I had same problem and fixed it by going to the TWC office in person! Waited about 2 hours but at least got it fixed same day instead of waiting forever on the phone

Just to add some helpful information for others: for seasonal school employees, TWC requires you to upload documentation showing your return-to-work date. This helps verify that you have "reasonable assurance" of returning after the break, which is required for eligibility. You'll want an official letter from your school stating your employment terms and specific return date. Also, remember that you still need to do the 3 work search activities each week, even though you have a job to return to. I've seen claims delayed because people think seasonal workers are exempt from work search - they're not!

Yes, always ask for a \

Just wanted to update - a friend of mine was in this exact situation last week. She used Claimyr to get through to TWC, and the agent she spoke with was able to see that her ID.me verification had actually completed successfully in their system, but there was a secondary review flag that was holding up the process. The agent removed that flag while she was on the phone, and her account was updated and money restored within 48 hours. Sometimes you just need to get to the right person who can see what's actually happening in their system.

After reading through this thread, I want to emphasize a few important points about your specific situation: 1. The "COVID question" misunderstanding was extremely common and many people have won appeals on this basis. Particularly the question about "refusing work due to COVID concerns" confused thousands of claimants. 2. For your late appeal defense, make sure to emphasize that you attempted to appeal IMMEDIATELY after receiving the determination, not after receiving an overpayment notice. This distinction matters to the hearing officer. 3. Present your evidence in chronological order: determination received on X date, phone attempts on these dates (show call log), email attempts on these dates, and finally when your appeal was accepted. 4. If possible, bring a witness who can testify that they observed your attempts to contact TWC during that period. The fact that your hearing is happening now indicates TWC has at least accepted your appeal for consideration, which is already a positive sign.

Just make sure you dress professionally for the hearing (even if it's over the phone or video) and be SUPER respectful to the hearing officer. My husband won his appeal even though he was like 3 weeks late filing it, but he had documentation showing he tried calling multiple times. The hearing officer was actually pretty understanding about how hard it was to reach TWC during that time. Good luck!

So about that whole "using Spanish at work" thing - I'm really curious what happened there if you don't mind sharing. Was that seriously the reason they fired you and denied benefits? That sounds like potential discrimination depending on the circumstances, especially if non-Hispanic employees were specifically targeted for using Spanish while Hispanic employees weren't.

UPDATE: I finally got through this morning! Called exactly at 7:00am and still waited 45 minutes, but eventually spoke with someone. For anyone else stuck in the "must call in" loop after a seasonal job: 1. They confirmed my account was flagged for manual review due to previous appeal history 2. I had to verify identity again through ID.me even though I did this last year 3. The agent manually created my new claim 4. She said I should receive my determination letter within 7-10 business days 5. I CAN start requesting payments next week even before determination (this was news to me!) Thanks everyone for your help! That silent hold is still absolutely maddening though.

yeah she got all the back money at once. was like 6k cause it took like 3 months total. but she had to request payment every 2 weeks whole time like someone else already said

Since your separation involves both a medical issue and a natural disaster, make sure to specifically mention both during your appeal hearing. TWC has special provisions for both situations. The natural disaster element (hurricane flooding) adds substantial weight to your case since TWC recognizes this as a legitimate barrier to work. Also worth noting: if you've worked for this employer for over a year, mention that too. Longer employment history works in your favor for these types of appeals.