To answer your follow-up question - you should wait for the scheduled fact-finding interview before submitting your evidence. During that call, the examiner will tell you how to submit your documentation. They typically give you a specific fax number or email address that goes directly to your claim examiner. And yes, absolutely continue requesting payment every two weeks while waiting for a determination. This is essential even if your claim is in pending status. If you're ultimately approved, you'll only receive benefits for weeks you properly requested payment.

During your fact-finding interview: DO: - Stick to factual statements - Reference specific dates and events - Clearly state you never received a second write-up - Explain your harassment reports chronologically - Ask for the employer to provide proof of the second write-up - Stay calm and professional DON'T: - Use emotional language or appear angry - Make general accusations without evidence - Interrupt the examiner or employer - Bring up unrelated workplace issues - Speculate about employer motives without evidence Remember that everything is being recorded, and the examiner is looking for clear, factual information to make their determination. Your documentation will speak for itself if organized properly.

One thing to note about contacting your state representative - make sure you're reaching out to your STATE representative, not your federal Congressional representative. Many people make this mistake. State reps handle TWC issues since unemployment is administered at the state level. Also, when you call their office, ask specifically for the staff member who handles constituent services or TWC matters. This person will know exactly who to contact at TWC to escalate your case. One more point - if you're 45 days behind on your mortgage, you should immediately contact your mortgage servicer and ask about hardship options. Many have programs that can pause foreclosure proceedings while you're actively working to resolve government benefits issues. The key is to contact them BEFORE they file formal foreclosure paperwork.

Something important that no one has mentioned yet - ID.me verification issues are usually categorized as "identity verification issues" in the TWC system, which means your claim is probably on hold with an identity verification flag. When you speak with your state representative's office, make sure you specifically mention that you need help with an "identity verification hold" on your unemployment claim. This precise terminology will help them route your case to the correct department at TWC. Additionally, if you've been locked out completely, you might also have a separate "account access" issue that needs to be addressed simultaneously. These are handled by different teams at TWC, so being specific about both problems will speed up resolution. Lastly, document every attempt you've made to resolve this (dates of ID.me attempts, TWC calls, etc.) as this documentation will be helpful if you end up needing to file an appeal for backdated benefits once your identity is verified.

Im confused on something - if they approved your appeal in 2021 and u certified for 4-5 weeks like u said, why didnt u get THOSE payments before u went to prison?? Did u check that your direct deposit info was correct?? Maybe the payments went to a closed account or something?

If your direct deposit failed, TWC would typically default to sending a paper check to your address on file. If you were incarcerated, those checks may have been returned to TWC or simply expired after 180 days. When you use the Claimyr service that someone mentioned to speak with a TWC rep, ask specifically about: 1) whether payments were attempted for those 4-5 weeks you certified for, 2) if those payments failed or were returned, and 3) if there's any way to reissue payment for just those specific weeks you properly certified for before incarceration. Focus on those initial weeks rather than the entire claim period, as you might have a better case for those.

Yes, you might have a valid FMLA claim since you meet the requirements. You can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division. This would be separate from your unemployment claim, but could potentially help with getting your job back or receiving compensation if they find your termination violated FMLA protections.

good luck with TWC, mine took 5 weeks to get approved 😩

Quick update on appeal timelines - I was at the Workforce Solutions office yesterday for a job fair, and the staff mentioned they're seeing TWC appeals getting scheduled faster now than a few months ago. The current backlog is about 4-5 weeks from filing to hearing date for most cases. Also, regarding your evidence - make sure you have documentation showing you reported the equipment issues to your employer multiple times. In work-from-home cases, TWC looks closely at whether you made reasonable efforts to resolve technical issues before they led to your termination.

Just wanted to follow up - after you get through to TWC, ask them specifically about a "quality control review" of your case. Sometimes they can flag obvious determination errors for review before the actual appeal hearing. It doesn't always work, but I've seen it help speed things up in cases with clear documentation like yours.