PA UC expedited review still pending after 12 weeks - normal waiting time?
I'm seriously at my wits' end with this PA unemployment situation. I've been stuck in 'review' status for almost 12 weeks now! I was told by a representative at week 9 that they would expedite my case, but here I am 3 weeks later with absolutely nothing changed. This is my first time filing for UC and I got laid off when my company downsized their accounting department. I've been religiously filing my weekly claims, doing my work search activities, and I can't get a straight answer about what's happening. I've managed to call and actually speak to someone THREE separate times (miracle, I know), and each time they assure me it's being 'processed' and now 'expedited' but nothing changes. Is this normal? Has anyone else been told their case was expedited only to continue waiting for weeks? I'm draining my savings and starting to panic.
20 comments
Carmen Vega
Unfortunately, this is pretty common with PA UC right now. When they say 'expedited' it doesn't always mean what you'd think. My claim was also 'expedited' at week 8 but still took until week 14 to resolve. The system is massively backlogged especially for reviews that require actual human eyes on your case. Have you received any specific reason for the review? Sometimes if it's coded as identity verification or employer dispute those take the longest.
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Yuki Kobayashi
•Thanks for responding. They never gave me a specific reason for the review! Just that it's 'pending review' without any details. That's part of what's so frustrating - I don't even know what they're reviewing or if there's anything I could do to help move it along. 14 weeks is insane... I don't know how people are supposed to survive that long without income.
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QuantumQuester
expedited doesnt mean anything they told me the same thing 2 months ago and i just got paid last week!!! the whole systems a joke tbh
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Andre Moreau
•same happened to me!! they said "expedited" in february and i didnt see a penny till mid-april. its all bs
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Zoe Stavros
There are a few things you should know about the PA UC review process: 1. Standard reviews are taking 10-16 weeks currently (yes, it's ridiculous) 2. "Expedited" typically means they flag it for faster processing, but that still means 2-4 weeks from when they expedite it 3. The type of review matters hugely - wage verification reviews move faster than separation issues 4. Your best bet is to keep calling weekly and specifically ask: "What type of issue/review is my claim under?" and "Is there any documentation I can provide to resolve this faster?" I worked in workforce development and while I don't work for UC directly, I can tell you persistence is key. Document every call - get the name of who you spoke with and what they told you. This can help if you need to file an appeal later due to timeliness issues.
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Yuki Kobayashi
•Thank you for this detailed response! No one ever told me what type of review it was, just that it was "pending review." I'll definitely call again tomorrow and specifically ask what type of issue they're reviewing. I've been documenting the dates I called but not the names - I'll start doing that too. Is there any specific department I should ask to be transferred to that might help more?
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Jamal Harris
I was in EXACTLY your situation in January. Called at week 8, they "expedited" it, and nothing happened for weeks. I finally got through to a claims examiner who told me they had everything they needed but were just backed up. Three days later my payments started coming through. The key was getting to a claims examiner not just a regular rep. I was getting desperate and tried Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through on the phone - it actually worked when I'd been trying for days on my own. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 Once I got through to an actual examiner, they resolved it quickly. Ask specifically to speak with a claims examiner about your review status.
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Mei Chen
•A claims examiner makes all the difference!! Regular reps just see 'pending review' and can't do anything but tell you to wait.
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Yuki Kobayashi
•Thanks for the tip about asking for a claims examiner specifically. I didn't know there was a difference! I'll check out that service too - at this point I'm willing to try anything to get this resolved. Did the examiner give you any explanation for why it took so long?
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Liam Sullivan
Is your employer contesting your claim? That's what happened to me and it caused a looooong delay. My manager told me they weren't contesting it, but apparently HR had automatically contested it without telling anyone. Worth checking if that might be your issue. BTW has anyone had luck with contacting their state representative? I've heard some people say that helps speed things up.
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Carmen Vega
•Contacting your state rep can absolutely help! My brother-in-law was stuck for 4 months until he reached out to his state representative's office. They have special contacts at UC and can often get things moving. It's ridiculous that it takes political intervention, but that's the reality sometimes.
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Amara Okafor
my cousin waited 16 weeks!!!! and then suddenly got all his payments at once. hang in there!
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Yuki Kobayashi
•16 weeks is insane, but at least he eventually got paid. I'm hoping when this finally resolves they'll backpay all the weeks I've been filing. Thanks for the encouragement.
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Zoe Stavros
One more thing to try: ask specifically if your claim is stuck in the "special examiner queue" - this is where more complex claims get sent, and they have the longest wait times. If so, you can request a "hardship prioritization" which can move you up in that queue if you're facing eviction, utility shutoffs, or medical hardships. Also, make sure you continue filing your weekly claims even while in review status. When they finally approve it, you'll only get paid for weeks you properly certified.
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Yuki Kobayashi
•I had no idea about the "special examiner queue" or "hardship prioritization"! Thank you so much for this information. I am definitely facing financial hardship at this point so I'll specifically ask about this option. And yes, I've been religiously filing every week even with no payments coming in. I've learned so much more from this forum than from the UC representatives I've spoken with.
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Andre Moreau
my sisters claim was under review for 10 weeks then DENIED for no reason!!! she had to appeal and THAT took another 6 weeks!!! PA UC is the absolute worst
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QuantumQuester
•thats terrible!! the system is completely broken, they expect us to just not eat or pay rent for months while they "review" everything
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Yuki Kobayashi
•Oh no, that's my nightmare scenario - waiting all this time just to be denied. Did she ever find out why they denied her claim? Was her appeal successful?
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Jamal Harris
Update on my situation - I ended up using the Claimyr service I mentioned (claimyr.com) to get through to someone, asked specifically for a claims examiner as others suggested here, and explained I was facing possible eviction if this wasn't resolved. The claims examiner was able to see my file had just been sitting there waiting for someone to look at it - no actual issues! She processed it on the spot and my payment hit my Money Network card two days later with all back weeks included. Sometimes it really is just about getting to the right person who can actually help.
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Yuki Kobayashi
•That's great news! Thank you for updating. I'm definitely going to try to reach a claims examiner tomorrow. It's so frustrating to think my file might just be sitting there with no actual issues. I'll let everyone know how it goes.
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