To answer your question from earlier - yes, I won my appeal! My employer tried to say I quit but I had proof I was laid off. The appeal hearing was actually pretty straightforward - about 30 minutes on the phone with a hearing officer who asked both sides questions. Just be honest and stick to the facts. And yes, you'll continue getting benefits until a decision is made, which usually comes about a week after the hearing.

Just wanted to add - don't forget to keep detailed records of all your job search activities during this time! Even though you're dealing with the appeal stress, TWC still requires you to maintain your work search log and be available for work. I made the mistake of slacking off on my job search during my appeal process and almost got in trouble for that too. Keep doing everything you're supposed to do as a regular claimant - the appeal doesn't change those requirements. Good luck with your hearing!

Just curious - when they paid your waiting week, was it the full amount or was it reduced because of your part-time job? When I got mine it was reduced.

This is actually really helpful to read through everyone's experiences! I'm in a similar situation - just started a part-time job about 3 weeks ago and have been accurately reporting my hours and wages. My weekly benefit amount is $380, so based on what others have explained, I'd need to earn about $2,280 total to trigger the waiting week payment. I'm getting close to that threshold, so I'll probably see the same thing happen soon. It's reassuring to know this is normal and automatic - I was worried I'd have to figure out how to request it myself or something. Thanks everyone for sharing your stories!

Thanks everyone for all this helpful information! I feel much more prepared now. I'll definitely get that separation letter specifying budget cuts as the reason, apply right after my last day, and make sure to request payments on schedule even while waiting for approval. I'll also register with WorkInTexas.com right away. One last question - once approved, how long does it typically take to receive the first payment?

Just want to add that you should also check if your contract employer paid into the unemployment insurance system. Some contractors work as 1099 independent contractors, which means they wouldn't be eligible for regular unemployment benefits. However, if you were classified as a W-2 employee (even on contract), then you should be covered. You can verify this by checking if unemployment taxes were deducted from your paychecks. If you were misclassified as a 1099 when you should have been W-2, that's a separate issue you might need to address with TWC. Also, keep copies of everything you submit - emails, letters, forms. TWC's system can be glitchy and documents sometimes get lost in their system.

One last recommendation: In preparation for your appeal hearing, write out a clear, chronological statement about your employment and termination that's no longer than 2-3 minutes when read aloud. Practice it several times. Cover these key points: 1. Your job title and how long you worked there 2. That you worked remotely with approval 3. How the time tracking system worked 4. Any positive performance reviews or recognition 5. The actual reason given for termination at the time it happened 6. Why you believe the lateness claim is false The hearing officer will appreciate a concise overview before diving into the specific evidence. This approach has helped many of my clients win their appeals when facing false misconduct claims.

I'm going through almost the exact same situation right now! My former employer told TWC I was "unreliable" and missed too many days, but I have detailed records showing I only used 3 sick days in 8 months and always followed proper procedures. It's so frustrating when companies just make stuff up! One thing that's helped me is organizing all my evidence into a binder with tabs - time records, emails, performance reviews, etc. I also printed out the company's official attendance policy from their employee handbook to show I never violated it. The advice about continuing to request payments is spot on - I almost stopped doing that thinking it was pointless while appealing. Also, when you do get your hearing notice, they'll tell you if it's phone or in-person. Mine is scheduled for phone, which actually works better for me since I can have all my documents spread out in front of me. Stay strong! From what I've read, when employees have solid documentation like you do, they usually win these appeals. The employers are just hoping we'll give up and not fight back.

just make sure ur actually approved & not just "eligible". my husband thought he was all set but turned out he needed to submit more docs. chase is pretty fast usually, we see the money by day 2.

I've been using Chase for my TWC deposits for about 6 months now and they're pretty reliable. Like others have said, it's usually 2 business days after TWC processes the payment. One thing I learned though - check your TWC account online to see the exact date they show the payment as "processed" because sometimes there's a delay between when they say it's approved vs when it actually gets sent to your bank. Also, Chase usually posts deposits early in the morning (around 3-6 AM) so you might wake up to see it there! Hope you get your rent money in time 🤞