Stuck on PA UC work separation determination for 2 months - can't pay bills

same boat, im on week 6 waiting for work separation review... its ridiculous!!! try hitting option 1-1-3 when you call... sometimes works to get a person instead of the robot

Thanks for the tip about the phone options. I'll try that tomorrow morning. Did you ever get through to anyone using that method? It's so frustrating that we're expected to keep doing our weekly claims but they won't even tell us when we might see a penny!

Work separation determinations are taking much longer than usual right now. The PA UC system is reviewing cases where employers have contested the separation reason, which creates the delay. Your best approach is to:\n\n1. Continue filing your weekly claims without fail\n2. Document all your job search activities meticulously\n3. Contact your state representative's office - they actually have liaisons with UC who can check your claim status\n4. Email the UC office through your dashboard (keep a copy of all communications)\n\nI went through this in February and waited 7 weeks. The rep can't speed up the determination, but they can verify if anything else is missing from your claim that might be causing additional delays.

Thank you for the detailed response. I didn't know state reps could help with UC claims - I'll definitely reach out to mine tomorrow. Did they give you any backpay for all those weeks you were waiting once they finally approved you?

they ALWAYS take forever with these!!! my sister waited 3 months and almost got evicted before they finally paid her. the system is a joke honestly

3 MONTHS?? Oh my god, I can't wait that long. Did she do anything special to finally get them to make a decision? Or did it just randomly get processed one day?

she just kept calling and calling... eventually got lucky and got someone who actually looked at her file. said her employer never responded to UC's request for info which was causing the hold-up

I'm an employment counselor who works with many UC claimants, and I can tell you that work separation determinations are currently facing significant delays. Here's what's actually happening:\n\nWhen you file, the UC office contacts your former employer for their version of the separation. By law, employers have 15 days to respond. If they don't respond in that timeframe, UC should automatically process your claim, but their backlog is causing additional delays.\n\nWhat often works for my clients is using Claimyr to actually reach a live agent (www.claimyr.com). They have a service that gets you through to an actual UC rep who can look at your file and see exactly what's causing the hold-up. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2\n\nAlso, make sure you've done all your identity verification through ID.me - sometimes that's what's holding things up rather than the work separation issue.\n\nRegardless, you WILL receive all back payments once your claim is approved, including the weeks you're currently waiting.

I used Claimyr last month when I had this EXACT issue with my work separation review. I was on week 5 of waiting and couldn't pay my car payment. Got through to a real person in like 20 minutes and found out my employer was disputing my claim saying I quit when I was actually laid off!!! The agent was able to schedule me an interview for the next week and I had my determination 3 days later. Worth every penny to not lose my car!!!

Thank you for explaining what's happening behind the scenes - it helps to understand the process. My ID.me verification is definitely complete (I did that right when I filed). I'm going to check out Claimyr because at this point I'm desperate to talk to an actual human who can tell me what's going on. And it's reassuring to know I'll get the backpay... if they ever approve me!

did u make sure to answer the fact finding questions about ur separation?? sometimes they send those and if u miss answering them it puts u in limbo. check ur dashboard and ur email spam folder!!

I double-checked my dashboard and emails (including spam) and don't see any fact finding questionnaires I missed. I filled out all that information when I initially filed - I remember answering questions about why I was let go. Is there usually a separate questionnaire they send later?

Yes, there can be. When there's a discrepancy between your reason for separation and your employer's, they often send a more detailed questionnaire through your dashboard. However, these notifications sometimes don't trigger an email alert, which is why it's important to log in regularly. I'd recommend checking your dashboard's

Just logged in again and checked Messages - nothing there either. I've been logging in every Sunday to file my weekly claim, so I don't think I missed anything. This is so frustrating!

THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED TO ME IN JANUARY!!!! I waited 9 WEEKS for my seperation determination and was about to be HOMELESS. The PA UC system is BROKEN and they DON'T CARE about regular people. I called my state rep and they did NOTHING. I finally managed to get through to someone at UC who told me my employer was claiming I was fired for misconduct when I was actually laid off with 30 other people!!! If your employer is fighting your claim, you're in for a long wait. I hope you have family that can help because UC sure won't!!

Oh no, I'm starting to worry my employer might be fighting it too. I was let go during a department restructuring, but my manager had written me up once a few weeks before for missing a deadline (even though it wasn't really my fault). I wonder if they're using that to claim misconduct? How did you finally get through to a person at UC to find this out?

I literally called 100+ times until I finally got through. Started calling right when they opened at 8am. You have to keep trying different options in their stupid phone tree too. Sometimes option 1-2-4 works, sometimes it's 1-1-3. It's like they WANT it to be impossible to reach anyone!!! If they ARE claiming misconduct you'll eventually get an interview scheduled but it could take WEEKS more. The whole system is designed to make people give up!!

have you tried 211? they sometimes can connect you with emergency rent assistance while youre waiting for unemployment to come through

I hadn't thought of that - thank you for the suggestion! I'll call 211 tomorrow. At this point I need any help I can get while waiting for UC to make a decision.

One important thing to note - when your claim is finally approved (and most are eventually approved), make sure you request the ReliaCard to be expedited. Once your claim is approved, it can take another 7-10 business days for your first payment to process and for them to mail you the ReliaCard if you didn't previously have one. You can request expedited shipping by speaking with a UC representative.\n\nAlso, while you're waiting, make sure you're applying for SNAP benefits if you qualify. Many people don't realize they can receive food assistance while waiting for unemployment determinations.

That's really helpful info about expediting the card - thank you! I did apply for SNAP benefits last week and have an appointment with them on Monday. I'm looking into every possible option at this point because I'm really scared about getting evicted.

If you've truly exhausted all contact methods with the UC office, there's one more official escalation path: the UC Board of Review. While they primarily handle appeals, they can sometimes intervene in cases with excessive delays. You can contact them at 717-787-5122.\n\nAdditionally, you might consider reaching out to Legal Aid in your county. They sometimes assist with administrative delays that threaten housing stability.

Thank you for that contact number! I'll try them tomorrow as well. And I didn't know Legal Aid could help with something like this - I'll definitely look into that too. I'm starting to feel a little less helpless with all these suggestions.