Thanks everyone for the helpful info. I just checked my TWC account and found my determination letter - looks like my DUA runs until September 15th (exactly 26 weeks from when I applied). That gives me about 10 weeks to get my business back to at least partial capacity. Going to look into those SBA disaster loans too as a backup plan. Really appreciate all the advice!

Glad you found your end date! Just remember if anything changes with your income before September 15th, you need to report it on your payment requests. If you start making money from your business, even if it's not back to normal levels, you have to report it and TWC will adjust your benefit amount. A lot of people miss this part and end up with overpayment notices later.

i had something similar happen when i was working for a school cafeteria company! filed in summer and got approved but then TWC sent me a letter saying i wasnt eligible and had to pay everything back! found out later my boss checked the wrong box about me having "reasonable assurance" of going back in fall. make sure ur boss fills out their paperwork right!!!

Thanks everyone for all the advice and sharing your experiences! I called my HR department today and they confirmed they'll be reporting our summer break as a temporary layoff, and they provided me documentation showing I'm employed by the contractor, not directly by the school. I also checked my TWC account and confirmed my previous overpayment was classified as non-fraud, so hopefully they'll only take 25-30% of my benefits. I'm going to file my claim tomorrow and make sure I select all the right options regarding my school contractor status. I'll update this thread once I find out if my claim is approved and how they handle the overpayment situation. Fingers crossed!

Have you talked to your husband about approaching his ex for documentation about the custody change? Having official paperwork showing this was sudden and unplanned might help your case if you do end up needing to file for unemployment.

why is no one talking about how messed up that supervisor's comment was??? saying she "doesn't care about your husband" is so unprofessional. honestly id report her to HR before doing anything else. might create a paper trail that helps ur case too

hi there, just went thru something similar with my cousin who moved from oklahoma. what finally worked was having her create a new TWC account using her SSN only, then immediately requesting a PIN reset. for some reason this bypassed the DL verification for her and she got to the next step. not sure if it will work for everyone but worth a shot!

Just checking back - were you able to get through using any of these methods? The Tele-Serv option that @helpful_user1 mentioned is usually the most reliable in my experience. Also, worth noting that with her nursing background, she might qualify for certain priority processing since healthcare workers sometimes have different unemployment rules. Make sure to specifically mention she's a nurse when you do connect with someone.

dont forget u have to do 3 work search activities EVERY WEEK and record them!! they can audit u and ask for proof so keep track of everything. i just use a spreadsheet with dates and companies i applied to

Yes, activities like updating your resume, attending job fairs, and participating in job-related workshops can count toward your work search requirements. TWC has a list of qualifying activities on their website. However, most of your activities should be actual job applications. Also, an important tip: After you're approved, you'll need to request payment every two weeks. Set a reminder for yourself because if you miss a payment request period, you may not be able to claim those weeks later. And finally, while you're waiting for approval, start your work search activities right away. You'll need to report them for your waiting week and every week after, even before you're approved.