Submitted by redditaccount624 t3_y95vxn in Pennsylvania

Here's a screenshot of the form

Am I reading this wrong? Won't both of these options deny unemployment benefits? But it's required to choose one of them?

If you were fired, aren't both of these options wrong? I feel like they're trying to trick you into selecting one so they can deny unemployment. What is going on here? Which option should be chosen?

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susinpgh t1_it4287a wrote

This might be the time where you are better off calling. I had an issue where I was laid off from one of three part time jobs. At the time, there was no way to log in more than two jobs. Only way to resolve it was to call in.

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jkman61494 t1_it44o1f wrote

Fun tip. A career link office has an easy access line to unemployment and you skip the hours long wait

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discogeek t1_it4dl1h wrote

So does your state rep.

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insecurestaircase t1_it6rbuc wrote

Husband got laid off twice and the UC office was late on payment so he called the state rep and they paid him the next day.

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MiketheImpuner t1_it5ijv0 wrote

I was unemployed in PA his summer. The phone number is busy 8-5PM Mo-Fri and closed outside those hours. Bucks County PA had a grant through Career link that paid someone to call me and fix the problem. Didn't lose any unemployment. Only took 2-3 weeks from eligibility to receiving $

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BartlettMagic t1_it4iwbu wrote

last i heard, PACL had disconnected those lines. they didn't want multiple people using the same phone all day during COVID

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jkman61494 t1_it4kruv wrote

Boy I hope they brought them back. I’m sorry if I gave wrong info

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BartlettMagic t1_it4ljad wrote

honestly i do too. i worked at PACL up until Feb '21, so during COVID. people used to get so frustrated with us because up until that point a lot of people considered us "the unemployment office." for quite a while all we could do was give out the 1-800 or whatever number to Harrisburg, which resulted in disgusting wait times.

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SSFx93 t1_it43xqu wrote

And wait hours and hours to be encouraged (forced) to give up.

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susinpgh t1_it451aw wrote

I know, but the form doesn't look like a good option, either. The only other option is to actually try showing up at the office.

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Lord_Sports t1_it67c5q wrote

I agree but good luck with whoever is on the other end and wants to help you.

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Opinionsare t1_it4kjjr wrote

Go back and review your choices to this point. You may have made a wrong choice that took you to these two options.

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hufarted-me t1_it4vi72 wrote

This. Definitely my first thought as well—you probably answered something wrong earlier that limited your choices further down the application.

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Delta632 t1_it41pf4 wrote

This system is designed to be complicated and keep people away now. This is business as usual in America unfortunately.

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qwerty17201 t1_it406sl wrote

The employer will get a letter and likely fight his UC if he was fired.

If he thinks he shouldn't have been fired start preparing info now and start looking for jobs.

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pineapple-pumpkin t1_it5djh8 wrote

Not true. Only if you were fired for gross negligence. My husband was fired for a mistake at work and he got unemployment.

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Kill_Kayt t1_it6aejn wrote

Depend on the employer. I've had them fight me a few times for shit where they were clearly in the wrong.

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Speakslinux t1_it5pybj wrote

Most firings go through without a fight. Employers simply don't have the money to fight these claims anymore

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rjb5065 t1_it47yah wrote

You should contact a labor lawyer but to my knowledge the company you left has to prove cause for firing as PA is an at will employment state. If they can’t prove they fired you for cause they can’t deny you unemployment and you basically are considered let go not fired

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feudalle t1_it4hc1p wrote

Tip from an employer. Unless the employee did something pretty messed up, you wouldn't bother denying unemployment. It's not like the old job is cutting the person a check. Companies pay unemployment insurance.

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dandudeus t1_it5jmu9 wrote

It depends on the size of the company. Unemployment insurance can go up by multiples once claimed for businesses with fewer than 10 people.

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feudalle t1_it78ukl wrote

Sure but it is still a very small percentage.

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AuroraLorraine522 t1_it5uyr5 wrote

I had an employer fight my UC benefits, but they didn’t show up to the court hearing so I won the case.
For most people, though, it’s probably less expensive and less of a hassle to repay the UC than it is to hire a lawyer and fight it in court.

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north-sun t1_it4mxt5 wrote

Definitely call.

Unfortunately those CareerLink lines aren't available anymore, so my advice would be to download an auto -redialer app and settle in. Once you get through the real wait begins. But from my experience, the reps are very helpful so just be polite. Be sure to check your account every week for any updates because they're easy to miss and keep in mind you'll be waiting a long time for any kind of payment. I filed in July after being laid off and have yet to receive any payment.

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msip313 t1_it5sshh wrote

A voluntary quit does not automatically disqualify a person from UC benefits in PA. However, the circumstances in which a person who voluntarily quit can still collect is much more limited. I’m curious why the UC application even presented you with this question. How did you lose your job? If you were laid off that’s an involuntary termination (i.e., a firing). Maybe go back in the app and make that clear.

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gwc009 t1_it63hpw wrote

Been 7 weeks for me and no payment filed on September 4th

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AdditionalTheme9251 t1_ita7tpn wrote

So if I ever get laid off, I’m going to rob a bank. All of this bullshit, just to get fucked in the ass is ridiculous. You need to take care of yourself. The government can kiss my ass!!!

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Lord_Sports t1_it679rk wrote

Doctors note will help with leave of absence. Actually if you had a doctors note for your leave more than likely you would get approved. Being fired don’t guarantee you anything. People think if I get fired I could collect. Nope most get denied because they get fired for reasons that are your fault. There are ways to collect if you got fired for unexpected reasons. Schedule And if your hours dropped a whole bunch. Good luck.

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Natural-Hamster-3998 t1_it7zy3z wrote

I'm not sure you can get unemployment if you're fired in PA. Don't quote me tho it's not my area of expertise

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[deleted] t1_it6xw7y wrote

[deleted]

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msip313 t1_it7i5gg wrote

While you can’t get unemployment if you just up and leave a job for no reason, there are a number of circumstances in which a person can voluntarily quit and still get unemployment. Harassment, medical reasons, a significant change in the terms of employment, just to name a few. That’s been the law in PA since the 1930’s. The OP never said he quit or, if he did, why. You should probably keep your ignorant opinion to yourself since it’s obvious you don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.

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stewingbeef8 t1_it413vo wrote

You know what option should be chosen? indeed.com

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[deleted] t1_it434ip wrote

As someone who toughed it out and avoided unemployment when I was eligible and needed it. Fuck you. People like you are the reason that kids 18-25 end up all fucked up thinking that they’re a grifter for making use of our support systems.

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MomsSpecialFriend t1_it45d3q wrote

You literally pay for the insurance, why would you not collect when you meet the guidelines. You can obviously do BOTH but let’s not pretend every career hires the next day. There is no pride to be gained by being financially irresponsible and not collecting on what you paid for.

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Keinichn t1_it47evs wrote

You know what unemployment does? Bridges the gap between jobs when you lose one unexpectedly. You know what's required to continue being eligible for it? Proof that you're job hunting. It's not just a free check. You have to be showing an effort to get another job or they'll cut you off.

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SomeOtherOrder t1_it54dt4 wrote

As a gainfully employed person who’s never had to collect unemployment, I really gotta say…go fuck yourself. Stop taking pride in being a heartless chode.

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ProfessionalSilver52 t1_it3peto wrote

If you were fired you cannot collect. Period.

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GlitteringWing2112 t1_it3q849 wrote

Other way around. If you quit you can't collect. And it depends on what you were fired for.

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redditaccount624 OP t1_it3qq05 wrote

They were fired for unjust reasons (in my opinion). They were fired at will but initially it was for insubordination, but when they asked for an official email stating the reason for termination the employer switched to "terminated as an at will employee" because they were not insubordinate.

The reason for the firing:

They gave their two weeks notice due to mistreatment (half of which was paid vacation which was approved months in advance) and then the employer said they would not be approving the vacation because the company was short-staffed (despite already approving it). They were then expressing this frustration to their boss and how they were treated badly and that's why they were leaving in the first place. They then received a text back informing them of now being fired for insubordination.

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JJStray t1_it4buof wrote

Tell them to save the text for the hearing. Employer will say they quit. Friend will say fired.

There will be a “hearing” and the evidence your friend should need is the text saying they were fired.

The arbitrator will make a decision.

The employer did them a huge favor by sending the text.

It would be on your friend to prove he had to quit for a just cause and that isn’t as easy as people think…

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yeags86 t1_it4i13l wrote

If I you already made your intention of leaving clear, the employer can tell you to leave immediately. They would still need to pay for those two weeks though.

Honestly, it’s probably not worth pursuing for two weeks pay that’ll be eaten up by a lawyer that probably can’t do anything. Hopefully they have a new job lined up.

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Lostscribe007 t1_it4jdw2 wrote

That's going to be a fight. They can claim firing and go ahead and sign up for unemployment. Likely the company is going to dispute that and at that point the unemployment will continue until there is a hearing between the claimant and a rep from the company. Then someone at unemployment will make a determination and usually that ruling can also be disputed by either party. This goes on until the claimant gives up or wins the final ruling. Also note that if the claimant gets unemployment funds and then loses the final ruling or stops fighting they have to pay those funds back. You can set up a payment plan to pay it back and it doesn't accrue interest. Yes, all of this happened to me in my 20s.

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Dredly t1_it42kao wrote

They gave 2 weeks notice... they Quit.

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ScottEATF t1_it4ejee wrote

You can still collect unemployment if fired in your two weeks.

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Dredly t1_it4q6nv wrote

They can try but would absolutely get fought as they advised they were quitting. Then refused to show up when asked.

No idea why this person is trying to collect if they literally gave notice lol Like what were they doing in a 2 weeks?

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yeags86 t1_it4i92b wrote

Pretty sure the company has to pay those last two weeks if they choose to show you the door upon giving your notice.

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[deleted] t1_it3v14i wrote

[removed]

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ProfessionalSilver52 t1_it3qob9 wrote

The only thing it depends on is if you could have a lawsuit over something, you can't just assume that.

I never said you could collect for quitting either, I answered the question

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ScottEATF t1_it3u5u2 wrote

You still answered it wrong. You've said you can't collect if fired ("period"). This is incorrect

Being fired is what makes you eligible. Voluntarily quitting would disqualify you. The exception being if they were to make drastic changes to your job or hours basically forcing you to quit, this may qualify as "constructive dismissal" which is the same as being fired.

You only won't qualify if you are fired with cause. But with cause to an employer and with cause to unemployment are two different things.

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GlitteringWing2112 t1_it46i57 wrote

I’ve been in the HR field for over 20 years. Scott, you are correct.

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yeags86 t1_it4j5x2 wrote

Wouldn’t it only be for two weeks of unemployment though, since there was already a notice involved? Or wouldn’t the company just have to pay it?

Couple people quit one of the companies I’ve worked for and they are escorted out after submitting their resignation immediately (of course after being able to pack up personal items). They still got paid the two weeks and any vacation time built up. Reason for being escorted out was access to a wide range of company information that could be sold to a competitor, or they might be going to work for one.

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GlitteringWing2112 t1_it4rrh5 wrote

No - that really has no bearing on how much they get. If someone gives their notice & is asked to leave, companies aren’t obliged to pay for those 2 weeks, most do it because it’s the right thing to do. It really depends upon the companies policies.

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GlitteringWing2112 t1_it4spp1 wrote

You said:

“If you were fired you cannot collect. Period”.

I replied with that is not true - it depends on what you were fired for. If you were fired for incompetence, you can just say that you tried your best and just couldn’t work up to the company’s standards. Unemployment is usually approved in that instance.

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HahaWeee t1_it411f0 wrote

I was fired from.a shit job a few years ago..got UE until I found a new one

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linkdudesmash t1_it48qhe wrote

Sure you can. It depends if the company wants to fight it or not. Most don’t because they don’t want piss off a ex employee. I was fired once. They told be to file unemployment they won’t fight it.

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