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I went through this exact same situation last fall when I moved from Pittsburgh to my sister's place in Maryland. The good news is you can definitely keep your PA benefits! A few practical tips from my experience: 1. Update your address ASAP in the UC system - don't wait until the last minute 2. Keep screenshots of your address change confirmation just in case 3. Make sure your new address can receive mail reliably (some apartments have issues with mail delivery) 4. When doing your weekly certifications, you can still mark that you're available for work - just be prepared to explain you're willing to work remotely or commute back to PA if asked The only hiccup I had was when they called me for a random eligibility interview about 2 months after I moved. The agent asked if I was still looking for work in PA and I explained I was focusing on remote positions and could commute back if needed. No issues after that. You're making a smart financial move - don't let the system stress you out more than necessary! Just stay on top of your weekly claims and keep good records.
This is exactly the kind of detailed advice I was hoping for! Thank you for sharing your experience. I'm definitely going to take screenshots of everything when I update my address - that's a smart tip I wouldn't have thought of. The random eligibility interview sounds a bit nerve-wracking but good to know they were understanding about remote work. Did they give you any advance notice for that call or did it come out of nowhere?
They actually sent me a letter about a week before the call, so I had some time to prepare. The letter just said something like "eligibility review scheduled" and gave me the date and approximate time window. The actual call was pretty straightforward - they just wanted to confirm I was still actively looking for work and available to accept employment. Having examples of recent job applications ready to mention helped put them at ease. The whole thing only took about 10 minutes!
I'm actually going through this exact situation right now! I moved to NJ from PA about a month ago while on UC benefits. Here's what I learned: The address update process is super easy - just log into your UC dashboard and update it under account information like others mentioned. My payments continued without any interruption. One thing I'd add is to make sure you keep track of your job search activities in a spreadsheet or something. Since you'll be living in NJ but claiming PA benefits, you want to be extra organized in case they ever ask about your work search efforts. I've been applying to both remote positions and jobs in PA that I could commute to from my new NJ location. Also, if you're planning to look for work in NJ too (which makes sense since you'll be living there), just remember those applications can count toward your PA work search requirements as long as you're willing to accept the position. The move has actually worked out great for me financially - I'm saving about $1200/month living with family, which is helping me build up some savings while I job hunt. Good luck with your move!
One final piece of advice: Be concise and stick to relevant facts during the hearing. Appeals referees handle many cases daily and appreciate when claimants stay focused. Don't badmouth your former employer or make emotional arguments - stick to the facts about your separation. Regarding overpayments - if you do receive one after losing the appeal, remember you can request a waiver if repayment would cause financial hardship. Don't ignore the notices if that happens, as that can lead to additional penalties. Wishing you the best of luck with your hearing!
I'm going through something similar right now - just got my appeal notice yesterday after waiting 11 weeks for approval. It's terrifying thinking about potentially having to pay back thousands. One thing I learned from calling the UC office is that you can actually request to see your employer's written statement that prompted the appeal. They have to provide their reasoning and any evidence within a certain timeframe. Also, if you do end up losing (which hopefully you won't!), the overpayment notice usually comes with options for payment plans that can be as low as $25/month depending on your financial situation. Hang in there - the fact that you won initially is a good sign that your case has merit.
This is really good information about being able to see the employer's written statement! I didn't know that was possible. How did you request to see their statement when you called? Did you have to ask for a specific department or reference a particular form? I'm worried about calling the UC office because I've heard the wait times are horrible, but if I can get access to what my employer is claiming, that would help me prepare so much better for the hearing.
This exact thing happened to me 3 months ago! I was checking my bank account obsessively for days thinking the system was broken. What's even more frustrating is that the PA UC portal shows "direct deposit" as an option during setup but then quietly defaults to the debit card anyway. One tip that helped me: once you get the Money Network card and activate it, you can actually expedite future payments by calling them and requesting express delivery for replacement cards if yours ever gets lost or damaged. Regular delivery is free but express costs like $15 - might be worth it if you're in a tight spot financially. Also, make sure to save the Money Network customer service number (1-888-659-9085) in your phone. Their hold times are way shorter than trying to reach PA UC directly, and they can at least tell you when payments hit the card and help with transfers to your bank.
This is such helpful info! I had no idea you could get express delivery on replacement cards. That customer service number is gold too - definitely saving that. It's crazy how much easier this whole process would be if PA just communicated these basic details upfront. Thanks for sharing your experience!
I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now! My payment showed up in the portal on Friday with a transaction number, but nothing in my bank account. Reading through all these comments has been a huge relief - I had no idea about the automatic debit card for first payments. Just checked my email and spam folders but haven't found anything from Money Network yet. Question for those who've been through this: if the payment date in the portal was Friday, should I expect the Money Network email to come this week? Also, does the card get sent to the same address you used when filing your claim? We moved recently and I'm worried it might go to our old place. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this forum is literally the only place I've found clear answers about how PA UC actually works!
Hey! I just went through this same exact thing last month. The Money Network email usually comes within 1-2 business days of the payment date showing in the portal, so if your payment date was Friday, you should definitely see the email by tomorrow or Wednesday at the latest. As for the address - yes, the card gets sent to whatever address you have on file with PA UC. If you moved recently, you'll want to update your address in the UC portal ASAP! You can do this in the "Personal Information" section. If the card already shipped to your old address, you might need to call Money Network customer service to report it and get a replacement sent to the correct address. Also double-check your junk/spam folder again - sometimes those emails take a few hours to show up even there. The subject line is usually something like "Your Pennsylvania Unemployment Benefits Card is on the way" so it should be pretty obvious when you see it. Hope this helps and you get it sorted out quickly!
For future reference, I recommend following the PA Labor & Industry Twitter/X account (@PALaborIndustry) and checking their website announcements section. They usually post system maintenance schedules a few days in advance. They also have an email notification system you can sign up for that will alert you about planned outages.
Thanks for all the helpful info everyone! I'm new to the PA UC system and had no idea about the scheduled maintenance windows. I was panicking when I couldn't log in this morning thinking something was wrong with my account. Really appreciate @Ian Armstrong sharing the Twitter account info - just followed them so I won't be caught off guard next time. The email notification system sounds like a good idea too. It's reassuring to know there's a grace period for technical issues like this!
Welcome to the PA UC system! Don't worry, we've all been there with the panic when the site doesn't work. @Ian Armstrong definitely gave great advice about following their social media. I d'also suggest bookmarking the PA UC website s'news section since they post maintenance schedules there too. One more tip - if you ever can t'file on your normal day due to technical issues, you can usually file the next business day without penalty. The system tracks these outages so they know it wasn t'your fault. Good luck with your claims!
@CyberSiren Welcome to the community! You picked a rough day to start dealing with PA UC, but you handled it well by asking here. Besides the social media follows that others mentioned, I'd also recommend downloading the UC mobile app as a backup - sometimes it works when the website doesn't. Also, if you ever need to speak to someone urgently and can't get through the regular lines, that Claimyr service @Sofia Price mentioned earlier has been a lifesaver for many people here. The PA UC system can be frustrating but this community is really helpful for navigating the quirks!
Kai Rivera
I'm in a similar situation - my payment date was 3/16 and I'm still waiting for my check too. This is also my first time with paper checks after having issues with the Money Network card. Reading through all these responses is really helpful though! Sounds like we just need to be patient since there are processing delays and postal service issues right now. I'm going to wait until Wednesday before calling that Treasury number someone mentioned. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - makes me feel less alone in this stressful situation!
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Caesar Grant
•@Kai Rivera Glad you found this thread helpful too! It s'definitely reassuring to know we re'not the only ones dealing with these delays. The info about the Treasury processing time and postal service staffing issues really put things in perspective. Hopefully both our checks show up early this week. Keep me posted on how yours goes!
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Freya Pedersen
I'm in the exact same boat! My payment date was 3/14 and still no check. This is my second week with paper checks after switching from the Money Network card (those ATM fees were killing me). Reading everyone's responses here is so reassuring - I was starting to panic thinking something went wrong with my claim. The info about Treasury taking 2 days to process before mailing plus the postal service delays makes total sense. I'm going to try that informed delivery signup someone mentioned so I can at least see when it's coming. Thanks for starting this thread, really needed to hear other people are experiencing the same thing!
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Emily Parker
•@Freya Pedersen Yes, the informed delivery thing is a great idea! I just signed up for it after reading that suggestion. It s'free through the USPS website and shows you pictures of what mail is coming each day. At least then we ll'know if our checks are actually on the way instead of just wondering. The Money Network card fees were awful - I m'glad I m'not the only one who switched because of that. Hopefully we ll'both see our checks in informed delivery tomorrow or Tuesday!
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