PA UC referee decision received but confused about eligibility status - how do I interpret it?

look at the part where it says 'ORDER' in all caps. right under that it should say either eligible or ineligible. if it says eligible u won if it says ineligible u lost.

The referee decision can be confusing with all the legal terminology, but what you need to look for is very specific. After the 'ORDER' section, it should clearly state whether the Service Center's determination is affirmed, reversed, or modified. If it says 'MODIFIED', you need to read the following sentences carefully as it will explain how it was modified. The key is to look for language about Section 402(b) - if it says you're 'not disqualified' under this section, that's actually good news. Also check if there's any mention of 'claimant is eligible' or 'benefits are allowed' in that section. The fact that they referenced 'voluntary quit' suggests they were evaluating whether you had good cause to leave your employment.

I went thru this last yr and got so confused I ended up in TEARS!!! the paperwork makes NO SENSE to normal ppl! when mine said MODIFIED it meant they changed part of the decision but not all of it. had to call them like 50 times to figure it out!!!!!

If it says 'not disqualified under Section 402(b)' after the MODIFIED, you won your appeal! Congratulations! That section deals with voluntary quits, and they've found you had good cause. The document should explain when payments will begin - usually there's a section about 'payment of benefits' somewhere. If not, you'll need to log into your dashboard to see when payments are scheduled. The system usually takes 3-5 business days to update after a referee decision. You might still need to file your weekly claims while waiting. Don't forget the first week was probably your waiting week unless that was waived for some reason.

Yes, absolutely continue filing your weekly claims while waiting for the system to update! That's critical. To answer your original question more clearly: 1. 'Not disqualified under Section 402(b)' means you WON your appeal 2. 'Modified' means they changed something about the original determination 3. The 15-day appeal period is for either you OR the employer to appeal this referee's decision to the Board of Review If you want to try reaching someone to confirm, check out Claimyr.com - they can get you through to PA UC agents without the endless busy signals. They have a video explaining how it works here: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2. I used them after my hearing when I couldn't get through for two weeks and needed to know when my payments would start.

when i had my hearing in 2025 the whole system was such a JOKE!!! waited 4 months for hearing then another 2 months to get paid even tho i won my case!!! pa unemployment is so BROKEN its not even funny

Thank you everyone for the helpful information! I found where it says I'm 'not disqualified' so I guess that means I won my appeal. I'm going to keep filing my weekly claims and will give it about 2 weeks for the system to update before I start panicking. If I don't see anything happening by then, I might try that Claimyr service to actually get through to someone. I wish they would just make these documents more clear instead of using all this legal language!

Did u have a lawyer for ur hearing? Just curious cause my hearing is next month and trying to decide if I need one