I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now! My license expired 3 weeks ago and I've been stuck in ID.me limbo ever since. Reading through all these responses has given me so much hope - I had no idea about the Trusted Referee option or contacting state reps for help. One thing I wanted to add that might help others: if you have an old passport (even expired), bring that along with your other documents for the Trusted Referee call. Even though mine expired 2 years ago, the ID.me representative said having multiple forms of government-issued ID, even expired ones, helps establish your identity pattern and makes the verification process smoother. Also, for anyone else in this boat - start the Trusted Referee process EARLY in the morning like around 7-8 AM if possible. I tried at 2 PM yesterday and was position 400+ in the queue, but when I started at 8 AM today I was only position 89. Still waiting but much more manageable! Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and workarounds. This community is a lifesaver when you're dealing with bureaucratic nightmares like this!

Thank you all for this incredibly helpful thread! I'm in a very similar situation - my Texas license expired last month and I've been completely stuck trying to get my unemployment benefits started. Reading through everyone's experiences and solutions has been a huge relief. I had no idea about the ID.me Trusted Referee option - that sounds like exactly what I need. I'm going to try that first thing tomorrow morning based on the advice about starting early to avoid the massive wait times. I also never considered contacting my state representative's office, but that makes total sense. If the Trusted Referee route doesn't work out, I'll definitely reach out to my rep's constituent services team. One quick question for those who successfully used the Trusted Referee process - did you need to have your documents in any specific format? Like, did they need to be scanned/photographed beforehand, or could you just show them to the camera during the video call? I want to make sure I'm fully prepared before I start the queue. Really appreciate everyone taking the time to share their workarounds and experiences. This is exactly the kind of real-world advice you can't find anywhere else!

I went through this exact same situation about 4 months ago - the waiting is absolutely nerve-wracking when you're counting on that backpay! In my case, it took about 12 business days for the system to update after my successful appeal, then another 4 days for the actual payment to hit my account. What really helped was calling TWC around day 7 and asking them to put a "priority review" flag on my case since I had urgent bills due. The agent was able to see that everything was approved but just sitting in their appeals processing queue. She moved it to expedited review and boom - payment came through 3 days later. My advice would be to start calling by Thursday if you don't see any system updates by then. Be sure to mention your rent deadline and ask specifically about expedited processing for financial hardship cases. Also, screenshot your current account status daily so you can reference exactly what you're seeing when you call. The $4,200 backpay is definitely worth the persistence - don't let them slow-walk your approved claim! Keep us posted on how it goes.

I'm going through this right now too! Won my appeal 5 days ago and still no movement on the website - everything still shows disqualified. Reading through everyone's experiences here, it sounds like 7-14 business days is pretty typical, but the variability is so stressful when you're waiting on money you desperately need. I'm planning to start calling tomorrow (day 6) based on what others have shared about the 8am strategy and asking for expedited processing due to financial hardship. Has anyone had luck getting through to the appeals department directly instead of general customer service? I'm wondering if they might have more specific info about timeline since they handle the reversals. Fingers crossed for both of us @Liam Brown - this waiting game is brutal!

I'm dealing with a similar DUA denial right now - TWC seems to have really tightened up their review process lately. One thing that helped me was getting a notarized affidavit from my employer instead of just a regular letter. The notarization seemed to give it more legitimacy in their eyes. Also, if you haven't already, try to get documentation from the city/county about the official disaster declaration for your area. I found mine on the county emergency management website and it helped establish that there was indeed a qualifying disaster event. The appeals examiner specifically asked about this during my hearing. For the payment request issue while your claim is denied - you might need to look for a "weekly certification" or "payment request" link that's separate from your main claim status. It's not always obvious where to find it when the claim shows denied. The system is honestly terrible at explaining this stuff. Good luck with your appeal! The fact that you have all those emails and photos should really help your case.

I'm going through a DUA appeal right now too and wanted to share something that really helped my case. When I got my employer to write the updated letter, I had them include specific financial details about how the storm impacted their business - like "due to water damage totaling $X, we had to close for Y weeks and postpone all new hires until repairs are completed." The appeals examiner told me that showing the concrete business impact made it much clearer that this wasn't just an excuse to rescind job offers. Also, if your dental office filed any insurance claims for the storm damage, see if they can reference the claim number in their letter - that adds another layer of verification. One more tip: when you do your phone hearing, be prepared to walk through the exact timeline step by step. They'll want to hear "I was offered the job on [date], storm hit on [date], employer contacted me on [date] to postpone start date, etc." Having those specific dates ready made a huge difference in my case. The whole process is frustrating but don't give up! TWC seems to deny a lot of DUA claims initially just to see if people will appeal with better documentation.

UPDATE: My payment finally showed up in the system this morning! Status changed from "payment request received" to "payment processed" with today's date. The portal says direct deposit should hit my account by Monday. A bit late but at least it's coming. Hope everyone else sees their payments updated too!

Good to hear it's finally updating for people! I was in the same boat - requested Tuesday and usually get paid Thursday but nothing showed up. Just checked now after seeing Isabella's update and mine is showing "payment processed" too! Says deposit by Monday. Really wish TWC would send out notifications when there are system delays like this instead of leaving everyone wondering what's happening. At least we know for future reference that quarter transitions can cause processing delays.

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! It's so frustrating when you're already dealing with unemployment stress and then the system itself becomes another barrier. I've been trying for about a week too and getting nowhere. Reading all these comments is giving me hope though - sounds like persistence and timing are key. I'm definitely going to try the early morning calling strategy that everyone's recommending. Has anyone had success with the online chat feature, or is calling really the only way? Also wondering if there are certain days of the week that are better than others for getting through. Thanks for starting this thread - it's reassuring to know we're all in this together! 🙏

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! Been trying to reset my PIN for almost two weeks and it's driving me crazy. The system keeps timing out whenever I try to do anything online, and getting through on the phone feels impossible. I've tried calling at different times of day but always get that busy signal or end up in an endless hold loop. Reading through all these comments is actually really helpful though - I had no idea so many other people were struggling with the same thing. Definitely going to try the early morning calling strategy that everyone's recommending. It's ridiculous that we have to become experts at gaming the phone system just to access benefits we've paid into, but I guess that's the reality. Thanks for posting this - sometimes just knowing you're not alone in the struggle makes a huge difference! 🤞