8 weeks, you're actually getting close to a likely decision. One important thing to know: when the Board makes a decision, they mail it to both parties, but it's also posted to your dashboard before the mail arrives. Check your online account daily, as you might see the decision there 3-5 days before the physical mail arrives.

Last year my employer appealed twice and I was so stressed about it I couldn't sleep! Then it turned out they missed some filing deadline for the Board of Review appeal and it got dismissed automatically. Have you checked if your employer filed everything correctly?

Anyone else notice the Board seems to favor employers more than referees do? Or is that just my paranoia talking? I swear they operate differently.

I'm going through the exact same situation right now! My employer appealed my referee win to the Board about 6 weeks ago and I'm checking my dashboard obsessively every day. The waiting is the worst part - I keep having nightmares about having to pay everything back if they reverse the decision. At least hearing everyone's experiences here makes me feel less alone in this process. Fingers crossed we both get good news soon!

I'm in a similar boat - waiting 6 weeks now for my Board decision after winning at the referee level. My employer claimed I was fired for attendance issues but couldn't provide proper documentation at the hearing. The waiting is absolutely brutal and I keep second-guessing everything from the original hearing. What's helped me cope is setting up automatic transfers to a separate savings account with a small portion of each UC payment, just in case I do end up owing money back. That way if the worst happens, I'll at least have something set aside. The stress is real though - I've started seeing a counselor through my county's free mental health services because the anxiety was getting overwhelming. Hang in there Oliver, statistically the odds are in your favor since you already won once!

I'm in week 5 of waiting for my Board decision after my employer appealed my referee win. Reading everyone's experiences here is both comforting and nerve-wracking at the same time! My case was pretty straightforward - they claimed I quit voluntarily but I had clear documentation that I was laid off due to "restructuring" (aka they eliminated my position to save money). The referee saw right through their story but now I'm terrified the Board will somehow see it differently. Has anyone had experience with layoff vs. quit cases specifically at the Board level? I keep telling myself that if the facts were clear enough for the referee, they should be clear enough for the Board too, but the waiting is making me overthink everything!

I'm currently in week 8 waiting for my Board decision after winning a misconduct case at the referee level. My former employer claimed I violated company policy but couldn't produce the actual policy document or any written warnings during the hearing. The referee ruled in my favor pretty decisively, but like everyone else here, I'm a nervous wreck waiting for the Board decision. What's been helping me manage the stress is creating a daily routine that includes checking my dashboard once in the morning (not obsessively throughout the day like I was doing), keeping detailed records of all my job search activities, and putting aside 20% of each UC payment into a separate account just in case. I also started volunteering at a local food bank a few hours a week - it keeps me busy and reminds me that even if the worst happens, I'll get through it. Reading all your stories has been incredibly helpful. It's both reassuring and anxiety-inducing to see the range of wait times (4-14 weeks!), but the overall success rate for people who won at the referee level does seem encouraging. Fingers crossed for all of us still waiting! 🤞

I'm in week 4 of waiting for my Board decision after my employer appealed my referee win. This thread has been so helpful - it's amazing how similar all our situations are! My case was also misconduct related where they claimed I was insubordinate but had zero documentation to back it up. The referee saw through it immediately. What's really frustrating is how the system puts all this stress on us even after we've already proven our case once. I've been doing the obsessive dashboard checking too (guilty!) and losing sleep over potential overpayments. But reading everyone's experiences here - especially seeing that most people who won at referee level kept their wins - is giving me hope. I'm definitely going to try some of the coping strategies mentioned here like the once-daily dashboard check and setting aside some money each week just in case. The volunteering idea sounds really good too. We shouldn't have to go through this much anxiety after already winning our cases, but at least we're not alone in it! Hoping we all get good news soon. Thanks for sharing your experiences everyone - this community support means a lot during such a stressful time! 🙏

I'm in week 6 of waiting for my Board decision after winning at the referee level for a misconduct case. My employer claimed I was stealing time by taking long breaks but couldn't provide any time records or supervisor statements to back it up. The referee ruled in my favor pretty quickly, but now I'm dealing with all this anxiety waiting for the Board decision. Reading everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful - it's reassuring to know I'm not the only one going through this stress! I've been checking my dashboard obsessively too (probably 8-10 times a day which I know is ridiculous). The wait times you all are sharing range so widely that I don't know what to expect, but seeing that most people who won at referee kept their wins is giving me some hope. I think I'm going to try some of the coping strategies mentioned here - especially the once-daily dashboard check and setting aside part of each payment just in case. The volunteering idea sounds really good for managing anxiety too. It's frustrating that we have to go through all this additional stress after already proving our cases once, but at least we're supporting each other through it. Thanks for sharing your experiences everyone - hoping we all get good news soon! 🤞