Won PA UC appeal hearing yesterday - how long until I get payment?
After 2 months of stress and zero income, I finally had my appeal hearing yesterday for my PA unemployment claim. The referee ruled in my favor right on the spot! She said my former employer didn't have sufficient evidence for terminating me for willful misconduct. I was so relieved I almost cried in the Zoom meeting! My question is: how long before I actually see the money? It shows my status changed to 'eligible' online, but all those weeks that were disqualified still show as 'appeal pending.' Do I need to contact someone or just wait? Getting desperate since my rent is due next week and I've been surviving on credit cards.
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Ravi Sharma
Congrats on winning your appeal! The system usually takes 5-7 business days to update everything and release payments after a favorable decision. The weeks that still show as 'appeal pending' should automatically change to 'payable' once the referee's decision is fully processed. You don't need to contact anyone unless nothing has changed after 10 business days. Make sure you keep filing your weekly certifications while you wait!
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Isabella Santos
•Thanks for this! Really hoping it processes quickly because I'm down to my last $43. Do they pay all the back weeks at once or will they be separate payments?
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Freya Larsen
it took me almost 3 weeks to get paid after my appeal last year... PA UC system is soooo slow with everything. keep checking ur payment status daily
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Isabella Santos
•3 weeks?! That's terrifying to hear. Did you have to keep calling them or did it just show up eventually?
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Omar Hassan
It took exactly 9 days for mine to process after winning my appeal in February. They paid everything at once - all 6 weeks that had been denied. It came on the Money Network card I had already received (even though it had zero balance before that). Just keep checking your payment status online every day.
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Isabella Santos
•That's really helpful info, thanks! I already have my Money Network card too, so hopefully it'll work the same way. Fingers crossed it doesn't take the full 9 days though.
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Chloe Taylor
I WON MY APPEAL TOO last month and I'm STILL WAITING for my money!!!! Been calling every day and getting busy signals or disconnected. This is absolutely CRIMINAL how they treat us. First they wrongly deny you, then make you wait MONTHS for an appeal, then STILL don't pay you after you win! I've been waiting 18 days now since my decision. They owe me over $6400 in back benefits!!!
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ShadowHunter
•I had this same problem! After 2 weeks of no payment after winning my appeal, I tried using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual PA UC rep after waiting only 25 mins. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 showing how it works. The rep found that there was a manual release needed for my payments that wasn't done automatically. Worth trying if your payments don't come through in a week or so.
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Diego Ramirez
The timeline actually depends on several factors. If your appeal was for a single eligibility issue (like in your case - the willful misconduct determination), payment typically processes within 7-10 business days. However, if there are other unresolved issues on your claim, those would need to be addressed separately. Also worth noting: the referee's decision becomes final after 15 days unless either party (you or your employer) files a further appeal to the UC Board of Review. Some payment systems wait until this period passes before releasing funds, though many don't. Either way, continue filing your weekly certifications without interruption.
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Isabella Santos
•Thank you for this detailed info. That makes sense. My employer seemed pretty defeated at the hearing, so I'm hoping they don't file another appeal. There aren't any other issues on my claim that I'm aware of, so hopefully it'll process quickly. I'll definitely keep filing weekly!
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Anastasia Sokolov
omg i had my hearing last week too!!! but still waiting for the actual decision letter in the mail. did you get yours already or did they just tell you verbally? kinda worried cause mines taking so long
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Isabella Santos
•The referee told me verbally at the end of the hearing that she was ruling in my favor, and my online portal updated the next day to show 'eligible' instead of 'ineligible'. I haven't received anything in the mail yet though. Have you checked your online portal?
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Freya Larsen
anybody know if they take taxes out automatically or do we need to pay that later??
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Ravi Sharma
•It depends on what you selected when you filed your initial claim. If you opted for tax withholding, they'll take 10% out automatically. If not, you'll owe taxes when you file next year and they'll send you a 1099-G form in January. You can change your tax withholding preference in your online account if needed.
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Isabella Santos
UPDATE: Just got my payment today! It took exactly 6 business days after winning the appeal. All 8 weeks of back benefits came at once in a single deposit to my Money Network card. Such a relief! Total was $4,320 ($540/week). The status changed from 'appeal pending' to 'payable' yesterday, and the money arrived this morning. Thanks everyone for your help and moral support during this nightmare process!
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Omar Hassan
•That's awesome news! So happy for you. Make sure to keep filing those weekly claims and doing your work searches. The relief of finally getting paid after waiting so long is the best feeling!
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Chloe Taylor
Lucky you!! Still waiting for mine and it's been 3 weeks since my favorable decision. This system is completely broken. Glad it worked out for you though!
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