PA UC hearing question: Is telephone faster than in-person for overpayment waiver appeal?

Phone hearings are generally faster to get scheduled, but the actual hearing length is about the same either way. The real advantage of phone hearings is you don't have to take time off work to travel to the office. I've been through both types for PA UC issues. For your overpayment waiver, make sure you have: 1. All income documentation from the period in question 2. Proof that the overpayment wasn't your fault (emails, screenshots of your weekly claims) 3. Documentation showing financial hardship (bills, bank statements) 4. Notes about exactly why you believe you qualify for the waiver Good luck!

I HAD TO DO A PHONE HEARING last fall and it was a DISASTER!!!! The ref kept cutting out and couldn't hear half my answers. Then they ruled AGAINST ME saying I didn't provide enough evidence. IN PERSON is the ONLY way to go if you want them to actually SEE your documents!!!!!

my roomate had an overpayment thing hapn to him. he went in person and waited for like 5 hrs cuz they were backed up. phone prob better tbh

If you're having trouble getting through to someone before your hearing to ask questions or clarify anything, I highly recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com). It helped me get through to an actual PA UC agent when I was preparing for my appeal hearing last month. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 Talking to an agent before my hearing helped me understand exactly what documentation to prepare, and I ended up winning my case. Definitely worth it to get properly prepared!

Telephone hearings are generally scheduled faster than in-person ones because they can fit more of them into the schedule. The actual hearing itself takes the same amount of time either way. For overpayment waivers, the referee will be looking at two main things: 1. Was the overpayment your fault (did you knowingly provide incorrect information) 2. Would repayment cause financial hardship Bring detailed financial information showing your income, expenses, and any hardships. They're particularly interested in seeing that repayment would affect your ability to pay for necessities like housing, utilities, food, etc.

OMG I just went through this whole thing last month! I had a phone hearing for my overpayment waiver and it actually went pretty smooth. Took about 45 minutes total. Just make sure you're in a quiet place with good phone reception. Have all your papers organized and in front of you! I got approved for the waiver btw. They determined it was an agency error when they calculated my benefit amount. I had no way of knowing they were paying me too much!

my cousin works for the state (not unemployment but still govt) and she says phone hearings are way easier to schedule than in-person ones especially now in 2025 cuz they still have backlog from covid era claims

One more thing to add - for phone hearings, they'll typically send you all the exhibits they plan to reference during the hearing ahead of time by mail or email. Make sure you review all of these documents carefully before your hearing. If you don't receive them at least 5 days before the hearing, call the UC service center right away to make sure they sent them to the correct address.

I had an overpayment waiver hearing in February. I chose the phone option because I didn't want to miss a full day of work. My advice: write down exactly what happened and practice explaining it clearly before the hearing. The referee interrupted me a lot and I got flustered and forgot to mention some important details. Definitely prepare notes to refer to during the call!