This is such a frustrating situation but unfortunately pretty common in PA. I went through something similar where an old employer from my base period contested my claim months after I'd been laid off from a different job. The key thing to remember is that you have rights in this process - don't let them intimidate you into giving up. When you get your hearing scheduled, make sure to have all your documentation ready: termination letter, final pay stub, any emails or texts about being let go, employment contract if you had one. Also, if you have any coworkers who witnessed your layoff or can vouch for your employment status, their contact info might be helpful. The hearing officers are usually pretty good at seeing through bogus employer claims if you come prepared with facts. Hang in there!

This is such a common issue and it's really frustrating that PA doesn't explain this better to claimants upfront. I work in HR and see this happen all the time - employers from your base period absolutely can contest claims even if they're not your most recent employer. What many people don't realize is that all base period employers pay unemployment taxes that fund your benefits, so they have skin in the game financially. The good news is that if they're claiming you quit voluntarily, they need to provide documentation proving that - it's not just your word against theirs. Make sure you respond to every single piece of correspondence within the deadlines they give you, and start gathering any evidence you have about being let go (emails, texts, termination letter, final pay stub, etc). Don't let them wear you down - you earned these benefits!

To answer your timeline question - after filing with Commonwealth Court, the typical schedule is: - 40 days for the Board to certify and submit the record - 30 days after that for you (the petitioner) to file your brief - 30 days for the Board to file their response brief - 14 days for your reply brief (optional) So settlement discussions often happen around 3-4 months after filing. If your case proceeds to oral argument, that might be scheduled 1-2 months after briefing concludes. So realistically, you're looking at 4-6 more months from where you are now. Given that you mentioned contradictory testimony, document everything carefully for your brief - exact quotes, dates, times, etc. These specific inconsistencies are what can make the Board nervous about proceeding.

I went through this exact process in 2024 and ended up settling right before Commonwealth Court. Here's what I learned: the Board of Review really does settle a lot of these cases when they think they'll lose. In my situation, I had clear documentation that my employer lied about the reason for my termination. About 6 weeks before our court date, UC's attorney called my lawyer and offered full back benefits plus they covered half my legal fees. My attorney said they were worried about losing and creating bad precedent for similar cases. The whole process from initial denial to settlement took about 7 months, but I got every penny I was owed. If you have solid evidence of contradictory testimony like you mentioned, they'll probably want to settle rather than risk a published court decision against them. The stress was brutal but financially it was absolutely worth it in the end.

Thanks everyone for the advice! I'm definitely going to keep filing my weekly claims even with the $0 balance. Seems like there's really no downside to it and potentially some upside if any extensions come through. I'll also check out PA 211 and LIHEAP as suggested. Really appreciate all the help during this stressful time.

I went through this exact same situation in 2023 - exhausted my regular UC benefits but kept filing weekly claims for about 3 months. Even though I wasn't getting paid, when a small federal extension program became available later that year, I was automatically enrolled and got retroactive payments for all those weeks I kept filing. It literally saved me from losing my apartment. The key is to keep doing your work searches and document everything properly. Also, don't forget to check if you qualify for any state programs like emergency rental assistance or food banks in your area while you're job hunting. Hang in there!

Just checking back - were you able to get through to request a phone hearing? If not, seriously consider using Claimyr. I was in the same situation and spent hours trying to get through on the regular line with no luck. With everything riding on this hearing, it's worth considering all options to make sure you can arrange it properly.

That's great news that you got approved for a phone hearing! Since you have the screenshot of the error message, that's solid evidence. I'd also suggest preparing a simple statement about your work search activities for that week - what jobs you applied to, dates, company names, etc. Even if the system didn't capture it, having those details ready shows you were actually doing the work searches. One more tip: during the hearing, be specific about the technical issue. Say something like "The system froze after I clicked submit, and when I logged back in, my work search entries had disappeared even though it showed my certification as complete." Clear, factual language like this helps the referee understand exactly what happened. Good luck with your hearing! Please do update us - these success stories help other people in similar situations.

Glad to hear the check finally arrived! I went through a similar situation a few months ago where my payments were stuck in review for ages. One tip for those pending weeks - if you haven't already, try calling the UC service center first thing in the morning around 8am. I had better luck getting through early before the lines get swamped. Also, make sure you keep filing your weekly certifications even for those pending weeks, otherwise they might deny them for "failure to claim." The whole system is definitely a mess but at least you got some money coming in now!

So glad to hear your check finally came through! I'm currently dealing with a similar situation - my payments have been showing as "in progress" for over 2 weeks now with no check received yet. Did you ever figure out what the exact amount was compared to what you were expecting? I'm trying to understand if the "partial check" designation means they're holding back more than just the standard tax withholding. Also wondering if setting up direct deposit now would affect those pending weeks you mentioned or if they'd still come as paper checks since they're from the earlier time period.