Can you collect unemployment while going to school in Texas? TWC rules explained

That makes sense. So if I'm taking night classes or classes that wouldn't stop me from taking a Monday through Friday job, that should be okay? I'm not planning to put any restrictions on what jobs I'd accept.

The availability piece is exactly right. The rule isn't that you can't go to school, it's that school can't be a reason you'd turn down a job. As long as you're genuinely job hunting and would drop or adjust your schedule for work, you're on solid ground.

yeah but twc asks on your payment request if you were able and available, so just answer honestly every time and you should be fine

Commission-Approved Training is something I've never heard of before. So there's actually an official way to be in school and have TWC recognize it differently? That's really interesting, I'm going to look into that.

The Commission-Approved Training thing is real and it's worth pursuing if you qualify. It's not automatic though, you have to apply and get it approved before you start the training. Regular classes you just sign up for on your own are treated differently than a program TWC has officially approved for you.

I'll try that service for my own issue, been trying to reach TWC about a different question for two weeks now

I'm in Travis County so my letter said five activities a week. I've been keeping a log in a spreadsheet, tracking every application and the date. Good to know that doesn't change with school.

The log thing is so important. Someone in my family had a work search audit and had to submit their whole log. If you're keeping it in a spreadsheet with the company name, position, date, and how you applied, you're way ahead of most people.

five a week in Travis?? I thought it was three everywhere except Houston

Travis County is five a week, same as Harris, Dallas, Bexar, and Tarrant. Those five counties all require five. The letter TWC mails you will always have your actual number though, so go by that.

The adjudication when school gets involved is frustrating but not necessarily a death sentence for the claim. When they review it they're looking at whether you stayed available for full-time work. If your record shows you were doing your work searches and not restricting your availability, that works in your favor when they make their determination.

This is exactly what I'm worried about happening to me. Did you proactively tell TWC about the school or did they find out some other way?

I mentioned it when I called in about something else and the rep put a note on my account. No idea if that triggered it or if it was something else. Just waiting and stressing at this point.

The adjudication process is brutal waiting-wise. Hopefully your situation resolves fast since it sounds like you did everything right.

So the smart move would be to contact TWC before I register for any classes and ask about the Commission-Approved Training process, rather than just assuming regular enrollment is fine?

Contacting TWC before you start is the right call. Find out if your program qualifies and what the approval process looks like. Going in with a plan and documentation is way better than enrolling first and dealing with questions about your availability after the fact.

This is the most useful thing in this thread honestly. The order of operations matters a lot with TWC.

Online classes make it even easier to argue you're fully available since there's no physical classroom keeping you somewhere at a set time. That's actually a good option to look into.

Online format definitely helps the availability argument. If a job called you in for an interview or a first day at 9am Monday, you could say yes without any class conflict. That's the kind of flexibility TWC is really looking for.

This is a clearer explanation than anything I've seen on TWC's website. The distinction between 'school that restricts my availability' vs 'school that I'd work around' is the whole ballgame.

and you have to actually mean it too, not just say the right thing on the payment request. if twc audits your work search and sees you only applied to jobs with certain hours that lines up with your class schedule, that's a problem

That's a fair point. I need to genuinely be applying to jobs across different shift types, not just the ones that happen to fit neatly around any classes I take.

Might try that for my adjudication situation. Three weeks waiting with no update and I need to actually talk to someone.

The hold times are unreal. My last attempt I was on hold for over an hour before getting disconnected.

My WorkInTexas profile is current, I update it whenever I apply to something new. Didn't realize it ties into the unemployment eligibility picture as directly as it does though.

WorkInTexas.com and UBS use the same login which a lot of people don't know. If you haven't connected them yet, it's worth doing through UBS - makes managing both a lot simpler.

I forgot about my WorkInTexas profile for like a month and when I called TWC about something else the rep mentioned it. Update it regularly.

January is coming up fast. I should probably contact TWC this week rather than waiting. What's the best way to even start that conversation with them - UBS message or calling in?

Calling is better for something like this because it's a nuanced question and you want to actually talk through your situation. UBS messages are fine for simple status questions but for something involving Commission-Approved Training you want a real conversation with an agent.

Agreed on calling. Some things just need a human on the other end who can look at your actual claim and give you an answer specific to your circumstances.

The 90 percent to 75 percent wage rule is real - for the first eight weeks you need to accept suitable work at 90 percent of your normal wage, and after that it drops to 75 percent. But the job search has to stay genuinely broad regardless of what you're studying. Narrowing applications to one field can look like you're restricting your availability.

So your brother got flagged just for applying narrowly, not because of the school itself?

Exactly. The school wasn't even mentioned in the questionnaire, it was purely about the job search scope. He had to submit his log and explain the choices. Everything worked out but it was stressful.

Bookmarked the UBS link. I'll read through the TWC site tonight and then call this week. Really want to get this sorted before I make any decisions about registering.

twc.texas.gov has a lot of information but sometimes it's hard to find exactly what you need, calling really is better for specific situations

Mine would be in supply chain management, which is directly related to the work I was doing before the layoff. That seems like it could be a reasonable case for Commission-Approved Training since it's building on existing skills rather than a total career change.

Supply chain is in demand and directly related to your prior work, that's a solid case to make to TWC. Document the connection between your previous job and the program when you call.

Having that documentation ready - job description, the degree program details, how they connect - will make your conversation with TWC much more productive.

The payment request doesn't have a field specifically for school hours - it asks about work and earnings, and whether you were able and available. Reporting school as 'other activities' isn't exactly the right spot for it. The core question is always whether you were available for full-time work, and that's what TWC evaluates.

oh okay maybe she was just answering the availability question correctly then and that's why there were no issues

Right, the availability question is the one that really matters. If she answered yes to being able and available every week and genuinely was, that's what TWC is looking for.

That's worth asking TWC directly because the answer can depend on the specific terms of your training approval. Generally speaking, your obligation to be available for work is always present, but Commission-Approved Training changes the standard you're held to in ways that regular self-directed school enrollment doesn't. This is exactly the kind of nuanced question where calling TWC beats guessing.

Makes sense that it's not a one-size answer. I'll ask when I call in about my own situation.

The timing is tight with January registration coming up so getting through quickly would really help. I'll look into that before trying the regular line.

Trying it for my adjudication issue too. Three weeks with no update and I just need someone to tell me where my claim stands.

I haven't received my waiting week yet and I've been on benefits since September. Is that something I should follow up on now?

You need to have been paid at least twice your weekly amount AND be returning to full-time work or exhausting your benefits for it to become available. It's not automatic - once that condition is met you request it. If you're still actively collecting, it typically comes at the end. But checking your UBS account to understand where you stand is always a good idea.

The waiting week confuses a lot of people because the name makes it sound like it's just the first week they make you wait. It's actually the first payable week that gets held and paid out later under specific conditions.

This is basically my action plan now. Call TWC this week about Commission-Approved Training, keep the work search log thorough, stay genuinely available for full-time work. I feel a lot clearer on this than I did when I posted. Thanks everyone.

Good approach. Getting clarification directly from TWC before January registration is the right move.

The proactive approach always goes better than dealing with adjudication questions after the fact.