PA UC says employer never responded - am I automatically approved?

In most cases, yes, that's good news! When your employer doesn't respond within the timeframe (usually 10 days), the UC office typically has to make a determination based solely on your statement. Since they don't have any contradicting information from the employer, there's a good chance your claim will be approved. Still, nothing is 100% guaranteed with PA UC until you see that money hit your account. Keep filing your weekly claims while you wait!

DONT CELEBRATE YET!!! My employer never responded either and I still got DENIED!! The UC examiner called me 2 weeks AFTER telling me the same thing and asked a bunch of questions about why I left. They said employer not responding doesn't automaticly approve you!!! They can still decide against you based on YOUR OWN ANSWERS!!! Be prepared for more BS from them.

I had the exact same thing happen in January 2025. My employer never responded and I was approved about 3 days after the rep told me that. Just make sure you keep doing your work search activities (applying to jobs or going to workshops) and filing weekly claims. Even though your initial claim might be approved, they can still deny individual weeks if you don't meet the requirements. Good luck!

my boss didnt respond either and they approved me but then my boss appealed it like 5 weeks later and i had to pay everything back so just be careful

To answer your backdate question - yes, they did pay me for all weeks from when I first applied. And regarding the appeal comment - employers have 15 days to appeal after a determination is made, but that's actually pretty rare unless they have documentation that you were fired for willful misconduct or quit without cause. Did you leave on bad terms?

Hey, just wanted to suggest something that helped me when I was in your situation - I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to PA UC quickly when I was waiting for updates on my claim. After my employer didn't respond, I still had questions about the process and couldn't get through on the phone. Their service connected me to an agent in about 15 minutes instead of spending days redialing. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 that shows how it works. It was worth it to get definitive answers directly from UC about my specific situation rather than stressing about what might happen.

FYI - layoffs are usually pretty straightforward for UC approval as long as your employer confirms it was due to lack of work. Since they didn't respond, and that's what you told UC, you should be fine. Just keep all your documentation in case there are questions later!!!

I would absolutely upload that layoff letter to your dashboard under the documents section if possible! Having that documentation officially in your file will help if there are any questions later. And just to clarify something from earlier in the thread - while employers can appeal, if you were truly laid off due to lack of work and have documentation, you should be in a strong position even if they do appeal. The most important thing now is to keep doing your weekly claims and work search activities while you wait for the determination.

Update: Just got my determination letter today - APPROVED!! The letter specifically mentions that since my employer didn't respond, they made the determination based on the information I provided. Thanks everyone for the help and advice! For anyone in a similar situation, definitely keep filing those weekly claims while you wait. Now I just need to wait for the payments to process.

Congratulations Romeo! That's such a relief after all that stress and waiting. How long did it take from when they told you the employer didn't respond until you got the actual determination letter? I'm in a similar situation where my employer missed the deadline and I'm trying to figure out the timeline. Also really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences here - this whole UC process is so confusing and it helps to hear from people who've actually been through it!

That's awesome news Romeo! Really happy it worked out for you. I'm actually in week 2 of waiting after being told the same thing about my employer not responding. Your timeline gives me hope that I should hear something soon. Did you end up uploading that layoff letter to your dashboard like Marina suggested? I have similar documentation and wondering if I should do the same while I wait for my determination.

This is such helpful information for anyone dealing with non-responsive employers! I'm curious about one thing though - for those who were approved after their employer didn't respond, did you notice any difference in how quickly your weekly payments processed compared to normal claims? I've heard some people say there might be additional review periods even after approval when the employer was non-responsive, but not sure if that's true or just rumors. Also Romeo, congratulations on getting approved! Must be such a huge relief after all that waiting and uncertainty.

This whole thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm currently in week 1 of waiting after being told my employer didn't respond to PA UC's request. Reading through everyone's experiences - especially Romeo's successful outcome - gives me some hope. I was laid off due to company restructuring and have all my documentation ready. One question for those who went through this: did anyone get any kind of interim communication from UC between being told "employer didn't respond" and getting the final determination letter? Or was it just radio silence until the decision came through? The waiting is honestly the hardest part of this whole process!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now! Been waiting 2.5 weeks since filing and just got through to someone yesterday who told me my employer never responded either. It's so reassuring to see Romeo got approved and others have had success with non-responsive employers. I was getting really anxious about it since I've never filed for UC before and didn't know what to expect. Does anyone know if there's a way to check online if your employer responded or not, or do you have to call? The phone system is such a nightmare - took me literally 63 calls yesterday to get through to someone. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences here, makes me feel less alone in this stressful process!

Really glad to see this thread and Romeo's success story! I'm currently dealing with a similar situation - my employer didn't respond to PA UC's request either and I was told they'd process my claim based on my information alone. It's been about 5 days since that phone call and I'm anxiously checking my dashboard multiple times a day for updates. The uncertainty is killing me! I was laid off when my company downsized their department, so hopefully that's straightforward enough. Thanks to everyone who shared their timelines and experiences - it really helps to know what to expect. Going to take the advice here and upload my layoff paperwork to the dashboard today. Fingers crossed I get good news like Romeo did!

This thread has been so helpful for understanding what to expect when employers don't respond! I'm in a very similar boat - filed my claim 2 weeks ago and just found out yesterday that my employer never responded to PA UC's request for information. I was terminated during a "company restructuring" (aka layoffs) and have my termination letter and final pay stub showing the reason. Reading Romeo's timeline and successful outcome gives me hope! For anyone else going through this, I found that calling right when they open at 8am seems to be the best time to get through - only took me about 20 tries yesterday versus the 50+ I was doing in the afternoon. Going to upload my documentation to the dashboard today based on everyone's advice here. This whole process is so stressful but it's reassuring to see that non-responsive employers often work in our favor!

This is such a comprehensive thread with so many helpful real experiences! I'm currently in week 3 of waiting after my employer also didn't respond to PA UC's request. Reading through everyone's stories, especially Romeo's successful approval, gives me a lot of hope. I was also laid off due to company downsizing and have my separation paperwork ready to upload. The stress of not knowing and constantly checking the dashboard is real! Thanks to everyone for sharing their timelines and advice - it really helps to know we're not alone in this confusing process. Going to call first thing Monday morning at 8am using Carmen's tip to see if I can get an update on my status. This community support makes such a difference during such an uncertain time!

Just wanted to add my experience for anyone else going through this - I was in the exact same situation about 6 months ago where my employer didn't respond to PA UC's request. Like Romeo, I got approved within about a week of being told they didn't respond. The key things that helped me were: 1) Keep filing weekly claims even while waiting for the determination, 2) Upload ANY documentation you have about your separation to the dashboard immediately, and 3) Make sure you're doing your work search activities from day one. I see some people worried about appeals - while it's possible, it's actually pretty rare when you were legitimately laid off and have documentation. Most employers who don't respond initially aren't going to suddenly become super motivated to fight your claim later. The waiting is absolutely the worst part of this whole process, but based on all the experiences shared here, non-responsive employers usually work in your favor. Hang in there everyone - it does get better!

As someone who went through this exact situation last year, I wanted to share that non-responsive employers are actually pretty common in PA UC cases! I was also told my employer didn't respond and was approved about 5 days later. The thing that really helped reduce my stress was understanding that PA UC has specific deadlines for a reason - if employers can't be bothered to respond within their 10-day window, the system moves forward without them. It's not like they're doing you a favor, it's just how the process works. That said, I'd echo what others have mentioned about keeping up with your weekly filings and work search requirements even while waiting. The approval feels amazing when it finally comes through, but the real relief is when you see that first payment hit your account. Best of luck to everyone still waiting - based on all these stories, it sounds like most of you are very close to getting good news!