PA UC forcing me to reapply after one week of no work hours - seasonal layoff nightmare!

This happens when the system detects a major change in your reporting pattern. Since you went from partial weeks to a complete zero-hour week, it triggers a review to make sure your employment situation hasn't fundamentally changed. It's actually standard procedure for seasonal workers, though they don't warn you about it ahead of time (which they absolutely should). You should be able to complete the reapplication quickly since it's the same employer, and then your benefits should resume. Make sure you indicate it's seasonal work during the reapplication so they don't accidentally classify you as permanently separated.

SAME THING happened to me last winter!!! I work landscaping so totally get the seasonal thing. UC system is GARBAGE and doesn't understand how seasonal work actually functions!!! Every winter is the same BS hoops to jump through. Good luck getting anyone on the phone - I tried for THREE WEEKS straight last year.

After dealing with the same issue last winter, I finally found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a PA UC rep in under an hour. They have this system that holds your place in line and calls you when an agent is available. Saved me days of constant redialing. They have a video demo that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 - worth checking out since your situation needs immediate attention. The agent I spoke with was able to fix the system and reactivate my partial benefits without waiting another week.

wait i thought if ur job is seasonal u cant get unemployment at all? my cousin works construction and they told him he wasnt eligibal in winter cuz its expected? did u get special approval or something

To directly answer your question: Yes, you should receive payment for the "gap week" once your reapplication is processed and approved. Make sure to file for that week even though the system says you can't yet. When your claim is reactivated, you'll be able to backdate your claim for the missed week. This is honestly one of the most frustrating aspects of PA's seasonal employment handling, and it happens to countless workers every winter. The system is designed for traditional layoffs, not the cyclical nature of seasonal work.

i had this exact issue last month!!! the pa uc website is the worst thing ever created. took me FOREVER to figure out what was happening. in my case, i finally reached someone who explained that becaus i had no earnings for a full week, the system thought my job had ended completely. the stupid part is they could just ASK us if were still employed or just temporarily not scheduled! anyway, after reapplying it took about 10 days for everything to start working again. make sure you keep doing your work searches even during this weird gap time.

You might want to check if you accidentally triggered the "job separation" flag in the system. One time when I was reporting zero hours, I selected "I didn't work at all" instead of "I worked but had no earnings" - two slightly different options that have hugely different impacts on your claim. The second option keeps your claim active while the first one makes the system think you've been laid off permanently.

Just to follow up on my earlier comment - once you get your claim reactivated, you'll need to specifically mention to the representative that you need to file for the missed week. It doesn't always happen automatically. Have you completed the reapplication process yet? The sooner you complete it, the faster you can get this resolved.

Just checking in - were you able to get through to someone? If you're still having trouble reaching PA UC, seriously consider the Claimyr option I mentioned. The pending review status can take 2-3 weeks during busy seasons if you don't get someone to manually review it. When I was in your situation, getting a live person to look at my claim made all the difference.

One last tip - make sure you're continuing to do and document your work search activities during this gap period. Even though you're waiting for the reapplication to process, you'll need to prove you were searching for work during this time when you file for that missed week. This is especially important for seasonal workers since the system scrutinizes these claims more closely.

This is exactly why I think PA UC needs to completely overhaul their system for seasonal workers! Your situation is so common yet they treat every zero-hour week like it's some kind of fraud red flag. I went through something similar working road construction - had to jump through all these hoops just because of normal winter weather delays. The fact that you've been honestly reporting partial hours for months should show them you're not trying to game the system. One suggestion: when you do get through to someone, ask them to put a note on your account that you're a seasonal construction worker. Sometimes this helps prevent the same issue from happening again next winter. It's ridiculous that we have to become experts in their broken system just to get the benefits we've earned, but at least documenting your work pattern might save you this headache in the future.

I'm dealing with the EXACT same thing right now! I work in landscaping and just had my first zero-hour week of the season. The system immediately flagged me for reapplication even though I've been filing consistently for months with partial hours. What's really frustrating is that my coworker who had zero hours two weeks ago didn't have this issue - seems totally random which accounts get flagged. I called the main UC line about 50 times yesterday and couldn't get through. The automated system just keeps saying "due to high call volume" and hangs up on you. Has anyone had luck with the early morning calls? I'm thinking of trying right when they open at 8 AM. This whole situation is making me want to just give up on UC entirely, but I can't afford to do that with winter lasting another month or two.