Texas Unemployment
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TWC mixed income claim question - can I get benefits with both part-time job and self-employment affected by storm?
Hi everyone, I'm in a confusing situation with my income sources. I've been running my own small business (photography) but also working part-time at a local retail store to make ends meet. My part-time job is ending this Friday because our location got damaged in the recent storm. To make things worse, my photography business has taken a major hit too since nobody's booking events right now due to all the storm damage. Can I even qualify for unemployment with this mixed income situation? I'm not sure if TWC considers both income sources or if my part-time work would disqualify me from claiming self-employment losses. Has anyone dealt with something similar? The TWC website is confusing me more than helping.
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TWC denied my claim after reapplication due to staph infection - Senator involved but STILL no appeal hearing date
I'm at my wit's end with TWC and don't know what else to do. I got a severe spider bite that developed into a staph infection in my knee. Doctor ordered me to stay off work (I have all the medical documentation). When I couldn't return within their timeframe, my employer terminated me - which should be qualifying for unemployment since it was no fault of my own. Here's where it gets ridiculous: My benefit year expired during recovery, so TWC made me reapply. Suddenly my former employer submitted a bunch of fake write-ups claiming I QUIT (completely false!) and TWC just accepted their side without question. I was denied benefits immediately. I filed an appeal back in MARCH with 25+ pages of evidence including: - Text messages showing I was told not to return - Doctor's orders and medical documentation - Photos of the infection - Phone records proving I tried to communicate with them It's been 7 WEEKS with no appeal hearing date scheduled! I had to contact my state senator who said they're "constantly dealing with TWC" about similar cases. His office got TWC to call me back, but they just said I'm "in the queue" for a hearing. How can they make determinations based only on what the employer claims? Has anyone dealt with this kind of situation where medical documentation is being completely ignored? Did contacting your representatives actually help speed things up?
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btw the hearng will probly be over the phone not in person. thats how mine was. make sure ur in a quite place with good signal so u dont get cut off!!!
Good point. Also make sure your phone is charged! My hearing lasted almost an hour.
The real problem is TWC is DESIGNED to side with employers initially. They know most people give up and don't appeal. And they make the appeal process as slow and painful as possible hoping even more people give up. I filed a complaint with the DOL after my case because of how they handled it. Didn't change anything for me personally but maybe if enough people report the issues they'll be forced to improve the system.
While there are certainly issues with the system, I don't think it's fair to say TWC is designed to side with employers. The initial determination process is just more streamlined and doesn't always allow for thorough review of all evidence. That's precisely why the appeal process exists - to provide a more comprehensive review when needed. The backlog is unfortunate but it's more a result of understaffing than an intentional barrier.
TWC Disaster Unemployment for Hurricane Beryl - Are the rumors about $7500 payments true?
Hey y'all, I'm confused about all these Hurricane Beryl rumors going around. I already got Disaster Unemployment Assistance after the storm hit my area, but now I'm seeing Facebook posts saying we need to apply AGAIN specifically for Beryl damage? Even weirder, there's all these posts claiming FEMA/TWC is giving out $7500 one-time payments and $1600 weekly benefits. This sounds like complete BS to me, but I don't want to miss out if it's somehow true. Has anyone actually received these amounts or is this just another social media scam? The TWC website isn't clear about any special Beryl program that I can find.
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To address the original poster's follow-up question: If your workplace suffered additional damage from Beryl that extends your unemployment period, you should contact TWC to update your existing DUA claim. While you don't need to file a completely new claim, you may need to provide documentation showing the extended impact. This could include a letter from your employer stating the additional closure time due specifically to Beryl damage, photos of new damage, or repair estimates showing the extended timeline. The key is documenting that your unemployment duration has been extended specifically because of the subsequent hurricane damage.
This is super helpful, thank you! I'll get a letter from my boss explaining the situation with the extended closure. Really appreciate the clear advice.
guys remember to keep requesting payment every 2 weeks even while dealing with this confusion!! i almost forgot my payment request with all this beryl stuff happening
This is excellent advice. Regardless of disaster circumstances, you must continue to request payment every two weeks to maintain your benefits. Missing a payment request can create significant complications with your claim.
Confused about DUA application dates after temporary work stoppage - what dates should I enter?
I got laid off temporarily from my restaurant job due to flooding damage from July 5-12, 2025. I'm trying to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) but I'm stuck on the dates section. The form asks for 'date you started work' and 'last date worked' but I'm confused because I only missed work for that one week and then went back to the same job. Do I put my original hire date (3 years ago) as start date? And for 'last date worked' do I put July 4 or July 12? I'm worried about answering wrong and getting denied. The application is stressing me out more than the actual flood did!
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One important thing to remember about DUA that many people miss: You need to provide proof of employment within 21 days of applying. This can be pay stubs, employment records, or bank statements showing deposits from your employer. Since you're still with the same employer, ask them for a letter confirming your employment status and the dates you were temporarily laid off due to the disaster. Having this documentation ready will prevent delays in your claim processing.
I didn't realize I needed documentation! My boss already offered to write a letter explaining the situation since several of us are applying for DUA. We were closed for repairs after 2 feet of water got into the restaurant. I'll make sure to upload that with my application.
Can I qualify for DUA after hurricane with 1099 work, minimal documentation and side gig issues?
Hey all - Houston resident here trying to figure out my options after getting hit by the recent hurricane. My situation is a bit messy:\n\n- I was working as an independent contractor (1099) for about 5 months\n- Got terminated right after the hurricane hit our area\n- The company found out I was doing a small side gig helping a friend in the same industry (not competing directly, but they didn't like it)\n- Most of my payments were through Venmo, with just a few paper checks\n- Don't have much formal documentation of my work relationship\n- Had to take care of my kids for over a week post-hurricane since their mom's place had no power (I only lost power for a day)\n\nDoes anyone know if I could qualify for Disaster Unemployment Assistance? From what I understand, DUA is different from regular unemployment. Since I don't have typical employment docs and was let go for the side gig thing, I'm not sure if I should even bother applying. The payment documentation situation makes me nervous too.\n\nAny advice from someone who's navigated DUA with 1099 work would be amazing. Thanks!
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One more important thing about DUA that others haven't mentioned: There's a 30-day application deadline from when the DUA program is announced for your disaster area. Unlike regular unemployment which you can apply for anytime, DUA has a strict window. Make sure you don't miss it even if you're still gathering documentation.\n\nAlso, your pay documentation issue is common for 1099 workers. TWC has a specific affidavit form for self-employed or 1099 workers applying for DUA. You'll need to report your earnings as accurately as possible based on the Venmo/check records you have. Be prepared to provide bank statements showing the deposits as supporting evidence.\n\nRegarding the termination reason: be completely transparent, but frame it in the context of how the disaster created the circumstances that led to your job loss (having to care for children, disruption to normal work patterns, etc.
Javier Morales
u gonna get less $ than u think just warning u now lol
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FireflyDreams
Update: I applied yesterday and listed both income sources. The online system was confusing but I managed to get through it. Now my claim status says "under review" and mentions something about determining my "base period wages" - whatever that means. Guess I'll be making some phone calls to figure out what's next. Thanks for all the advice everyone!
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CosmicVoyager
Base period" wages refers to how they calculate your benefit amount - they look at your earnings over the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters. This is why documentation is so important. Since'we re in Q2 of 2025 now,'they ll look at your income from January-December 2024. "The under" review status is normal while they verify both incomesources.
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