@Zara Mirza - definitely try Claimyr if you can't get through the regular phone lines! It really was a lifesaver. And yes, having documentation of the late response seems to be key. In your case, make sure you have any proof of the timeline when your employer responded vs. the deadline. TWC takes those deadlines seriously from what I've learned. Good luck with your situation! It's so frustrating when employers try to change their story after the fact, but it sounds like TWC sees through these tactics pretty well.

Welcome to the community @Ian Armstrong! This is exactly the kind of situation where having people share their experiences really makes a difference. TWC issues can be so overwhelming when you're dealing with them alone, but threads like this show that there are patterns to how these cases get resolved. The late employer response + documentation combo seems to be a winning strategy based on what everyone's shared here. @Liam Mendez - really hoping you get good news in those 5-7 days! And for anyone else following along, it's worth noting that Claimyr seems to be getting mentioned more and more as a reliable way to actually reach TWC agents when the regular lines are jammed. Knowledge is power with these situations!

UPDATE: Just wanted to let everyone know my payment did get delayed exactly one day - hit my account Thursday night instead of Wednesday. I was able to move my autopayments thankfully. Thanks for all the help!

Thanks for posting this update! This is really helpful for others who might face the same situation during holiday weeks. It's good to know the delay was predictable - exactly one business day as several people mentioned. I'm saving this thread for reference since I'm sure this will come up again with upcoming holidays like Labor Day and Thanksgiving.

Hey Cassandra! I'm pretty new to this whole unemployment appeal process, but I wanted to chime in because your situation sounds really frustrating. I'm dealing with something similar - got let go for "performance issues" that were never documented or discussed with me before my termination. Reading through all these responses, it sounds like you've got a really solid case with the evidence of your manager doing the same thing. That selective enforcement angle seems huge! I haven't had my hearing yet (still waiting to be scheduled), but I'm curious - how long did it take from when you filed your appeal to actually getting the hearing date? And did you have a lawyer or represent yourself? Also, thanks to everyone else for all the info about the ID.me stuff. I had no idea that was a thing I'd need to worry about. Definitely bookmarking that Claimyr service too - sounds like getting through to TWC is a nightmare for everyone. Hope you get good news soon! Keep us posted on how it turns out.

I went through a similar situation about 6 months ago - got terminated for allegedly violating a "policy" that was never properly explained during onboarding. Like you, I had evidence that management was inconsistent with enforcement. The ID.me request after your hearing could actually be a positive indicator! In my case, I got the identity verification request about 10 days after my hearing, and my appeal was approved 4 days later. It seems like they don't bother with ID verification unless they're planning to process payments. One thing I wish someone had told me - even if your appeal is approved, there might be a brief delay while they calculate your back pay. In my case, it took an additional week after approval to see the actual payments hit my account. Just wanted to give you a heads up so you don't panic if there's a short gap between approval and payment. Your evidence about your manager doing the same thing sounds really strong. Selective enforcement is one of the key factors that can overturn a misconduct determination. Hang in there - it sounds like you presented a solid case!

Once your employer's deadline passes, keep an eye on your claim status in the TWC portal. It will change from "pending" to either "approved" or there might be an issue that requires additional information. If there's no change after 2 weeks, that's when I'd recommend trying to contact TWC directly to check if there's a hang-up somewhere. Also - start documenting your work searches immediately if you haven't already. Use the WorkInTexas.com system to track them, as TWC can directly verify those searches if they audit your claim later.

I'm in a similar situation - filed my claim 3 weeks ago and still waiting for employer response deadline to pass. The anxiety is real, especially with bills piling up! One thing I learned from calling TWC multiple times is that even if your employer doesn't respond by the deadline, TWC might still reach out to them for additional time if they need more info. Also, make sure you're checking your TWC portal daily because sometimes they'll send you additional forms or requests that can delay everything if you don't respond quickly. Hang in there - the waiting is the worst part but most people do eventually get approved if they were legitimately laid off or terminated through no fault of their own.

Absolutely request your personnel file! Texas Labor Code §103.002 gives you the right to access your personnel file. Send a formal written request (email with read receipt is fine) stating you need it for your TWC appeal. They must comply within a reasonable time. This will either: 1) Show you had no misconduct documentation, which helps your case, or 2) Reveal what they're claiming against you so you can prepare a response. Win-win!

You've gotten excellent advice here! I went through a similar situation about 6 months ago and won my appeal. One additional tip: when you submit your appeal documents, include a simple timeline showing the progression from "restructuring/layoffs" to suddenly claiming "misconduct" for unemployment purposes. This contradiction often becomes obvious to hearing officers when laid out chronologically. Also, if your company has done other layoffs recently, try to find out if they claimed misconduct for those folks too - it shows a pattern of abuse. The fact that you were laid off with multiple colleagues in a group meeting is actually strong evidence that this was economic, not misconduct-related. Keep us posted on how it goes!