Yes, continue filing weekly claims even after your benefit year ends and you've submitted a new application. The system will know which claim to associate them with. If your new claim is approved, those weeks will be paid under the new claim. If denied, you haven't lost anything by filing the weekly certifications.

Just went through this exact situation last month! One tip that really helped me - when you file your new application, make sure you have all your employment records from the past 18 months ready. PA UC will need details about every employer, even that part-time job you mentioned. They'll ask for dates, wages, and reason you stopped working for each one. Having everything organized beforehand made the application process much smoother. Also, don't panic if your new weekly benefit amount is different - it's calculated based on your new base year wages, so it might be higher or lower than your previous claim. Good luck with the transition!

Hey Liam! Just wanted to share my experience as someone who went through this exact same situation last year when I got laid off from my plumbing job. Your 401k sitting untouched absolutely will NOT affect your PA UC benefits - I was freaking out about the same thing until I got it sorted out. The reason it shows up on your W-2 is just to document what you contributed while you were working, but that money was already factored into your base period wages when they calculated your weekly benefit amount. It's not "new" income that would mess with your current claims. I made the mistake of overthinking it too, but PA UC has a simple rule - you only report money you actually receive during your claim weeks. Since your 401k is just sitting there (hopefully growing!), there's nothing to report on your biweekly filings. Smart move planning to roll it over in April instead of cashing out. I almost made that mistake but the early withdrawal penalties would have been brutal, plus any withdrawal would count as income for UC purposes. Construction work is tough with all the seasonal ups and downs, but at least you can cross this worry off your list. Focus on finding that next job - spring is usually when things start picking back up! You got this!

Hey Liam! Just wanted to add my voice to this helpful thread. I was laid off from my carpentry job in December and had the exact same concerns about my 401k affecting my PA UC benefits. Everyone here is spot on - your untouched 401k won't impact your unemployment at all. I actually met with a benefits counselor at my local CareerLink office who explained it really simply: PA UC only cares about money that actually flows into your hands during claim weeks, not money sitting in investment accounts. The W-2 confusion is totally normal! Those 401k numbers are just showing what you put in while you were working - it's like looking at old paycheck stubs. That money was already part of the wage calculations they used to figure out your weekly benefit amount when you first applied. One thing that helped me was keeping a folder with all my UC paperwork and tax documents organized. When April 2025 rolls around and you need to decide about your 401k, you'll have everything in one place to make the rollover process smoother. Construction work is feast or famine, but at least you can check this worry off your list and focus on lining up your next job. Spring is almost here - that's when a lot of projects start moving again! Hang in there!

Wow, congrats on getting the Board of Review to reverse your case! That's actually pretty rare from what I've seen in this group. I went through a similar situation about 6 months ago (also had a harassment case that the referee initially denied). In my experience, once the Board makes their decision, it took about 8-10 business days for everything to show up in my dashboard. The tricky part is that sometimes the determination letter shows up first, then a few days later you'll see all the payment dates populate at once. One thing that really helped me was calling the customer service line once I hit the 10-day mark just to make sure there weren't any technical holds on my account. Sometimes there are random flags that need to be cleared manually. Also, definitely keep filing your weekly certs if you haven't been! Even though it feels pointless, it makes the whole process smoother once everything gets sorted out. You're so close to the finish line - hang in there! 💪

Congratulations on your Board of Review victory! That's such a relief after fighting since February. I went through a similar process last year (also harassment-related) and it took about 14 business days from when they told me about the reversal until I saw payments hit my account. Here's what helped me during the waiting period: 1) Set up email notifications if you haven't already - you'll get alerts when anything changes on your claim, 2) Keep filing weekly certifications even while waiting (I see others mentioned this too but it's super important), and 3) Check your dashboard every morning around 6 AM when they typically update overnight. The payments came through as separate deposits for each week I was owed, not one lump sum, so don't worry if you see multiple smaller amounts. You're in the final stretch now - the Board rarely reverses decisions so your case must have been really solid! Hang in there, you've got this! 🙌

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Just got laid off two weeks ago and the PA UC system has been a complete disaster. I've tried filing my initial claim probably 15 times now and keep getting different error messages - sometimes it's a "system maintenance" popup, other times the whole page just goes white and freezes. What's been working for me (sort of) is using a combination of the tips people have mentioned here. I clear my browser cache completely, use incognito mode, and try between 5-6am when there's supposedly less traffic. Even then, it's hit or miss. Yesterday I actually got all the way to the final submission page before it crashed - I almost threw my laptop across the room! The phone situation is just as bad. I downloaded an auto-redial app because I was going crazy manually calling over and over. Still haven't gotten through to a human after 4 days of trying. Has anyone had any luck with the PA CareerLink offices? I'm wondering if they can help with technical issues or at least provide some kind of backup option when the online system is completely broken like this.

I'm dealing with this exact same nightmare! Been trying to file for unemployment benefits for almost two weeks now and it's like the PA UC website was designed to torture people. I've tried literally everything - different browsers, clearing cache, incognito mode, different devices, early morning, late night - and nothing works consistently. The most frustrating part is that I'll get maybe 80% through the application and then BAM - some random error about "technical difficulties" or the dreaded session timeout. Then when I try to log back in, it either says my application doesn't exist or that I have one "in progress" but won't let me access it. It's maddening! I've also been keeping track of my phone calls and I'm up to 83 failed attempts across 8 days. The automated system just hangs up on you after saying all reps are busy. I even tried calling at weird hours like 6am and 10pm thinking maybe there would be less volume - nope, still busy signals. What really gets me is that this is a government service we're ENTITLED to use, but they've made it practically impossible to access. Meanwhile bills are piling up and I can't even get my claim started. Has anyone had any luck reaching out to state representatives or other officials about this? At this point I'm considering filing complaints everywhere I can think of.

This whole thread has been such a lifesaver! I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now - got my RESEA notification yesterday and have been frantically searching the CareerLink website for hours. @James Maki thank you SO much for those detailed instructions! I just tried them and finally found my RESEA activity under Services > Recommended Services. You're absolutely right that it's the last place anyone would think to look for something that's supposedly mandatory. It's honestly ridiculous that PA makes this process so unnecessarily complicated. Like @Giovanni Gallo said, if customer service is getting constant calls about people not being able to find this, maybe they should fix their website design instead of making us all play detective! I was starting to panic thinking I'd miss the deadline and lose my benefits over something I literally couldn't locate on their own site. @Aisha Jackson so glad you got yours scheduled! This community is seriously more helpful than any official PA unemployment resource. Definitely going to bookmark this thread in case I run into more issues down the road. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - makes dealing with this broken system feel way less isolating!

Just wanted to jump in and say THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to this thread! I literally just went through this exact same issue today - got my RESEA notification this morning and spent the entire afternoon clicking through every possible menu on PA CareerLink trying to find where to schedule it. I was getting so frustrated and worried I'd miss the deadline when I stumbled across this thread. @James Maki your step-by-step instructions are absolutely perfect! Found it immediately under Services > Recommended Services just like you said. It's honestly shocking how many people have had this exact same problem. You'd think after all these complaints PA would fix their website design, but apparently they'd rather have us all waste hours searching for mandatory requirements. This community is seriously a lifesaver though - way more helpful than any official help documentation. Just scheduled my interview for next week and feeling so much less stressed about the whole process. Thanks again everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions!