PA UC 'special project scheme system' open issue - can't get through since 8am! Need help urgently

Oh no, not the dreaded 'special project scheme system'! I had this EXACT same issue back in January. It's basically their system flagging your claim for additional review, usually because something triggered their automated fraud detection. In my case, it was because I had moved recently and my address didn't match what they had on file. It took me 3 full days of calling to finally get through. Try calling at exactly 7:59am before they officially open - sometimes you can get in the queue before everyone else starts calling. Good luck!

I'm currently a UC claims examiner, and I can provide some clarification on this. "Special project scheme system" is an internal code that typically means your claim has been randomly selected for additional verification. It's NOT necessarily fraud-related, just part of the UC department's quality control process. This happens to approximately 6-7% of claims each month. Standard procedure is that a claims examiner needs to review your file before payments can be released. Unfortunately, there's no way to expedite this process other than speaking directly with an examiner by phone. Be prepared to verify your identity and employment history when you do get through. Make sure you have your last employer's information and your ID documents ready.

keep calling keep calling keep calling. thats literally the only way. took me 178 calls last month to get thru for a different issue. system is completely broken

What does ur payment status say? Does it still say pending or does it say payment withheld?? That makes a huge difference with how soon ull get paid

the special project scheme thing is TOTAL BS!!!! i had this happen twice last year and BOTH TIMES it was just their system glitching. you need to keep calling but also send a message through the PA UC dashboard message center. document EVERYTHING. they'll probably backpay you but it could take 2-3 weeks to resolve. the whole system is designed to make people give up on their claims i swear

I've had the same issue twice in my benefit year. First time I waited and it resolved itself after about 9 days. Second time I called over 50 times before finally getting through to someone who fixed it in literally 2 minutes. The representative told me they're severely understaffed right now and have a backlog of these "special project" reviews. For what it's worth, I found the best time to call is Tuesday or Wednesday around 11:30am. Mondays are apparently their busiest day, and mornings are when everyone tries calling.

After struggling with this same issue last month, I finally got through using Claimyr (claimyr.com). It's a service that connects you with PA unemployment reps without spending your whole day redialing. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 Once I got through, the rep explained that "special project scheme system" is their internal code for claims that need additional verification due to various reasons - in my case it was because I had worked in two different states recently. The rep was able to clear my issue in about 10 minutes, and my payment hit my account the next business day. Just sharing what worked for me since I know how stressful these payment delays can be!

Yes, it absolutely worked for me. I was skeptical too but was desperate after trying to call for 3 days straight. The service connects you with a PA UC representative usually within an hour. Much better than making 100+ calls yourself. They don't handle your claim themselves - they just get you connected to the actual unemployment office.

special project scheme means ur claim is being reviewed manually. my husbands claim had this for 2 weeks!!! its so frustrating but once they finally looked at it he got paid the next day. u gotta just keep trying to call

Has anyone else noticed they seem to put these "special project" holds on claims right before holiday weekends or at the end of the month? I swear they do this on purpose to slow down payments when their budget gets tight. 🤔

UPDATE: I FINALLY got through!!! Called 26 times this morning starting at 7:55am. Got through at 8:22am. The claims examiner was actually super nice and explained everything. Apparently the "special project scheme system" was triggered because I had reported some part-time income from a side gig during my claim period. She just needed to verify the details. The whole thing took maybe 15 minutes to fix, and she said my payment should be processed and hit my account within 2-3 business days. Thank you to everyone who offered advice! What a relief!!!

Congratulations on getting through and resolving the issue! That's fantastic news. For anyone else dealing with similar "special project scheme system" issues, your experience really highlights the importance of persistence with calling early in the morning. The fact that it was triggered by part-time income reporting is also really helpful information - I bet a lot of people don't realize that even properly reported side income can sometimes flag these automatic reviews. Thanks for coming back to update us with the resolution!

This is such a great outcome! I'm dealing with a similar "special project scheme system" issue right now and your story gives me hope. It's really helpful to know that part-time income reporting can trigger these reviews - I also reported some freelance work recently so that might be what flagged mine too. The 7:55am calling strategy seems to be the real key here. I've been calling randomly throughout the day with no luck, but I'll try the early morning approach tomorrow. Thanks for sharing all the details about your resolution - it's so reassuring to hear that once you get through, they can actually fix these issues pretty quickly!