PA UC telephone nightmare - tried calling for 2 weeks with no luck
Been calling PA unemployment since the day after Thanksgiving and it's IMPOSSIBLE to reach anyone! Either get a busy signal or that annoying message saying 'we're experiencing high call volume' before it hangs up on me. I've tried calling right when they open at 8am, tried midday, even tried Friday afternoons. Nothing works! My claim has an 'unresolved issue' that's preventing payment and the online portal just says to call. How is anyone supposed to survive when you can't even talk to someone about your benefits? Does anyone know a direct number or better time to call that actually works?
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Jace Caspullo
Same thing happened to me last month. The regular number is completely useless. I spent THREE WEEKS trying before I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to an agent in about 45 minutes. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2. Basically they keep calling for you and then connect you when they get through. Was the only way I could finally resolve my open issue.
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Adriana Cohn
•Thanks for the suggestion! Did they actually help resolve your issue when you got through? I'm desperate at this point but nervous about using a third party service.
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Melody Miles
try calling at exactly 7:59am lol thats what worked for me
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Nathaniel Mikhaylov
•This is terrible advice. The UC service center doesn't even open until 8am. If you call at 7:59 you're just going to get the automated message that they're closed. The phone lines are programmed to only accept calls during official hours.
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Eva St. Cyr
Ugh I feel your pain!!! Been there done that got the t-shirt lol
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Kristian Bishop
Unfortunately, there's no secret number to bypass the queue. PA UC has been underfunded for years, and their phone system is overwhelmed. Here are a few strategies that might help: 1. Try calling Wednesday or Thursday afternoons around 3:30pm - slightly better odds based on my experience 2. Use the PA UC live chat feature on the website (though it has its own wait times) 3. Contact your state representative's office - they often have direct lines to UC staff 4. Make sure you've completely filled out any questionnaires in your dashboard 5. If your issue is about job search requirements or work search activities, double check that you've properly logged all required activities Also, what type of "unresolved issue" is it showing? Different issues have different resolution paths.
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Adriana Cohn
•It just says "unresolved issue" with no details. I've completed all the questionnaires I can find and submitted my work search activities every week. I'll try the Wednesday afternoon trick tomorrow and see if that works. The chat feature just puts me in another endless queue whenever I try it.
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Kaitlyn Otto
the entire unemploymint system is RIGGED against us!!! i been calling for MONTHS and never get thru. they do this ON PURPOSE so they dont have to pay us what we earned. meanwhile my landlord is about to kick me out bcuz i cant pay rent!!! the whole system is corrupt and broken. nobody cares about regular people trying to survive!!!!
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Axel Far
•While I understand your frustration, the system isn't designed to deny benefits to eligible claimants. PA UC is dealing with outdated technology and understaffing. The best approach is to be persistent and methodical. Have you tried contacting your state representative's office? They often have direct channels to help constituents with UC issues.
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Jace Caspullo
To answer your question about whether they resolved my issue - yes! When I finally got through using Claimyr, the agent was able to see that my claim had an employer protest that needed to be cleared. They took care of it right there on the phone and my payments started processing the next day. Worth every penny for me since I was about to miss another mortgage payment.
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Adriana Cohn
•That's really good to know, thanks. I might have to try it if I can't get through tomorrow using the afternoon strategy.
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Eva St. Cyr
I had a similar problem back in January and ended up sending an email to UCHelp@pa.gov with my claim details. Took about 10 days but someone actually responded and fixed my issue! Might be worth trying while you're also attempting to call.
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Kristian Bishop
•This is good advice. The email option sometimes works for simpler issues, though response times vary widely. Make sure to include your full name, last 4 of SSN, and claim ID number in the email so they can quickly identify your claim.
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Nathaniel Mikhaylov
I experienced something similar last year and discovered it was because I'd accidentally entered my previous employer's information incorrectly. The mistake caused an automatic flag in the system that required manual review. It might be worth checking if there could be any mistakes in your application that triggered the unresolved issue. Sometimes even small discrepancies between what you reported and what your employer reported can cause these issues.
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Adriana Cohn
•That's a good point - I'll double check all my employer info. I did work for two different companies last year, so maybe there's confusion about which one laid me off.
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Angelica Destiny
This system is absolutely rigged against people . I scheduled an appointment to go to career link to meet with a uc rep. They have had listed open issue for two months. I was told at office the person handling my claim may be on a leave of absence and if so they don’t assign to anyone else. I was also told they are an insurance company and are not in the business to pay people. So my claim may be held up because the rep is trying anything they can to screw me out of my benefits. I will be heading to my state reps office next week. The state needs to step up and put a stop to this garbage.
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