I went through the TWC appeal hearing process last year and can share what it was like! The hearing was conducted over the phone with a TWC hearing officer, me, and a representative from my former employer. The whole thing took about 45 minutes. The hearing officer was professional but not intimidating - they asked direct questions and let both sides present their case. I went first to explain my situation, then my employer gave their side, and then we both had a chance to respond to each other's statements. What helped me the most was being organized with my documentation. I had everything labeled and ready to reference when asked specific questions. The hearing officer asked about dates, what I told my supervisor, and what evidence I had for each absence. The key is to stay calm, stick to facts, and don't get emotional or defensive. I focused on explaining why each absence was unavoidable and how I followed company policy. About two weeks later I got a written decision approving my benefits. From what I experienced, if you have legitimate reasons with documentation and followed proper procedures like you did, the appeal hearing is really your chance to get a fair review. The initial determination process seems much more automated and superficial compared to having an actual person evaluate all the details.

Just wanted to update everyone - I filed my claim this morning! After reading through all the incredible advice here, I felt much more confident about the process. I made sure to be very specific about the circumstances of each absence, using phrases like "documented mechanical failure" and "dependent care emergency" as suggested by @Edison Estevez and others. The online application was a bit tedious but not as bad as I expected. I included details about following the call-in policy, attached my mechanic receipts, and referenced the school communications about my daughter being sick. Now I just have to wait and see what happens. I'm prepared for a potential initial denial and ready to go through the appeal process if needed. Honestly, this community has been amazing - I went from feeling hopeless to feeling like I actually have a fighting chance. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and advice. I'll definitely update once I hear back from TWC! @Ethan Brown @Derek Olson - you should both file soon too! We can support each other through this process.

This thread has been absolutely invaluable! 🙌 I'm dealing with this exact same issue and was starting to panic before finding all this amazing advice. Based on everything I'm reading here, I'm planning my attack strategy for tomorrow: • Call at 7:59 and start dialing right at 8:00 AM sharp • Have my SSN, submission timestamp, and any confirmation emails ready • Ask them to check the "backend processing system" and "internal processing queue" • If they find it, request they "manually process" it and send email confirmation • Get rep name and case reference number • Absolutely NO resubmitting until they've checked thoroughly It's honestly insane that we need a PhD in TWC system architecture just to get our benefits, but this community knowledge is gold. The fact that so many people have experienced the same "sync issue" between their public portal and internal database gives me hope this is just another annoying glitch rather than a real problem. Thanks to everyone who shared their battle-tested strategies - you're all lifesavers! Will report back on how the call goes. We're all stronger when we help each other navigate this bureaucratic nightmare! 💪✊

This exact thing happened to me about 3 weeks ago and I was absolutely panicking! 😰 After reading all the amazing advice in this thread, I wanted to add a few things that helped me: • When you call at 8 AM (definitely do this!), if you get the automated system, press 1-2-1 to get to the payment request issues queue faster • Write down EVERYTHING during your call - rep's name, time, what they found, what they did. I had to call back twice and having those notes saved me so much time • If the first rep seems clueless about backend systems, don't be afraid to politely say "I need to speak with someone in technical support who can access your internal processing database" • After they manually process it, ask when you should expect to see it reflected in your account AND in your payment - sometimes there's a delay between the two The whole experience taught me to treat every TWC interaction like I'm documenting for court 📝 Sad but true! Also want to echo what others said - DON'T panic and don't resubmit. In my case, they found my request within 5 minutes once I got the right person. The system sync issues are real but your submission is almost certainly there. You've got this! This community has your back! 💪

I just wanted to add my experience for anyone else going through this waiting period. My "under review" message disappeared last week and I got my approval letter exactly 3 business days later. During those 3 days, I didn't see any other changes in my account - no updates to payment status, benefit amounts, or anything else. The determination letter just appeared in my correspondence inbox one morning when I logged in. I was approved for $380 weekly benefits. The key things that helped me during the wait: 1) I kept requesting payments as scheduled, 2) continued my work search activities, and 3) only checked my account twice daily instead of obsessing over it. The waiting is brutal but try to stay positive - from what I've seen in this community, the message disappearing is usually good news! Keep doing everything you're supposed to do and you should have your answer within the next few days.

I'm currently in the exact same situation - my "under review" message disappeared yesterday and I've been refreshing my account way too often since then! Reading through all these experiences has been incredibly helpful and reassuring. It sounds like the message disappearing is generally a positive sign that they've completed their review, and most people seem to get their determination letter within 2-5 business days after that happens. I've been continuing to request my weekly payments and keeping up with my work search activities like everyone recommended. The waiting is so stressful when you have bills piling up, but knowing that others have gone through this exact process and gotten approved gives me hope. I'm going to try following the advice about limiting myself to checking twice a day instead of obsessively refreshing. This community has been way more informative than anything on the official TWC website - thanks to everyone for sharing their timelines and experiences!

I went through the exact same thing a few months ago! Got denied initially but kept getting those ID.me emails and was so confused. Turns out it's completely normal - the ID.me verification is required for your TWC account regardless of whether your initial claim was approved or denied. I actually called it the "bureaucratic chicken and egg problem" because you need to verify to appeal, but you get denied before verifying! The good news is that once I completed the ID.me verification and filed an interstate claim (I had worked in New Mexico), everything got sorted out. The verification itself took maybe 15 minutes - just have your driver's license ready and make sure you're in good lighting for the video selfie part. One tip that saved me a lot of headache: when you do get through to TWC, ask them to put a note in your file that you completed the ID.me verification on [whatever date you do it]. Sometimes there's a delay between when you complete it and when it shows up in their system, and having that note prevented me from having to redo the process later. Hang in there - the system is definitely confusing but it sounds like you're on the right track with the interstate claim angle!

I just went through this same process last month and wanted to share what I learned! The ID.me verification is actually required for ALL TWC accounts now, regardless of your claim status. So even though you got denied, you still need to complete it because it's tied to your account, not your specific claim. The really important thing here is that your denial was likely because TWC's system initially only looks at Texas wages. Since you worked in Oklahoma, you'll probably need to file what's called an interstate claim or combined wage claim to include those out-of-state wages. I had a similar situation with Arizona wages and once I got the right type of claim filed, I qualified easily. My advice: Complete the ID.me verification ASAP (it's pretty quick - just need your driver's license and decent lighting), then focus on getting through to TWC to discuss filing an interstate claim. The verification requirement isn't going away, so you might as well get it done now rather than having it delay things later if your appeal or new claim gets approved. Don't let the confusing system discourage you - it sounds like you should definitely qualify once they look at your Oklahoma wages!

Just wanted to share my perspective as someone who works in the benefits field (not for TWC, but familiar with these systems). What everyone's describing aligns with what I've been seeing across multiple state unemployment agencies - there's been a major push toward mandatory identity verification using ID.me since the pandemic fraud issues. The "risk-based" system that @Fatima Al-Farsi mentioned is spot on. While TWC might technically say it's not required for "all" claims, their algorithms are designed to flag the vast majority of applications for ID.me verification. Things like new IP addresses, minor discrepancies in personal info, or even filing outside normal business hours can trigger the requirement. My professional advice: Don't gamble on being in the small percentage who might not need it. The cost of being wrong (weeks of delays) far outweighs the 30 minutes it takes to set up ID.me proactively. Plus, having a verified ID.me account is becoming useful for other government services too - IRS, VA benefits, Social Security, etc. One additional tip from what I've seen: if you have any legal name changes (marriage, divorce, etc.), make sure your ID.me account reflects your current legal name exactly as it appears on your driver's license. Mismatches there can cause verification delays even after you complete the ID.me process.

I just filed my TWC claim this afternoon and wanted to add to the conversation with my fresh experience. ID.me verification was absolutely required - no way around it. The system immediately directed me to complete identity verification after I submitted my basic information. Since I read through this thread beforehand (thank you everyone!), I was prepared with my documents and had already created my ID.me account. The whole process took about 20 minutes. The facial recognition worked on the first try thanks to the lighting tips shared here - I sat near a window with natural light and made sure to remove my glasses. What I found interesting is that the TWC website now has a prominent notice right at the beginning of the application stating that identity verification will be required. They're definitely not trying to hide it anymore like some people experienced in the past. For anyone still on the fence about whether to set up ID.me beforehand - just do it. Based on every single recent experience shared in this thread, TWC is clearly requiring it for virtually all new claims in 2025. Having it ready made my application process so much smoother. Don't risk the delays when you're already dealing with job loss stress. The verification integrated seamlessly back to TWC once completed, and I was able to finish my application without any additional steps. Hopefully this helps others who are preparing to file!