PA UC made me file new claim after partial work - now payment delayed?

Ugh the exact same thing happened to me back in January!!! I was working like 15hrs at the grocery store while collecting partial and then got laid off completely. When I certified the next week the system made me file a whole new claim and my payments got held up for almost 3 WEEKS. Never got a straight answer about why either. The PA UC system is broken beyond belief 😡

this might have 2 do with your benefit year ending. when did u first apply for benefits? if its been close to a year they make u refile even if u were getting paid fine the week b4

This sounds like what's called a "job separation issue." When your employment status changes completely (from partial to total unemployment), the system sometimes triggers a new claim requirement to evaluate why you're now fully separated from the employer. PA UC needs to determine if you qualify under the new circumstances. Unfortunately this often creates a delay while they review the new claim. The system will likely place an "open issue" on your claim until they verify the reason for your complete separation (layoff, reduction in force, etc.). This is standard procedure but it shouldn't make you restart your benefit year - it's just a review process. You should check your dashboard to see if there's an open issue listed. If so, you'll need to contact UC to explain your situation and possibly provide documentation about your hours being cut completely.

They did this to me too and I had to wait almost a month before getting paid again! The stupid part was I had to keep filing my weekly claims even though I wasn't getting paid for them. Make sure you keep doing your weekly certs even if nothings coming in!!

I had success using Claimyr when I needed to reach a PA UC agent about a similar open issue situation. It got me through to an actual person in about 15 minutes when I'd been trying for days on my own. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 Once I got through, the agent was able to review my situation right away and remove the hold within the same call. My payment was released the next business day. Definitely worth looking into if you're in a time crunch with rent coming up. Their website is claimyr.com

Just a quick comment to say make SURE you're still doing your work search activities every week (applying to jobs) even during this weird limbo period!!! I messed up and skipped mine thinking it didn't matter since my claim was on hold and they disqualified me because of it! 😭

One time I had something similar happen, and it turned out my employer had actually contested my UC claim when my hours went to zero. They tried claiming I quit instead of being laid off! When your status changes from partial to full unemployment, your employer gets notified and has the chance to provide info about why you're not working anymore. Might be worth contacting your employer's HR department to see if they submitted anything to PA UC about your status change.

Quick update based on some comments: This is definitely a job separation review, not a benefit year issue since you're only 6 months in. The good news is that if your employer confirms they cut your hours completely (not that you quit), these issues can usually be resolved quickly once you reach a UC representative. Make sure you have documentation ready showing your reduction in hours. Text messages, emails from your employer, or recent pay stubs showing the decreasing hours will help. When you do reach someone, explain clearly that you were on partial benefits, and then your hours were completely cut - not that you quit. And yes, absolutely continue your weekly certifications and job search activities during this period. The system will retroactively pay you for weeks claimed once the issue is resolved as long as you've properly certified each week.

so did u use that claimyr thing? did it work?

What a stupid system. WHY can't they just put some kind of explanation in their stupid system when they make you file a new claim?? I swear they do this stuff on purpose to make people give up on getting benefits they're entitled to. Glad you got it fixed but it shouldn't be this complicated!!!