My sister works for the unemployment office (not in PA though). She says their systems are ancient and often send out emails in the wrong order or duplicate notifications. The important thing is what your dashboard shows. If it shows a weekly benefit amount, you're at least monetarily eligible. But yeah deffinetly File weekly claims! Otherwise when everythings fixed youll have lost all those weeks.

This exact same thing happened to my cousin in December! The PA UC system is notorious for sending conflicting automated emails. What matters most is that you received a monetary determination with your weekly benefit amount ($487) - that's the real approval. The second email is likely just an automated trigger for some background verification (could be identity verification, employer response, etc.) that doesn't affect your monetary eligibility. Definitely start filing your weekly claims immediately! Even if there are pending issues, you MUST file weekly to preserve those benefit weeks. The system will hold your payments until everything clears, but you can't get those weeks back if you don't file them. Don't worry about fraud - it's actually required to keep filing even while issues are being resolved. Check your online dashboard for any "open issues" to see what specifically they're still reviewing. Usually it's just routine verification stuff that takes a few weeks to process in the background.

this happened to my brother too but his problem was he kept using Safari browser. when he switched to chrome everything worked fine

This thread has been so helpful! I've been having the exact same issue for about 8 months now. Can log in fine but the reopen claim button either doesn't work or gives me error messages. I've called probably 15 times and always get the "system glitch" response with no real solution. Reading about the tier 2 specialists and account flagging makes so much sense - I had an overpayment issue that was resolved about a year ago, which probably triggered the restriction. I'm definitely going to call and specifically ask for a technical specialist to look at my account flags. Also going to check out that Claimyr service to avoid the endless busy signals. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions! It's frustrating that we have to figure this out ourselves when the regular agents should know about these issues.

@OP glad you got this sorted but BE CAREFUL - they told me the same thing about "investigating" and then did NOTHING for 2 months! Keep calling every week until they actually fix it in writing. Don't trust anything they say over the phone unless you get it in writing too!!!

Just wanted to share my experience since I went through this exact same thing about 6 months ago. Got an overpayment notice for $6,200 when I had only received $4,100 total. Turned out they had flagged some of my part-time work as "unreported" even though I had reported it correctly every single week. The problem was their system didn't properly match my employer's quarterly wage report with my weekly certifications. It took about 3 months to get fully resolved, but they eventually waived the entire overpayment once I provided all my documentation. Key things that helped: 1) I kept copies of EVERY weekly certification I filed showing my reported earnings, 2) Got my employer to provide a letter confirming the dates and amounts I worked, and 3) Printed out all my bank deposits to show the timeline. Don't give up - these notices are wrong more often than they're right!

I'm so sorry to hear about your mother's emergency surgery - what an incredibly stressful situation to be dealing with while you're already managing the challenges of unemployment and your recent appeal win. After reading through all the responses here, it's absolutely clear that you should NOT file claims while you're abroad, even for such a legitimate family emergency. The experiences shared by others about fraud investigations, overpayment penalties, and the strict enforcement of this rule really drive home how serious PA UC is about this requirement. A couple of additional thoughts that might help: - Since you just won your appeal after 6 weeks of fighting, make sure you have digital copies of all that documentation backed up somewhere safe before you travel - you don't want to risk losing any of that hard-earned paperwork - Consider reaching out to any local Mexican-American community organizations in your area before you leave - they sometimes have resources or emergency funds specifically to help families dealing with medical emergencies abroad - When you return, you might want to have a brief written summary of your travel dates and the reason for your absence ready, just to make the restart process as smooth as possible The three weeks without benefits will definitely be a financial challenge, especially with emergency travel costs, but you're absolutely doing the right thing by following the rules and being there for your mom during her recovery. Your claim will be waiting for you when you get back, and hopefully your restaurant job will be understanding about the family emergency. Wishing your mother a successful surgery and speedy recovery. You're being a wonderful son by prioritizing her health and wellbeing during this critical time.

I'm really sorry to hear about your mother's emergency surgery - that must be incredibly overwhelming to deal with while you're already navigating unemployment challenges. After reading through all the advice in this thread, the message is crystal clear: absolutely do NOT file claims while you're abroad, even for such a legitimate family emergency. The stories people have shared about fraud investigations and overpayment penalties really show how seriously PA UC takes this rule. I wanted to add something I haven't seen mentioned yet - since you'll be in Mexico for 3 weeks, you might want to let your bank and credit card companies know about your travel plans. This can help avoid any cards getting frozen for suspicious international activity, especially if you need to make emergency purchases for your mom's care. Also, consider downloading offline maps and translation apps before you leave, and maybe research local resources near where your mom will be recovering - knowing where hospitals, pharmacies, and other essential services are located could be really helpful if complications arise. The financial hit from missing three weeks of benefits plus emergency travel costs is going to be tough, but your mom needs you right now and your claim will definitely be waiting when you return. Document everything carefully and be honest when you resume filing - the community here has shown that transparency is always the best approach. Wishing your mother a successful surgery and smooth recovery. You're doing the right thing by being there for her during this critical time.

Just to add some clarity here - while separation determinations can take time, the PA UC system has improved somewhat since last year. The current average wait is about 5-6 weeks for contested separations. Yes, it's still too long, but not quite the 11 weeks some experienced during the peak backlogs. My advice is to: 1. File all back weeks immediately 2. Upload any documentation supporting your case 3. If you haven't heard anything after 5 weeks, try contacting them 4. Keep filing your weekly claims while waiting for the determination 5. Document all your job search activities (2 per week minimum) And don't lose hope. Many contested claims are still approved when the evidence supports the claimant's case.

I'm going through something similar right now! Filed my claim 4 weeks ago and just got approved to claim back pay for 3 weeks, but still waiting on my separation determination. My former employer is also contesting it (they're claiming misconduct when I was actually part of a department closure). From what I've read in other threads here, the back pay approval is mostly procedural - it just means the system is ready to process those weeks IF your separation gets approved. But like others said, definitely file those weekly certifications right away. I did mine yesterday and it felt good to at least make some progress while waiting. Has anyone here had success appealing if the initial determination goes against you? I'm trying to prepare for all possibilities since my employer has been pretty aggressive about fighting UC claims from our whole department.