PA UC examiner review taking forever - any ways to speed it up?

ya this is normal unfortunately. system is completly broken. took me 7 weeks to get my claim approved last year. keep trying to call. thats all u can do really.

Have you tried emailing your state representative? I had a similar issue - my claim sat with an examiner for 6 weeks with zero progress. Finally emailed my state rep's office, explained my situation, and they contacted UC on my behalf. Claim was approved within 3 days after that! Most state reps have staff who specialize in helping constituents with state agencies like unemployment. Definitely worth a try at this point.

my sisters claim was stuck for 5 weeks after they said she needed to verify her identity even tho she already did. SO FRUSTRATING!! PA unemployment is the worst. keep filling your weekly claims tho, you'll get backpay when they finally approve u

I worked as a claims interviewer for PA UC a few years ago, so I can offer some insider perspective. The "assigned to examiner" status means your claim has been flagged for review due to something specific - could be employer contestation, earnings verification, separation reason issues, etc. Examiners are extremely overloaded, especially in Q1 2025 with the recent manufacturing layoffs. Your best options are: 1. Continue filing weekly claims (as you're doing) to ensure all backpay when approved 2. Check your UC dashboard for any correspondence or questionnaires that might be waiting for your response 3. If you see a message saying "Additional information required" anywhere on your portal, respond immediately 4. Try calling right when they open at 8am on Thursdays (typically lower call volume) Unfortunately, wait times of 4-8 weeks for examiner review are not uncommon right now. Just make sure you're responding to any correspondence and continuing to complete your work search activities each week.

I was in the EXACT same situation in January! Stuck on "assigned to examiner" for weeks with no way to get through on the phone. I finally used a service called Claimyr that got me connected to an actual UC agent in about 20 minutes instead of calling endlessly. They basically wait on hold for you and call you when they get a rep on the line. Cost some money but was worth every penny because the agent was able to see exactly what was holding up my claim (missing wage info from an employer) and pushed it through for review. Check out their video to see how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 Their website is claimyr.com if you want to try it. Honestly felt like a lifesaver after weeks of frustration.

dont forget to do your job search requirements every week!!!! even while waiting!!!! if you dont and they check youll be denied!!!!

The entire PA UC system is DESIGNED to be difficult!! They WANT you to give up so they don't have to pay benefits. I waited 11 WEEKS last year before getting approved. Called hundreds of times. When I finally got through, the person told me my claim had just been sitting there with no issues but nobody had reviewed it. They're deliberately understaffed to save money. It's disgusting how they treat people who are already struggling!

check ur mail too not just email. sometimes they send stuff in regular mail and if u dont respond in like 10 days they just close ur claim. happened to my roomate

Update on the state rep suggestion - just make sure you reach out to your STATE representative, not your federal one. The state reps deal with PA UC issues, not federal congresspeople. Might save you some time!