PA UC online system won't let me reopen my claim - forced to call every time

YES!!! This is EXACTLY what happens to me too! Been dealing with this since March 2024. Login works fine but when I click "reopen claim" it just spins forever and then gives me an error page. Called 47 times last month before getting through. The lady on the phone told me I needed to clear my cache and use a different browser but that didn't help AT ALL. The whole system is designed to be frustrating so people will give up. 🤬

happened to me too but only lasted few months. think it depends on wat kind of claim u have. i had regular uc not the standby one. try logging in really early like 6am sometimes the system works better then

This is actually a known issue with the PA UC system that affects certain claim types. It usually happens when your claim has had specific status changes or if you've previously had certain types of issues (like an appeal or overpayment). When the system flags your account with these statuses, it sometimes restricts online access for certain functions. Unfortunately, most phone agents don't have the technical knowledge to understand why it's happening, which is why they just call it a "glitch." The only real solution is to speak with a tier 2 technical specialist, but regular agents rarely transfer you to them unless you specifically request it. Next time you call, ask to speak with a technical specialist about your online access restrictions. Be prepared to wait longer, but they can usually fix the issue permanently.

I had this same problem for 9 months and wasted so many hours trying to get through on the phone. Found out about Claimyr (claimyr.com) which connects you to a PA UC agent usually within 5-20 minutes instead of spending hours redialing. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 I finally got connected to someone who was able to fix my account so I could reopen online. Turns out my account was flagged because I had answered a question incorrectly on my initial application. Worth it to avoid the busy signal nightmare!

To answer your question - there's no direct number for technical specialists. You have to go through the regular UC number and request to be transferred. And yes, having an appeal in your history is one of the things that can trigger this access restriction. It's supposed to be temporary but sometimes the system never removes the flag. The key is to be persistent with your request to speak with a technical specialist. Some agents will try to handle it themselves, but politely insist that previous agents have been unable to resolve the issue and you were advised to speak with a tier 2 specialist specifically about online access restrictions.

just to share my experience - i was having similar issues but mine turned out to be because i had an IP address from another state (was using a VPN). The minute i turned that off i could suddenly do everything online again. might not be your issue but wanted to share just in case it helps someone!

I wanted to share some good news! After reading all your suggestions, I called PA UC yesterday (used the Claimyr service that someone mentioned here - connected in 12 mins!) and specifically asked for a tier 2 specialist. The first agent tried to just "help me file over the phone" but I politely insisted on speaking to a specialist about my account restrictions. It worked! The specialist found that my account was flagged due to the appeal I had 18 months ago AND because I had reported partial income for a few weeks. They removed both restrictions and I just successfully reopened my claim ONLINE this morning! Thank you all for your help - especially the person who explained about the tier 2 specialists and the person who shared the calling service. After a year of frustration, it's finally fixed!

this happened to my brother too but his problem was he kept using Safari browser. when he switched to chrome everything worked fine