Do u get unemployment if u get fired from your job in Texas TWC?

Okay that's a relief to hear honestly. What counts as misconduct in their eyes? Because my employer might try to frame it as that.

Misconduct in TWC's world is stuff like breaking company rules on purpose, violating actual laws on the job, or just completely neglecting your duties when you're capable of doing them. 'Not meeting expectations' is pretty vague and might not hit that bar.

They never gave me any written warnings or put anything in my file. Would that help my case at all?

TWC asks both sides for their version of what happened. You'll get a chance to explain your situation. The employer has 14 days from when TWC mails them a notice to respond with their side.

How do I even give TWC my statement? Do I call them or is it online somewhere?

They usually mail you a questionnaire after you apply. Fill it out completely and be specific. If they want more info they'll reach out. You can also check your status in UBS at apps.twc.texas.gov/UBS/security/logon.do anytime.

Definitely fill out every single question on that form. Leave nothing blank. The more detail you give the better.

My claim is also sitting there after a firing. Would that work for just asking a general question about where the review stands?

Yeah that's exactly what I used it for. Asked the agent where my separation review was and got a straight answer instead of guessing from the portal.

Saving that site. Been calling TWC for days and can't get anyone.

Four weeks is a long time when you've got rent coming up. Is there anything I can do to speed it up or should I just wait?

Keep making your payment requests on schedule while you wait. Don't skip them thinking you have to wait for the decision first. If you get approved, they only pay weeks you actually requested on time.

This is the part that trips everyone up. You file the claim and then think you just wait, but you have to also do the payment requests every two weeks separately. They're not the same thing.

Yep and you can do payment requests through the UBS site or by calling Tele-Serv at 800-558-8321 Option 1. Don't wait for a letter telling you to, just check your original paperwork for your first request date.

That's exactly my situation almost. Did your employer fight it after?

They didn't respond at all to TWC's initial notice, which probably helped. If they had appealed I would've had to do a phone hearing, but it never got that far.

Employers can appeal too if they disagree with the determination. Important to know that just because TWC approves you doesn't mean the story is over if the employer decides to push back.

Wait so I have to be applying to jobs even before they tell me I'm approved?? Nobody mentioned this.

Yes from the very first week you're claiming benefits. The letter TWC mails you will say how many activities you need per week for your county. Keep a log with dates, company names, contact info, and how you applied.

Harris, Dallas, Bexar, Tarrant, and Travis counties all require five activities a week. Other counties may be fewer. Your letter from TWC will have your specific number.

I'm in Dallas County so I guess I need to start doing five a week immediately. Does applying on Indeed count?

Submitting an application counts yes. So does things like attending a job fair or contacting an employer directly. Keep records of all of it.

I did that part during the application, it prompted me to. So that should be good.

Good, then you're set there. Some people skip it thinking it's optional and then get a flag on their claim.

The UBS and WorkInTexas.com login are literally the same username and password, which is convenient but also means if you get locked out of one you're locked out of both.

Okay I was actually confused about this too. So the claim is just the application basically and the payment request is what triggers them to actually pay you for a specific two-week period?

Exactly right. Miss a payment request window and that two-week period just doesn't get paid. You can file late Thursday through Saturday of that week if you miss the Sunday-Wednesday window, but after that the week is gone.

This is why I always set a phone reminder. The two-week schedule is easy to lose track of especially if you start working part-time and get distracted.

My employer never said I was refusing to do anything or breaking rules. Just that my numbers were below target. That sounds like it might fall on the right side of that line.

That framing helps you. Performance targets versus deliberate neglect are very different things in a TWC review.

One thing that could come up: if the employer says they documented coaching sessions or verbal warnings, that's worth addressing in your statement even if nothing was put in your personnel file formally.

Appeal deadlines are strict though. 14 calendar days from the date printed at the top of the determination letter, not the day you receive it. Missing that window means no appeal at the first level.

14 days from the MAILING date not when you get it in the mail. So if it sat in the postal system for 3 days you have less time than you think. Open any TWC mail the day it arrives.

You can also appeal online through UBS which is faster than mailing anything.

Noted, I will definitely keep doing those. Already submitted my first one.

Good. Also register your phone number for any scheduled hearing, if it comes to that, 15 to 60 minutes before the call time. Not earlier, not later. Missing a hearing is basically the same as losing it.

Why do they hold back a week? That seems like a weird rule.

It's just how the program is structured in Texas. You can request that held week if you go back to full-time work before your benefits run out, through UBS or Tele-Serv. But you need both conditions, the two payments AND the return to work, to get it released early.

A lot of people think they just get it automatically after two payments but it doesn't work that way. You need both things to happen.

How fast did you get to actually talk to someone once you used that?

Got through within a couple hours if I remember right. Way faster than my previous attempts calling directly.

What about if I work a few hours at a part-time job while claiming? Does that just end everything?

Not necessarily. You can earn up to 25% of your weekly benefit amount without it reducing your payment at all. Above that, whatever you earned over that 25% gets subtracted from your payment for that week. Full-time work though ends eligibility on the day you start.

Report the gross amount, rounded down to whole dollars, for the week you did the work. Not what you took home after taxes, the full amount before deductions.

Oh that's a smart move. I didn't even think of that. I'm going to request mine this week.

Definitely do it. Even if everything is clean it's better to know. And if there's something in there you weren't told about, you can address it head-on in your statement rather than having it be a surprise.

HR has to give you access to your personnel file in Texas. They can't deny that request.

That's lower than I was hoping honestly. How do I find out what my actual weekly amount would be?

UBS shows it once your claim is filed and processed. You can estimate it yourself by looking at your highest quarter earnings on your pay stubs and dividing by 25.

The base period is usually the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you filed. So wages from earlier this year and last year factor in, not necessarily the most recent few months.

My situation is similar and I've been dreading the phone call part. Good to know that actually gets answered.

The agent was straightforward about what stage my claim was at and what I needed to do next. That alone was worth it.

If I had to appeal, would I need a lawyer?

No lawyer required. Lots of people go through the hearing on their own. The Hearing Officer just wants to hear both sides. Being specific and honest about what actually happened is what matters.

Keep requesting payments during the whole appeal period. I cannot stress this enough. If you stop making payment requests because you're waiting on a hearing, any weeks you skip are just gone even if you win.

Yeah I keep hearing this and I'm going to make sure I don't mess that up.

That's a better way to put it. The question is capability plus intent, not just numbers on a performance report.

Right, and that's exactly why the lack of written documentation in your case matters. It suggests the employer couldn't point to deliberate or repeated failures.