I've been following this conversation closely as someone who went through trailing spouse benefits in Texas about 18 months ago. Your situation sounds very strong for approval - the combination of your husband returning to his original employer with a promotion, the 4-hour commute distance, and the clear business necessity due to the company buyout should make this a straightforward case for TWC. A few additional points that might help based on my experience: 1. Consider getting a brief letter from your current hospital's HR stating they have no facilities or positions available in East Texas - this shows you explored keeping your current job before resigning 2. When calculating the commute distance for your documentation, include both mileage AND time - TWC considers anything over 2 hours each way unreasonable, and you're at double that 3. Save all your East Texas hospital job applications in a folder with dates - you'll need 3 work search activities per week even with trailing spouse benefits, but these absolutely count 4. File your claim online the day after your last day of work rather than waiting until you've physically moved The approval timeline seems to run 2-3 weeks based on what others have shared here, which matches my experience. Just make sure your resignation letter explicitly states you're leaving "to accompany spouse for employment relocation" and you should be good to go. With two kids to think about, this sounds like exactly the kind of family situation the trailing spouse provision was designed to protect!

I successfully went through the trailing spouse process about 6 months ago when my husband transferred from San Antonio to Tyler for his manufacturing job. Your situation sounds even stronger than mine was - the fact that he's returning to his original company with a promotion, plus the obvious 4-hour commute issue, should make this a pretty clear case for approval. One thing that really helped speed up my process was creating a "trailing spouse documentation packet" before I even resigned. I included: 1) My husband's written offer letter with start date and location, 2) A brief letter from his HR explaining the business necessity of the transfer, 3) A calculation showing the daily commute would be 8+ hours roundtrip, and 4) Screenshots of job applications I'd already submitted in Tyler. When I filed my claim online, I was able to upload all this documentation immediately rather than waiting for TWC to request it later. My claim was approved in just 16 days, which was faster than most people I've talked to. The examiner told me having everything organized upfront made their job much easier. Also, since you mentioned dealing with school registration timing - you might want to ask if your husband's company offers any temporary housing assistance or if they can provide a letter confirming the move timeline. TWC likes to see that this is truly a necessary business move rather than just a convenient timing choice. Good luck with everything!

I'm a former TTEC employee who went through something very similar about 18 months ago - same TxDOT contract, same system issues, same bogus "work avoidance" termination. The good news is I won my appeal! Here's what made the difference in my case: I documented EVERYTHING chronologically and included timestamps wherever possible. The appeal officer was particularly interested in the pattern of me reporting issues vs. their lack of response. I also managed to get a statement from our IT help desk showing multiple tickets I'd submitted about system freezes. When TTEC's HR rep tried to claim the system was working fine, I had concrete evidence proving otherwise. The whole appeal process took about 6 weeks, but I got all my back pay. One thing that really helped was having specific examples ready - not just "the system froze a lot" but "on March 15th at 2:47 PM, the customer database crashed while I was helping a customer with account #12345, and I immediately reported it to supervisor Jane Smith via email." That level of detail made it clear this wasn't employee negligence. You've got the screenshots and emails already, which is huge. Don't let them gaslight you - TTEC's systems are notorious and TWC knows it.

I just wanted to add one more crucial piece of advice that I learned the hard way during my own TWC appeal - make sure you get everything in writing from TTEC/HR when you request documentation. Don't accept verbal responses or claims that "we don't have those records." Send your documentation requests via email with read receipts, and if they claim certain records don't exist, ask them to confirm that in writing. I've seen cases where companies initially claimed they had no IT tickets or system logs, but when pressed for written confirmation, suddenly those records appeared. Also, if you have any performance metrics from before the system issues started showing you were meeting targets, include those too - it helps establish that your performance declined specifically after the technical problems began, not due to any work avoidance on your part. The contrast between good performance before system issues vs. problems after the technical failures started is powerful evidence. You're building a really strong case here with all the documentation you have. Keep pushing forward with that appeal!

I'm dealing with the exact same issue! My claim was approved 2.5 weeks ago and I've submitted my payment requests on time, but still haven't received anything. The payment status just shows "pending" with absolutely no explanation of what's causing the delay. It's so stressful when you're counting on these benefits to pay rent and basic expenses. Reading through all these comments has been incredibly helpful though - I had no idea there were so many "invisible" issues that can block payments even after approval. The employer response unit number (512) 463-2222 that several people mentioned sounds like exactly what I need to try. It makes total sense that there could be flags or employer responses that don't show up in our online portals but are blocking payments behind the scenes. I'm going to call that number first thing tomorrow at 7am and specifically ask about any pending issues, flags, or employer responses on my account. Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences and actual phone numbers that work - this community is a lifesaver when the official system seems designed to keep us in the dark!

I'm going through this EXACT same situation right now and it's driving me absolutely insane! My claim was approved on September 15th, I've submitted 3 payment requests since then, and I haven't received a single dollar. Just that useless "pending" status with zero explanation while my savings account drains paying for groceries and utilities. What really gets me is that TWC's phone system seems intentionally designed to prevent you from reaching anyone. I've called hundreds of times over the past month - busy signals, 3-hour holds that end in disconnections, automated messages telling me to use the website (which shows NOTHING helpful). It's like they're banking on people just giving up. But reading through everyone's advice here has given me so much hope! I had no clue about the employer response unit at (512) 463-2222 - that sounds like exactly what I need since my former employer is a huge corporation that probably uses third-party services. Tomorrow I'm calling that number at 7:00 AM sharp and asking specifically about any hidden flags, pending employer responses, or system issues that aren't showing up in my online portal. Thank you all for sharing actual solutions instead of just the standard "keep calling" advice. This community is literally saving my sanity right now! Will definitely update with results.

Congratulations on getting through to TWC! That's a huge relief. I'm a veteran myself and went through something similar when I transitioned out. One thing I'd add - if you haven't already, make sure you're registered with your local workforce center and consider reaching out to a Veterans Service Organization (VSO) in your area. They often have staff who understand the UCX system and can advocate for you if you run into any more issues. The American Legion and VFW both have people who deal with this stuff regularly. Also, once you start receiving payments, keep detailed records of everything - TWC has been known to have "computer glitches" that can mess up ongoing claims. Best of luck with your transition to civilian life!

Hey Amina! I'm a veteran who went through almost the exact same thing when I got medically discharged from the Marines in 2023. The whole UCX process is honestly a nightmare - those contradictory letters had me thinking I was losing my mind! What really helped me was keeping a detailed log of every interaction (dates, times, what was said) because TWC's system doesn't always sync up properly. Also, if you're not already doing it, make sure you're requesting payment every single week even with the $0 showing - I missed one week thinking "what's the point" and it caused issues later when my backpay was calculated. The 7-10 business days timeline sounds about right based on my experience. Hang in there - the waiting sucks but once it gets resolved you'll get all your backpay at once. Feel free to reach out if you run into any other issues during this process!

I'm currently going through this exact situation and wanted to share what I learned from calling TWC directly. After reading through all these helpful responses, I managed to get through to an agent yesterday (took about 2 hours of calling) and got some clarity on the process. The agent confirmed that Texas does currently have Extended Benefits available, but eligibility depends on your individual circumstances and work history. She emphasized that you MUST continue filing your payment requests every two weeks even when it shows $0 - this maintains your claim continuity which is crucial for extension approval. One thing she mentioned that I haven't seen discussed here is that they're being stricter about work search verification for extensions. She recommended keeping detailed records including company names, contact information, dates, and method of application for each of your 3 weekly work search activities. Screenshots of online applications are especially helpful as proof. The good news is that if you qualify for EB, the payments should be retroactive to when your regular benefits exhausted, so you won't lose money during the gap period. The agent said most determinations are being processed within 10-14 days right now. Hope this helps others in the same boat! The waiting and uncertainty is definitely stressful but it sounds like many people are successfully getting extensions if they follow all the requirements.

I'm also approaching the end of my regular UI benefits and this entire thread has been a lifesaver! I had no idea about so many of these details. A few things I wanted to add from my own research: I called my local workforce center yesterday and they mentioned that you can also visit in person if you're having trouble getting through on the phone. Sometimes they can check your account status and help resolve minor issues that might delay your extension approval. Also, for anyone worried about the work search requirements being stricter - I've been using the WorkInTexas.com website for most of my job applications, and it automatically tracks your applications which can serve as good documentation. You can print out your activity history from there. One question for those who have gotten EB - did you have to do anything different for your work search activities once you were on extended benefits, or is it still the same 3 activities per week? I want to make sure I'm prepared for any changes in requirements. This community has been so helpful during this stressful time. It's amazing how much clearer everything becomes when people share their actual experiences versus trying to decode the TWC website!