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Has anyone gotten ANYWHERE with this problem? I'm so frustrated I could scream. I've now called PA Treasury 4 times and they just transfer me around until someone hangs up on me. I filed a complaint with the PA attorney general last week. This is THEFT.
I understand your frustration, but filing with the AG might not be the fastest solution. As I mentioned above, your state representative is your best resource. Their constituent services deal with these exact issues every day and have established channels. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, but you need to squeak at the right person!
Quick update: I took everyone's advice and got somewhere! I requested the Statement of Overpayment from UC (took 3 calls to get it) and then contacted my state rep's office. They were SUPER helpful and said they see this issue all the time. They have me filling out a Treasury Offset Review form and said they'll expedite it through their channels. Will update again when I know more. Thanks everyone for the guidance - feeling much less panicked now!
Quick update on PA UC rules that might help others: When you work less than 6 months between unemployment spells, you're typically still in your original benefit year. The system often shows "disqualification" initially because it's trying to determine if: 1) You earned enough to establish a new claim (usually not if less than 6 months work) 2) Your separation reason from the brief job is qualifying (layoff should be fine) An actual UC representative needs to review this manually and likely process what's called an "Additional Application" rather than a standard reopening. This is extremely common but creates confusion because the online system doesn't handle these situations well.
UPDATE: We finally got through to someone at UC! You guys were right - the issue was that my husband needed an "Additional Application" instead of just reopening his claim. The UC rep explained that since he worked less than 13 weeks, he's still in his original benefit year but needed special processing because of the short job in between. The "Employer NA" was showing because his new employer hadn't submitted his wage information yet. The rep manually entered his employment info and removed the disqualification flag. His claim is now active again! Thank you all for the help and advice. For anyone else who sees this - definitely keep filing weekly claims even if your account shows issues!
That's great news! How did you finally get through to them? I'm keeping this info for future reference because it seems like half the people on this forum run into similar issues!
We ended up using that Claimyr service someone mentioned. Got through in about 30 minutes versus the days we spent trying on our own. Once we actually talked to someone, they fixed everything pretty quickly.
When my benefit year ended I missed a notification because of this exact problem!!! Had to reapply and lost 3 weeks of payments because I didn't know I needed to start a new claim. Their whole system is rigged against us.
For anyone reading this thread who has a benefit year ending soon: You MUST file a new application when your benefit year ends, even if you still have a balance. It's not automatic. This is one of the most common mistakes people make with PA UC. Put a reminder in your calendar 1-2 weeks before your benefit year end date.
This is actually a potential due process issue. Benefits notices need to be reasonably accessible to claimants. If you lost benefits specifically because you couldn't read emails properly on mobile devices (which many low-income people rely on exclusively for internet access), you might have grounds for appeal. In the meantime, here are some workarounds: 1. Request paper notifications through your dashboard settings 2. Call the UC service center to confirm any important deadlines 3. Access your account through a desktop browser at a public library 4. Have all communications sent to an alternate email address that you check on a computer Document every instance where information was unreadable on your device. Take screenshots as evidence in case you need to appeal later.
Justin Chang
UPDATE: I finally got through to UC this morning after calling 22 times! The agent confirmed my payment was switched to a Money Network card that was mailed yesterday. She said it takes 7-10 business days but there's no tracking available. She also confirmed my bank is on their restricted list because of 'fraud prevention measures' implemented in 2024. She added that once I get the card, I can call UC again to update my bank information to a different account, but they recommend traditional banks or credit unions, not online-only banks. Thanks everyone for your help! I'll update when the card arrives.
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Ellie Lopez
•Glad you got through! Make sure to activate the card immediately when it arrives. Also check if there are any ATM fees - I think you get 1-2 free withdrawals per month but after that they charge you.
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Hunter Brighton
guys just FYI my friend had his mail stolen and someone took his unemployment card! make sure ur checking ur mail everyday and have a safe mailbox!!
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Justin Chang
•That's terrifying! I'm going to check my mailbox multiple times a day until it arrives. Thanks for the warning!
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