PA UC stuck on 'pending for review' for 14 weeks - desperate for help

I was stuck in 'pending for review' for about 9 weeks last year. What finally worked for me was contacting my state representative. Their office has special contacts at UC who can look into claims. Did you actually speak with someone at your rep's office or just send an email? You really need to call them directly and explain the emergency situation with your utilities.

I sent an email last week but haven't heard back. I'll try calling their office first thing tomorrow morning. Do you think they can really help? It feels like nobody cares at this point.

OMG the same thing is happening to me!!! 11 weeks pending and NOTHING from them. called like 200 times and just busy signals. this system is BROKEN!!!

Try calling right when they open at 8:00 AM. That's the best time to get through. If you wait until even 8:15, you'll just get busy signals all day.

Have either of you tried Claimyr? I was stuck in pending for 8 weeks and couldn't get through to anyone. Used their service and got connected with a PA UC agent in like 20 minutes. The agent was able to see there was a verification issue on my claim and fixed it right there. Had payment within a week. Check out their demo video to see how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2. Their website is claimyr.com. Seriously saved me from getting evicted.

Never heard of it. Is it legit? I'm desperate enough to try anything at this point but don't want to waste more time on something that doesn't work.

The PA UC system is completely INTENTIONALLY dysfunctional. They DESIGNED it to be impossible to reach anyone. They WANT people to give up so they don't have to pay benefits!!! I went through the same thing and had to live in my CAR for 3 weeks while waiting. The state rep option is hit or miss depending on your district. Some reps don't care at all.

yea my rep never even called me back lol

That's what I'm afraid of. I'll try calling them but I need a backup plan too.

sorry ur going thru this. have u checked if theres an

I looked there first thing. It just says 'pending for review' with no explanation. No open issues are listed, no requests for documents. Nothing! That's what's so frustrating - I have no idea what they're even reviewing or what's causing the delay.

Contact PA 211 immediately about your utilities and rent situation. They can connect you with emergency assistance programs while you wait for your UC to come through. Also, about getting through to UC - if you call exactly at 7:59 AM and keep hitting redial until 8:00, you're more likely to get in the queue. If that doesn't work, you might need to use a service that connects you with an agent. When you do get through, ask for a supervisor immediately as they can potentially expedite claims stuck in review.

Thank you - didn't know about PA 211. I'll call them today. I've tried the early morning calling trick but no luck so far. I'll keep trying though.

@original poster - yes, Claimyr is legitimate. I was skeptical too at first. It's basically a service that keeps calling PA UC for you and then connects you when they get through. Saved me days of frustration. The key is that once you actually get through to a live agent, you need to emphasize the emergency nature of your situation (utilities shut off, potential eviction) and ask for an expedite based on financial hardship.

I'm going to try my state rep first thing tomorrow, but if that doesn't work I'll probably try this service. At this point I'd try anything to get this fixed.

One more thing - when your claim is finally processed, make sure to request backpay for all 14 weeks. Sometimes they'll only process the most recent weeks unless you specifically request all backpay. And document EVERYTHING - dates you called, who you spoke with, what they told you. This will be important if you need to file an appeal for any reason.

I've been keeping notes of all my attempts to contact them. Good tip about specifically requesting the backpay - I wouldn't have thought of that.

Did u ever get the monetary determination letter? Sometimes they need additional wage info and don't tell u

Yes, got that right away actually. Shows I qualify for $482/week. That's why this is so crazy - they've determined I'm eligible but just won't release the payments!

UPDATE: I just called my state rep's office and they told me they're getting SWAMPED with UC cases right now. Apparently there's a major backlog in the PA UC system affecting thousands of claims. The rep I spoke with recommended trying to get through to UC directly first since their office is taking 3-4 weeks to process assistance requests for unemployment issues due to the volume.

That's really discouraging news. I can't wait 3-4 more weeks. Think I'm going to try that Claimyr service tomorrow if I can't get through on my own. I'll update here if I have any success.

I went through this exact same nightmare last year - 12 weeks stuck on pending with no explanation. What finally broke it loose for me was getting through to an actual UC agent and discovering there was a "separation issue" flag on my account that wasn't showing up anywhere in the portal. The agent was able to clear it in literally 5 minutes once we talked. The problem is getting through to someone who can actually see what's causing the hold-up. Since your state rep is backed up, I'd definitely try that Claimyr service Jessica mentioned - it worked for my cousin too. Also, make sure when you do get through to ask specifically "what verification or separation issues are preventing my claim from being processed" because sometimes the agents won't volunteer that information unless you ask directly.