Can you collect disability and unemployment at the same time in Texas TWC?

This is really helpful, thank you. The 'able and available' part is exactly what I was worried about - I want to make sure I meet that requirement since I've been cleared by my doctor.

The workers' comp piece is a little different though - TWC looks at that separately and mails a decision on it. Worth mentioning when you apply.

My fourth week waiting on a decision and I still don't know what's happening with my claim. Did they say anything about how long it takes once you report those kinds of payments?

That's what I figured but I keep second-guessing myself. The workforce office person made it sound like disability history was automatically a problem and that really threw me off.

Workforce office staff aren't always up to date on the actual rules, honestly. They give general guidance but the real determination comes from TWC itself after both you and the employer respond.

Agreed - I've gotten wrong information from walk-in offices before. The written determination from TWC is what actually counts.

Yeah I had no intention of hiding it - I just want to make sure I'm reporting it in the right place. When I apply it asks about income from other sources, so I'll put it there?

Report it both when you apply and on every payment request where you receive it. The application asks about it and each payment request also has that income question. Don't skip either one.

Waiting on my own workers' comp decision from TWC right now, three weeks in. It's annoying that you can't just get a straight answer upfront but that's how they do it.

Oh wow, I did not know one determination could block everything even if other ones are fine. That's really important. How long did your appeal take?

The hearing itself took about six to eight weeks from when I filed the appeal just to get the hearing packet. Then the actual decision came within a couple weeks after the hearing. Keep requesting payment the whole time though because they only pay the weeks you actually requested on time.

The appeal timeline is brutal but that advice about keeping up with payment requests during an appeal is crucial. So many people stop requesting payments while they're waiting and then those weeks just disappear.

Mine was a full clearance with no restrictions - I should have said that more clearly in my original post. So I think I'm okay on that front.

Then you're in good shape on the availability piece. The concern would only be if you had work restrictions, which you don't. Good luck with the claim.

This is an important distinction. 'Available for full-time work' is what TWC actually requires, not just 'available for some work'. The partial availability situation gets complicated.

Yes exactly - they sent me a formal separation notice while I was still technically on leave, saying my role was being eliminated as part of a restructuring. I have the paperwork.

Keep that paperwork. When TWC mails the employer a notice, the employer has two weeks to respond. If they describe the separation differently than you do, you'll want documentation to back up what you're saying.

This is good advice. 'Position eliminated' is exactly the kind of thing TWC treats as a layoff, not misconduct-related. The documentation you have should support your claim.

I've been dreading the phone situation. Did it work pretty quickly or did you have to wait a while after setting it up?

It was pretty fast once I got it going. The agent I got was actually helpful and didn't rush me off the phone which I wasn't expecting.

My situation involves pension income too, going to try this for my own call. I've been going back and forth on whether my pension affects things.

Yes mine was entirely through the employer's short-term disability insurance, not Social Security. I've never filed for SSDI.

Then the SSDI complication doesn't apply to you at all. Your situation is really just the layoff separation plus the workers' comp reporting question.

Glad someone clarified this because I was about to ask about SSDI. I have a family member in a different situation where they do receive SSDI and I wasn't sure if unemployment was even on the table for them.

I've heard about the work search requirement but I didn't know the number varied by county. I'm in Tarrant County, do you happen to know what the number is there?

Tarrant County requires five work search activities a week, same as the other big urban counties. But the letter TWC mails you is what officially sets your number, so wait for that and go by what it says.

I got caught out not keeping a detailed enough log. TWC asked for mine and I'd only been writing down company names, not dates and contact methods. Keep it thorough from the start.

That framing really helps. I was mixing these up in my head like they were connected when actually they're two different questions TWC asks independently.

Exactly right. Job separation reason and weekly eligibility requirements are evaluated separately. Getting those straight in your head before you apply will help you answer the questions more clearly.

Five weeks for the first payment - was that just normal processing time or was there a specific hold on your account?

Mostly normal processing time plus a short adjudication on a small issue. Once adjudication cleared it was about two more weeks to the first actual payment.

The four-week estimate for first payment is real. And remember the first week is a waiting week that gets held - you won't see it paid until you've received payments worth twice your weekly amount and either go back to full-time work or use everything up.

If your doctor has cleared you for full-time work without restrictions, you're fine. If the clearance is for limited hours or light duty only, you have to be honest that you're not available for all full-time positions. That can limit or eliminate your benefits for weeks where the restriction applies.

Mine are informal limitations, nothing in writing from the doctor anymore. I'm not sure how to handle that honestly.

If there's nothing current in writing restricting your work, you're probably in the clear. What matters is whether you genuinely could accept a full-time job right now. If the answer is yes, you can honestly say you're able and available.

How do you submit the appeal if you need to? Is it through UBS or do you have to do it in person?

You can appeal in UBS online, in person at a Workforce Solutions office, or by mail or fax. What you can't do is appeal by email or phone, even though those feel more natural. I did mine through UBS and it was pretty straightforward.

14 calendar days from the date printed at the top of the letter, not from when you received it. If the letter sat in a slow mailbox for a few days, that's already eating into your window. File as soon as you have it.

Did they handle the call themselves or did you do it for them? Wondering how that works for a family member.

My family member made the call themselves - I just helped set it up. The service gets you to an agent and then it's a normal phone conversation from there.

That's good to know. My situation is complicated enough that I think I need an actual conversation with someone at TWC rather than just reading FAQ pages.

This is a good summary of what I've learned from this thread. I feel a lot more prepared to actually apply now. Thank you.

Two months into my claim and I wish this thread had existed when I started. The 'report everything and wait for letters' approach is really the right mindset.

The appeal window advice is so important. I nearly missed mine because I thought I had more time. The date at the top of the letter is what counts, not when you open your mail.

You absolutely keep requesting payments on schedule even during adjudication. The instructions for when to start requesting are on the letter TWC mails you after you apply - follow that date, don't wait for a decision. TWC only pays weeks that were requested on time. If you stop requesting, those weeks are gone.

Okay that confirms what I suspected. The person who told me to wait was wrong. I've been requesting on schedule this whole time, glad I didn't listen.

This is one of the most common mistakes people make. The person who told you to wait probably thought they were being helpful but it's the opposite - stopping requests during adjudication is how people lose weeks they should have been paid for.

You file on Sundays through Wednesdays, and if you miss that window you have until Saturday of the same week to still get it in. After Saturday it's gone for that period.

I hadn't thought about the base period impact of being out for several months. My injury started about six months ago, so some of that time falls in the calculation window. I should figure out what my wages looked like in the base period quarters.

If your wages are low in some quarters because of the medical leave, your benefit amount might be lower than you'd expect based on your normal salary. It's calculated from actual wages paid in the base period, not what you would have earned.

The alternate base period is only available to people who were out of work for at least seven weeks in a base period quarter due to a medically verifiable illness, injury, disability or pregnancy. If that fits your situation, you'd have to call a Tele-Center to ask about it - it's not something you request online.

This is practical and something I can do right now. I'll put together a timeline before I apply so I'm not scrambling.

Exactly. And note which payments were from which source - employer disability insurance, workers' comp, any other income - because TWC asks about each category and mixing them up creates problems.

A written timeline also helps enormously if you end up appealing anything. The hearing is by phone and having your dates and facts organized means you can answer the hearing officer's questions clearly.

Congratulations on finally clearing. Three separate issues sounds exhausting. I'm bracing myself for a potentially long process.

Honestly just expect it to take a while and you'll be less stressed. I tried calling constantly at first and it just made me more anxious. The system works, it's just slow.

Day nine of my own claim and already feeling the anxiety. Good to hear there's light at the end of it.