Hey everyone! I just successfully set up my direct deposit yesterday and wanted to share a few additional tips that might help others avoid issues. First, make sure you're entering your info during regular business hours if possible - I've heard the system can be glitchy late at night or on weekends. Second, after you submit everything, write down the exact date and time you completed it so you can reference it if you need to call later. Third, if you have a joint account, make sure the name on your UC claim matches the name on the bank account exactly - even middle initials matter! I also kept my Money Network card active for one extra week just to be safe, and I'm glad I did because there was a one-day delay before my first direct deposit went through. The peace of mind was worth it! Hope this helps anyone still on the fence about making the switch.

I'm going through the exact same process right now and this thread has been a lifesaver! I was really nervous about switching from the Money Network card because of all the horror stories, but the step-by-step advice here has given me confidence. I'm planning to take screenshots like @Ava Kim suggested and definitely going to get my routing number from online banking instead of a check after reading @Sarah Ali's tip. The name matching advice from @Lydia Santiago is crucial too - I just checked and my middle initial is on my bank account but not my UC profile, so I need to fix that first. One question though - if I need to update my name on the UC system to match my bank, does anyone know how long that takes to process before I can set up direct deposit? Don't want to create more delays!

I just went through almost the exact same situation about 4 months ago! My employer was also a complete no-show at my referee hearing - no phone call, no representatives, nothing. The referee still conducted a thorough hearing with me, asking detailed questions about my work situation and reviewing all my documentation for about 25 minutes. You're definitely in a strong position here! When the employer doesn't show up, they forfeit their opportunity to present any evidence against your claim. Since you have solid documentation proving it was actually a layoff (not performance-related), and your testimony went completely unchallenged, that works heavily in your favor. I received my decision letter 9 days after my hearing and it was approved! The referee specifically noted in the decision that the employer "failed to appear and present evidence" to contest my claim. My back payments started processing within 5 days of getting the approval letter. Keep filing those weekly certifications religiously while you wait (sounds like you're already doing great with that). One heads up - if you do get approved but don't see payments start within about a week, you might need to call PA UC to manually trigger the release. It seems to be a common glitch with their system processing appeal reversals. The waiting is absolutely brutal, I know, but based on everything you've described - employer no-show, solid documentation, thorough hearing - you should feel pretty optimistic! Hang in there! 🤞

I'm in a very similar situation! Had my referee hearing just two days ago and my employer was also a complete no-show. The referee spent about 30 minutes going through my testimony and all my documentation thoroughly. Like you, I was so nervous that I forgot to ask about next steps and timelines. My case is also about them claiming performance issues when it was actually a layoff due to company restructuring. I have all the emails about the restructuring and my termination letter that clearly states "position elimination due to organizational changes." Reading through all these responses is giving me so much hope! It seems like the combination of employer no-show + solid documentation usually leads to favorable outcomes. The fact that they can't present any counter-evidence really works in our favor. I've been filing my weekly certifications religiously too, even though seeing "appeal pending" every week is so discouraging. But it sounds like that diligence pays off if we get approved. Thanks for posting this question - it's exactly what I needed to read right now! The waiting is absolutely brutal but this thread has been such a lifeline. Fingers crossed we both get good news soon! 🤞

Just got mine this morning too! Thanks everyone for the reassurance yesterday - I was definitely spiraling a bit. It's so frustrating that PA doesn't send out notifications about these holiday delays. Would save everyone so much anxiety if they just posted a quick notice on the portal saying "expect your payment one day late due to federal holiday." Anyway, crisis averted and rent will be paid on time! 🙏

Same thing happened to me! I've been on UC for about 6 months now and every federal holiday throws off the schedule. It's definitely stressful when you're living paycheck to paycheck (or in our case, UC payment to UC payment). The banking system just doesn't process on federal holidays, so everything gets pushed back a day. I've started setting reminders on my phone for upcoming holidays so I can budget accordingly. Glad to see from the other comments that payments are starting to come through today - hopefully yours hits soon too!

Holy wow, this thread is like finding gold in the PA UC wilderness! I just joined this community specifically because I've been searching everywhere for real solutions to UC fraud issues. @e876857ccfe8 your story is both heartbreaking and inspiring - FOUR YEARS is absolutely criminal, but seeing you finally get movement gives me so much hope! I'm currently 10 months into my own identity theft case and feeling completely defeated by the endless "still investigating" responses. I've literally bookmarked this entire thread and I'm going to try every single strategy mentioned here. The fraud unit number @efbaa3930fe3 shared is a game-changer - I can't believe there's a whole specialized unit that nobody tells you about! @e351e6827d43 your breakdown of the strategic approach with the Commissioner Review and RTK requests is incredibly detailed and helpful. It's so refreshing to find a community where people share actual actionable solutions instead of just complaining (though the complaining is totally valid too!). Thank you everyone for proving that we don't have to fight this broken system alone!

This entire thread should be required reading for anyone dealing with PA UC fraud issues! As someone who's been lurking in various UC forums for months, I can honestly say this is the most comprehensive collection of actual solutions I've ever seen. @e876857ccfe8 your four-year battle is absolutely insane but your persistence is incredible - and seeing you finally get movement gives me hope for my own case. I'm currently 8 months into my own identity theft nightmare and have felt so isolated dealing with this bureaucratic mess. The fact that there's a specialized fraud unit with an unpublished number is both helpful and maddening - it's like they're intentionally hiding resources from the very people who need them most. I'm definitely calling 717-772-4331 first thing Monday morning and trying the multi-pronged approach several people mentioned. Thank you to everyone who shared their hard-won knowledge here - @efbaa3930fe3 for the fraud unit number, @e351e6827d43 for the detailed strategic breakdown, @76a129710797 for the appeal strategy, and everyone else who contributed real solutions. This is exactly what community support should look like when dealing with broken government systems!

I'm going through the exact same thing! My benefit just dropped from $459 to $444 this week and I was completely panicking thinking I had somehow messed up my weekly certification. I've been on PA UC for about 9 weeks now and this was totally out of left field - spent most of yesterday going through every single question I answered, convinced I'd made some critical error. It's honestly both frustrating and reassuring to see that literally everyone here had the identical reaction of immediately blaming ourselves instead of questioning the system! I was genuinely starting to think I was just incompetent at filling out basic forms. Really appreciate everyone who took the time to explain the trust fund situation and the tier system - this is the first clear explanation I've found anywhere about what's actually happening. It's honestly ridiculous that PA can't just send a simple notification saying "Your weekly benefit has been reduced by 3.2% due to UC Trust Fund adjustments" instead of letting thousands of us think we screwed up somehow. At least now I know it's temporary and not my fault, so I can stop second-guessing every single certification answer and budget accordingly. Thanks to this community for being way more helpful than any official PA resource!

Same here! My benefit just dropped from $392 to $379 this week and I was absolutely convinced I'd messed something up with my certification. I've been on PA UC for about 4 weeks now and spent hours last night going through every single answer I gave, thinking I must have clicked something wrong. It's honestly such a relief to read everyone's experiences and realize this is happening to all of us - I was starting to think I was just terrible at understanding the system! Really appreciate everyone explaining the trust fund situation and tier levels. It's so frustrating that PA doesn't just send a simple notification about these changes instead of letting us all panic and think we screwed up. At least now I know it's temporary and not my fault. Thanks to this community for being way more helpful than anything on the official PA website!