PA UC work search exemption with employer recall date - confused about CareerLink requirement

The agent gave you correct info. Even with a recall date, you still need to register with PA CareerLink as part of your UC requirements. The recall date exemption only applies to the weekly work search activities (applying to jobs, etc.), not to the CareerLink registration itself. Make sure your employer's letter clearly states the specific recall date (not just "possibly" returning) and submit that to UC through your dashboard. Keep a copy for yourself too in case of any issues. As long as the recall date is within 90 days, you should be exempt from the job search activities.

omg this exact same thing hapened to me last month!!!! its so confusing the way they word everything. i got the letter and freaked out started applying to jobs and everything. then my boss was like "why are you applying elsewhere we need you back in 3 weeks" lol. such a mess. get the letter for sure tho, i didnt and almost got my benefits stopped!!!

This system is such a joke. They make it so confusing ON PURPOSE so people give up or make mistakes! I had a recall date too and did everything right - registered, got the letter, etc. THEY STILL CUT MY BENEFITS OFF claiming I didn't meet work search requirements! Took 6 weeks to fix and I nearly lost my apartment. Make sure you document EVERYTHING and take screenshots of your CareerLink registration. The UC office is a disaster.

Let me clear this up: The work search requirement and CareerLink registration are two separate requirements. Even with a valid recall date, you MUST still register with CareerLink. The recall date only exempts you from weekly work search activities. Here's what you need to do: 1. Get the letter from your employer with a SPECIFIC return date 2. Upload the letter to your dashboard under "Provide Additional Documentation" 3. Keep your CareerLink registration active 4. Continue filing your weekly claims normally If you have trouble reaching a UC representative to confirm this was processed correctly, I've used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through the phone lines. They have a service that helps you reach a live agent without the hours of waiting. There's a demo video if you want to see how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2. Saved me a ton of time when I had a similar issue with my work search exemption.

Anyone know if seasonal work counts for the recall exemption? My job at the ski resort ended but I'm definitely returning in November... manager said he'd write a letter but I'm not sure if that counts since it's like 6 months away?

just make sure ur boss puts the EXACT date on letter. mine put "approximately June" and UC rejected it! had to get a new letter with specific date. what a headache

I went thru this last yr...even WITH the letter they stil made me do 1 work search activity each week instead of the usual 3. better than nothing i guess. the rules keep changing tho so who knows what theyre doing now

Update: Got the letter from HR today with the specific September 15th recall date. I uploaded it to my dashboard under "Provide Additional Documentation" as suggested. Hopefully this resolves everything! Thanks everyone for your help. I'm glad I registered with CareerLink already since that seems to be required regardless. Fingers crossed I don't have any benefit interruptions!

Great update! You did everything right by getting the specific date and uploading it properly. Just a heads up - keep checking your dashboard over the next week or two to make sure the exemption gets processed correctly. Sometimes there's a delay before it shows up in the system. If you don't see any confirmation or if your weekly certification still asks for work search activities, don't panic - just call UC to confirm they received and processed your documentation. You're being super proactive about this which is smart!

I had a similar situation a few months ago! The key thing to remember is that PA UC has these two separate requirements that people always confuse. Even with a valid recall date, you still need that CareerLink registration - think of it as a baseline requirement for everyone receiving benefits. The recall date exemption only kicks in for the actual weekly job search activities (like applying to 3 jobs per week). Since you already got your letter with the specific September 15th date and uploaded it properly, you should be good to go. Just keep filing your weekly claims as normal and watch for any work search questions in your certification - they should disappear once the system processes your exemption. If you're still getting prompted to enter job search activities after a week or two, that's when you'd want to call UC to make sure everything was processed correctly. You handled this exactly right by getting ahead of it and not waiting around. So many people miss these requirements and end up with benefit interruptions that take forever to fix!

Just wanted to chime in as someone who went through this exact same confusion last year! The PA UC system really needs to clarify their messaging because that initial letter is so misleading. You definitely did all the right steps - getting the specific recall date from HR and uploading it to the dashboard was perfect. One small tip from my experience: screenshot your dashboard showing that you uploaded the recall letter, and also screenshot your CareerLink registration confirmation. I had an issue where UC claimed they never received my documentation (even though I uploaded it correctly), and having those screenshots saved me weeks of back-and-forth. The system can be glitchy sometimes. Also, don't be surprised if your first weekly certification after uploading still asks for work search activities - it took about 10 days for my exemption to fully kick in. Just keep filing as normal and the prompts should disappear once they process everything. Sounds like you're way ahead of most people who don't realize this stuff until it's too late!

This thread has been so helpful! I'm in a similar situation - got laid off temporarily but have a recall date in August. The initial UC letter scared me because I thought I was doing something wrong by not job searching, but now I understand the difference between CareerLink registration (required for everyone) and work search activities (exempted with valid recall date). For anyone else reading this, here's what I learned from everyone's experiences: 1) Register with CareerLink no matter what, 2) Get a letter from your employer with the SPECIFIC recall date (not "approximately" or "around"), 3) Upload it to your UC dashboard under "Provide Additional Documentation", 4) Take screenshots of everything for your records, and 5) Be patient - it can take up to 10 days for the exemption to process in the system. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences, especially about the system glitches and documentation issues. It's clear PA UC needs to fix their communication because this confusion seems to happen to a lot of people!