If I am fired can I collect unemployment in Texas TWC?

That's actually really reassuring to hear. So 'performance issues' as a reason isn't automatically misconduct in TWC's eyes?

Right, TWC digs into the actual facts. The separation notice your old employer sends them will matter a lot, and you'll get a chance to tell your side too. Four weeks of patience is usually what it takes before you see any determination come through.

My cousin went through almost exactly this last year — fired for 'not meeting expectations' with nothing in writing and TWC approved her. The adjudication process took about five weeks but she got paid back to week one.

Wait, I have to do work search activities even while I'm in adjudication? I hadn't started that yet.

Yes, you need to register on WorkInTexas.com if you haven't already and start logging your required activities each week. How many you need depends on your county — TWC mails you a letter with your specific number, so watch for that.

I did NOT know this when I was going through mine last year. I missed two weeks of payment requests while waiting to hear back and those weeks were just gone. Do not make that mistake.

The work search piece threw me off too. I was in adjudication for almost a month and kept thinking I'd just handle everything once it resolved. Nope. Had to scramble to get caught up on the logs.

My situation is a little different — I was fired and I think my employer may have reported it as a voluntary quit. Would using that service get me to someone who could actually check what code my employer used when they filed their response?

That's exactly the kind of thing the agent helped me with. They can pull up what's on your claim and tell you what your employer submitted.

I've been trying to get through on the regular TWC number for two weeks. Might give that a try for my own claim.

That's a fair correction. The way I'd put it: the question is whether you were able to do the job and chose not to, versus genuinely struggling. The original poster's situation — no written warnings, no improvement plan — still sounds more like the struggling category than the willful neglect one.

This is what makes me nervous. I had some months where my numbers were down but it was during a period when our entire region was underperforming. I wasn't singled out for anything specific until the termination meeting.

Regional performance issues affecting everybody is very different from individual misconduct. Document whatever you can about that context and include it when TWC contacts you for your statement.

Adjudication just means TWC is actively investigating the reason for the job separation. They're collecting info from both sides — the claimant and the employer. It doesn't mean anything bad, it just means the case isn't cut-and-dry enough to auto-approve. Most firings go through it because the employer has a chance to say their piece.

Okay that makes sense. She was freaking out thinking it meant she was about to be denied.

Tell her to keep filing those payment requests on schedule regardless of what adjudication status says. That's the most important thing she can do right now.

I've been building out a timeline of exactly that. I also have emails going back two years that show I was receiving positive feedback from my direct supervisor, it just changed when we got a new regional manager six months ago.

That email trail is gold. If you end up going to an appeal hearing, that's exactly the kind of documentation that makes a difference to the Hearing Officer.

The appeal process is worth knowing about even if you get approved the first time. You have 14 days from the date on the determination letter to file an appeal if it doesn't go your way. Don't wait on that deadline.

Appeals are absolutely the right move if you get a denial you disagree with. File within 14 calendar days of the date printed at the top of your determination letter — not the date you receive it, the date it was mailed. You do it through UBS, in person at a Workforce Solutions office, or by mail or fax. What happens after is a phone hearing with a Hearing Officer where you both get to present your case.

14 days from the date it was MAILED, not received. That's a narrow window. Good to know going in.

And keep submitting payment requests the whole time the appeal is processing. TWC only pays for weeks you actually requested on time — the appeal doesn't go back and fix missed requests.

The hearing packet usually comes 5 to 10 days before the actual hearing, and you need to register your phone number 15 to 60 minutes before the hearing time. Miss that window and it complicates things.

How specific did he get? Like did he include names of coworkers who might have witnessed things, or just his own account?

Mostly his own account with dates and quotes as best he could remember them. He did mention a coworker's name once as someone who could corroborate a specific meeting but he said TWC didn't follow up on that directly.

The specificity thing is huge. Vague general statements don't hold up as well as 'on this specific date my manager told me X and I responded by doing Y.

Four weeks is a rough average but it can definitely go longer, especially if your former employer was slow to respond or if TWC needs to follow up for more information. Six weeks is on the longer side but not unheard of. The best thing you can do is check UBS daily since they update overnight.

I've been checking every single day. It just says 'pending' on everything. I tried calling but cannot get through to anyone.

For getting through on the phone, the service I mentioned earlier at claimyr.com got me to an agent when I couldn't get through any other way. Might be worth it if you need to actually talk to someone about your specific case.

Six weeks of pending and I can't get a human on the phone. This is so frustrating. Going to try that.

No, the weekly amount is based entirely on your past wages, not on the reason you left your job. It's calculated from the highest earning quarter in your base period — roughly the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you filed. The separation reason only affects whether you're eligible at all, not the dollar amount.

Oh okay that makes sense. So if I get approved the amount would be the same whether I quit or got fired?

Exactly right. The only thing the separation reason determines is whether you get anything at all.

That's a little comforting honestly. My former company is big enough that HR probably handles dozens of these and might not spend a lot of time building a detailed case for every one.

Bigger companies sometimes have that going against them, yeah. But don't count on it — make sure your own statement is as strong as possible regardless of what they do.

This is a good point. Never assume the employer won't respond or will respond weakly. Build your own case as if the employer is going to be very specific.

Eight months could be enough depending on your earnings. The minimum is wages in more than one base period quarter and at least 37 times your weekly benefit amount. If your eight months spanned more than one calendar quarter and you were earning a decent wage, you might be fine. Best to just file and let TWC calculate it — they'll tell you if the wages don't meet the threshold.

My eight months did cross two calendar quarters so that's something at least. I guess I'll just apply and find out.

Definitely apply. TWC runs the calculation automatically and if you don't qualify they'll tell you why. No harm in finding out.

How did you approach the appeal hearing? I've never done anything like a legal proceeding even informally.

It's a phone call with a Hearing Officer who asks both sides questions. It's not as intimidating as it sounds. I just laid out exactly what happened in order and answered the questions honestly. The documentation I had helped a lot.

No lawyer required either, though you can bring one if you want. Most people handle the first level appeal on their own.

The hearing packet they mail you beforehand actually explains the process pretty clearly. Read it carefully when it arrives.

TWC holds back your first payable week — they call it the waiting week. It's not gone, but it doesn't pay out right away. You get it back after you've been paid twice your weekly benefit amount AND you either return to full-time work or run out of benefits entirely. If you go back to full-time work, you have to actually go into UBS or call Tele-Serv and request it; it doesn't release automatically.

So if I go back to work before exhausting benefits I'd need to request it myself or it just sits there?

Exactly. Go into UBS and look for the 'Request Your Waiting Week' option, or call Tele-Serv and use Option 2 then Option 4.

How direct is the TWC questionnaire about asking you to dispute the employer's version? Like does it give you room to explain or is it just yes/no questions?

There's a section where you write out your own account. Use every bit of that space. Don't hold back thinking they want a short answer.

If your position was eliminated that's straightforward — that's a layoff, not a quit and not misconduct. That should be a pretty clean path to approval once TWC sees the facts.

After you're approved and you've filed your payment requests, the money usually lands within two business days of each request being processed. It goes onto a ReliaCard debit card unless you set up direct deposit. The card itself can take up to 10 business days to arrive after your first payment is processed, so if you don't have it yet just wait — it's coming.

I did set up direct deposit when I applied. Does that change the timeline?

Direct deposit usually means you see the money even faster, often the next business day after a request is processed. Good call setting that up early.

That first payment sometimes only covers one week even though you've been waiting weeks — that's normal. The first payment is typically just one week because the system processes it differently than the ongoing biweekly requests.

Unemployment benefits count as taxable federal income. TWC doesn't automatically take anything out — but you can choose to have 10 percent withheld for federal taxes voluntarily. If you don't set that up and you're collecting for several months, you could owe at tax time. Worth thinking about.

How do you set up the withholding? Is that in UBS somewhere?

Yes, you can update your tax withholding preference in UBS. Worth doing sooner rather than later if you don't want a surprise in the spring.

I skipped the withholding thinking it wouldn't be much and then owed more than I expected. If there's any chance you'll be collecting for more than a couple months, just set it up.

I've been doing a few gig delivery shifts while I look for full-time work. How does gig work get reported — is it the same as regular wages?

For self-employed or gig work you report your net profit, not gross. So what you actually cleared after expenses for that week.

And you can earn up to 25 percent of your weekly benefit amount without it reducing your payment. Above that it starts eating into what you receive. Worth doing the math before turning down work.

An employer reporting the wrong separation code is exactly what I was worried about with my situation. Good to know there's a way to actually get through and check that.

The agent was able to pull up exactly what code was on file and walked me through what to do next. Having that information directly made everything else make sense.

That's actually helpful to know — I'm at week two and was wondering when to expect contact from them. Gives me a better mental timeline.

Fill it out carefully and completely. Don't rush through it.

Three weeks before the questionnaire and then usually another few weeks after that for the actual determination. Budget your finances accordingly while you wait.

That outcome is consistent with how TWC typically handles vague performance-based terminations. Glad the documentation strategy paid off.

This is a good update for everyone asking whether firings can get approved. Yes they can and often do when the employer hasn't built a solid misconduct case.

Congrats. And for anyone reading this thread still in the middle of adjudication — hang in there, keep submitting those payment requests.

The 'willful conduct' framing is key. That's really what TWC is looking for. Normal performance struggles that weren't willful don't meet the bar.