UI claim specialist here. This 'inactive status' situation is extremely common, especially in industries like warehousing, retail, and hospitality. You qualify for benefits under TWC rules as long as: 1) Your reduction in hours was not your fault (which appears to be the case) 2) You're available to work (make sure you indicate this) 3) You're actively seeking work (minimum 3 work search activities per week) When you file, select 'still employed but hours reduced' and clearly explain your situation. If approved, you'll need to submit payment requests every two weeks and report any hours/wages if your employer does eventually give you some shifts. If your initial claim is denied, immediately file an appeal - you have 14 calendar days to do so. Many employers contest these claims despite them being legitimate, and appeals are often successful when the facts show zero hours for an extended period.

my company did this to me and called it 'temporarily furloughed' but it was just a way to not lay people off officially. i got unemployment no problem!! just make sure you do your work searches even though technically your still employed!

One more thing! Make sure she requests payment on her designated filing day after applying! So many people file the initial claim and then don't realize they have to REQUEST PAYMENT every two weeks on a specific day of the week (based on the last digit of their SSN). Missing payment requests can mess up the whole claim!

To answer your earlier question - yes, payment requests are also done online through the same TWC account or through Tele-Serv (automated phone system). You'll need to help her request payment every two weeks, and she'll need to report any work and earnings during that period. For the Gmail account, make sure she can access it independently if possible. TWC sends important notices through email, and you don't want to miss a determination letter or appeal deadline because you weren't checking her email. Also, after the initial claim is processed (usually 2-3 weeks), she'll receive a Statement of Benefits in the mail that shows her weekly benefit amount (WBA). Check this carefully - if there are errors in her work history, this is when you'll see them reflected in a lower benefit amount.

my brother had to pay back like $5000 to twc last year and he just ignored it. now they're garnishing his wages lol. dont be like my brother

Important point: If your second appeal is denied, you still have options before paying. You can request a payment plan to spread out the repayment, or in some cases, file for a waiver of overpayment if repaying would cause financial hardship. Don't ignore the overpayment notices though - that leads to collection actions including tax refund intercepts and eventual wage garnishment. Also, continue your work search and benefit requests while this is pending. The appeal process doesn't stop your ongoing benefits unless they specifically tell you otherwise.

Off topic but whatever happend to that TWC online chat feature they were supposed to roll out? Would be so much easier than these phone calls that never go through. Every time I check the website it still says "coming soon" but it's been that way for ages. Anyone actually seen it working?

Just checking in - were you able to submit your payment request and explain the job refusal situation? Hope it went smoothly.

i went thru this in january and its actualy FASTER to just go to ur local workforce center in person!! the one in north austin helped me get everything fixed in one visit. call centers r useless now with everyone trying to get thru. bring ID and social security card and they can pull up everything right there

UPDATE: I tried that Claimyr service and IT WORKED! Got connected to a TWC rep in about 40 minutes (while I was able to do other things instead of sitting on hold). The agent was able to unlock my claim and helped me file for the weeks I missed. They could only backdate 3 weeks like someone mentioned, but at least I'm back in the system now. For anyone else dealing with this headache, it's worth trying - saved me days of frustration!