PA UC question: No payment for waiting week after approval - is this normal?
Just wanted to share a quick update and ask a question. After being laid off on January 15th (company downsizing), I FINALLY got my unemployment claim approved yesterday! They sent the backpay for all the weeks I certified, which is a huge relief after waiting almost 6 weeks with zero income. But I noticed something weird - there's no payment for my first week of unemployment (the "waiting week" I think it's called?). I certified for it and everything shows properly in the system, but the payment amount shows $0 for just that first week. Is this normal? Do they really make you go an entire week with zero benefits even though you're legitimately unemployed? I thought maybe there was a problem with my claim for just that week, but everything else processed fine. My regular weekly benefit amount is $487 if that matters. Feels kind of unfair to lose a whole week of benefits when I was definitely eligible... or am I missing something?
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Noah Ali
Yes, the waiting week is standard in PA. Everyone has to serve one unpaid waiting week after filing an initial claim. It's basically a "deductible" week - you won't get paid for it, but you still have to certify for it. The good news is it only happens once per benefit year, so all your other weeks should pay normally as long as you meet all eligibility requirements.
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Aria Park
•Ugh, that's so frustrating! Thanks for confirming though. At least I know it's not a mistake with my claim. Still seems unfair to make people go a week without income when they've lost their job through no fault of their own.
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Chloe Boulanger
congrats on getting approved!! took me 8 weeks to get mine approved last year so you got lucky with only 6 weeks wait lol
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Aria Park
•Thanks! It definitely didn't feel lucky waiting that long with bills piling up, but I guess it could have been worse!
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James Martinez
The waiting week is SUCH A SCAM!! They do this on purpose to save money. Think about it - every single person who files loses a whole week of benefits. With thousands of people filing every month, the state saves MILLIONS by not paying that first week. It's just another way the system screws over working people who paid into unemployment insurance their whole careers!!!!!
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Olivia Harris
•Exactly!!! I lost almost $600 with my waiting week. And then they wonder why people get behind on bills when unemployed. Like we can all just magically afford to miss a week of income 🙄
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Noah Ali
•While I understand the frustration, the waiting week has actually been part of the PA UC system for decades. It's not a recent change or scam. Most states have a similar policy. The theory behind it is that it helps prevent claims for very short periods of unemployment and gives the state time to process your claim before benefits start flowing.
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Alexander Zeus
I went through this exact same situation back in November when I got laid off. The waiting week is definitely standard - every PA claimant has to serve one. BTW, if you had trouble reaching someone during those 6 weeks, for anyone else reading this who might be stuck waiting - I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual PA UC agent after trying for days with busy signals. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 Got connected to a rep in about 30 minutes instead of spending days getting busy signals. The agent was able to clear the issue that was holding up my claim.
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Aria Park
•Thanks for confirming about the waiting week. Wish someone had told me about that Claimyr service earlier - I spent SO many hours trying to get through on the phone. Will definitely keep that in mind if I have any more issues with my claim.
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Alicia Stern
Actually during the height of Covid they temporarily waived the waiting week requirement, so some people who filed in 2020-2021 didn't have to serve one. But they brought it back in September 2021. So now everyone has to serve a waiting week again. Make sure you're meeting your work search requirements going forward (applying to at least 2 jobs and doing 1 work search activity each week) or you could lose benefits.
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Chloe Boulanger
•oh thats why i was confused! i filed durig covid and didnt have a waiting week but my friend who just filed had one. makes sense now
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Aria Park
•Thanks for explaining that! And yes, I've been really careful about the work search requirements. Writing down all the jobs I apply for with all the details they ask for, plus I attended a virtual job fair that counted as a work search activity. Don't want to risk losing any more benefits!
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Gabriel Graham
my brother had this happen to i think its just how they do it now. he said it used to be different years ago but idk. did u get your reliacard yet? that took like 2 extra weeks after my first payment to show up and i was so confused
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Alicia Stern
•PA switched from ReliaCard to Money Network as their debit card provider in early 2024. So new claimants now get Money Network cards instead of ReliaCards. Just FYI for anyone reading this who might be expecting the wrong card type.
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Aria Park
•I actually opted for direct deposit instead of the debit card. Seemed simpler that way. But good to know about the Money Network change!
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Olivia Harris
When I got approved they told me the waiting week is like a "deductible" for unemployment. Every benefit year starts with one unpaid week. At least your backpay came through! I had to fight for 8 weeks to get mine because of an "open issue" that nobody would explain to me.
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James Martinez
•The "open issue" nightmare!!! I had three of them and NOBODY could tell me what they were! Just kept saying "keep claiming and wait for it to resolve" while I was about to get EVICTED!!! The PA UC system is BROKEN!!!
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Aria Park
•That's awful you had to wait 8 weeks! Yeah, I'm definitely grateful the backpay finally came through. I was getting really worried about making rent next month.
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Noah Ali
Just a tip - even though you don't get paid for the waiting week, it still counts toward your total eligible weeks in your benefit year. So if you're eligible for the maximum 26 weeks of benefits, you'll actually get paid for 25 weeks since the waiting week counts as 1 of your 26 weeks. Just something to keep in mind when planning your finances.
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Aria Park
•Oh wow, I didn't realize that! So basically you lose a week at both ends - you don't get paid for the first week, AND it counts against your total. That seems really unfair. Thanks for letting me know though, definitely helps with planning.
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