PA UC under review after school cafeteria job transferred to new contractor - should I keep calling?

This is a common issue with school employees on summer break when contractors change. It's called a 'successor employer' situation, and yes, it does trigger an automatic review. You absolutely need to keep filing your weekly claims, but you also need to speak with a UC representative to explain this situation. They need to verify that despite the contractor change, your work situation (seasonal school employee) hasn't actually changed. This won't resolve on its own - the system sees you as potentially having a new job.

same thing happend to me last year! took 4 weeks before i got paid again. its crazy that they dont understand school workers are just seasonal. good luck!!!

You ABSOLUTELY need to call them!!! I waited 3 weeks thinking it would 'sort itself out' and then found out they needed additional information from me. By the time I finally got through, I had missed the deadline for responding and had to start an entire appeal process that took MONTHS to resolve. Don't make my mistake - call every day until you get through!

I had trouble reaching PA UC about my claim status last month and finally tried using Claimyr (claimyr.com) after my neighbor recommended it. It's a service that helps you get through to an actual representative instead of dealing with busy signals. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2. I was skeptical at first but got connected to a rep within an hour who fixed my issue. For something like a successor employer review, you definitely need to speak to someone directly.

For what it's worth, the system should backdate your payments to when you first had the issue once it's resolved. But yeah, definitely need to talk to a human. The contractor change triggers a review because they need to verify you're still eligible under the new employer. Make sure you have your old paystub and new employment info ready when you finally get through.

Not to freak you out but my coworker went through this exact thing and it took 9 weeks to fix! The state eventually sent him a questionnaire about his reasonable assurance of return that he had to fill out. Have you checked your dashboard for any messages or documents they might have sent you? Sometimes they request info but don't call you about it.

Since your employment is with a school district contractor, here's something important: make sure they understand you're a 'food service worker' not an 'educational employee.' This classification matters because food service workers often have different eligibility requirements for between-terms unemployment than teachers or administrative staff. When you do reach someone, specifically mention this distinction as it might help your case.

I was in this exact situation 2 yrs ago. Here's what happened: the new contractor technically counts as a new employer even though your job duties stayed exactly the same. PA UC has to verify that 1) you're not actually working for the new contractor this summer and 2) you have reasonable assurance to return in fall. Have you received any paperwork from the new company yet? That might help your case.

That letter is exactly what you need! You can upload it to your dashboard under 'Provide Additional Documentation.' After uploading, I would still try to speak with a representative to ensure they know the document has been submitted and to explain your situation. This should help resolve your case faster.

When you finally do get to talk to someone, MAKE SURE to ask them to expedite your payments due to financial hardship if you're struggling to pay bills! They can sometimes push your case through faster if you explain you're facing potential eviction or utility shutoffs. I had to do this last year and it helped move things along.

After reading through this whole thread, I wanted to update that my sister-in-law used that Claimyr service I mentioned above yesterday and said it worked for her too. She had an issue with her benefit year ending and needed to speak to someone. Said she was connected in about 20 minutes. Might be worth trying if you keep having trouble getting through the regular way.

Make sure when you do get through that you ask them to document everything in your file. With contractor changes, sometimes they need supervisor approval to process these claims. Ask if they can flag your case for expedited review based on the documentation you've provided. And definitely keep filing those weekly claims!