Just won my TWC appeal hearing against former employer who showed up late!
Finally had my TWC appeal hearing this morning and I'm feeling RELIEVED regardless of outcome! My former employer (a restaurant chain) was super late to the telephone hearing and the judge had to call them THREE separate times before their district manager finally joined. The funny part? When it was her turn to ask me questions or dispute my evidence, she literally said NOTHING! Not one question! I came prepared with screenshots of all my written warnings (which weren't for misconduct, just for requesting time off that was approved then later denied), my performance reviews (all positive), and text messages showing I gave proper notice before leaving shifts. I walked through everything slowly, asked clarifying questions when the judge seemed confused about our scheduling system, and made sure to emphasize I never violated company policy. Even if my benefits claim doesn't get approved, I've already found a better job at another restaurant with actually reasonable management. Just wanted to share because these hearings are SO nerve-wracking but honestly not as scary as I built them up to be in my head! Anyone else have experience with appeal hearings where the employer barely participated?
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Raúl Mora
Congrats on getting through it! When an employer doesn't bother to ask questions or dispute your evidence, that's usually a VERY good sign for your case. The fact they showed up late also doesn't look good for them. TWC judges tend to rule in the employee's favor when the employer doesn't actively challenge the facts you presented. I went through something similar last year - my former employer showed up but was completely unprepared, and I received my determination letter approving benefits about 10 days after the hearing. Make sure you keep requesting your payments while waiting for the decision!
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Arjun Kurti
•Thank you! That makes me feel better. Do you remember how they notified you of the decision? Will it just show up in my correspondence inbox on the TWC portal or will they mail something?
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Margot Quinn
sounds like you won to me! when i had my hearing the employer talked for like 20 mins trying to make me look bad but i still won lol. if they didnt even try to fight back thats basically giving up imo
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Evelyn Kim
•Not necessarily true. I've seen cases where the employer says nothing during the hearing but submitted all their evidence beforehand, and the claimant still lost. It depends entirely on what documentation was provided to the hearing officer before the actual hearing took place. The TWC appeals process isn't just about what happens during the phone call.
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Diego Fisher
What kind of documentation did you provide? I have my hearing next week and I'm super nervous and have no idea what to expect!!! My former boss is saying I was fired for attendance but I have doctors notes for the days I missed.
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Henrietta Beasley
•For TWC hearings, make sure you have all attendance records, copies of the company attendance policy, your doctor's notes, and any communications showing you properly notified your employer about your absences. The hearing officer will want to see if you followed company policy for reporting absences and if your employer applied their policy consistently. Also prepare a timeline of events to help keep things clear during the hearing.
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Lincoln Ramiro
THE TWC SYSTEM IS SUCH A JOKE. I had a hearing where my employer LIED COMPLETELY about why they fired me and the judge still ruled in their favor!!! The whole system is designed to favor employers no matter what. They just want excuses to deny benefits we've paid into. I'm still fighting my appeal from 3 months ago and can't get ANYONE on the phone to tell me what's happening with my case. So ridiculous.
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Faith Kingston
•same i call like 30 times a day and just get busy signals or get disconnected after waiting an hour
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Henrietta Beasley
Based on what you described, you have a strong case. When an employer fails to participate meaningfully in a hearing, the hearing officer typically has to rule based primarily on the evidence and testimony you provided. A few things to know about what happens next: 1) You'll receive the written decision via mail AND in your correspondence inbox on the TWC portal, usually within 7-14 days 2) Continue requesting payments while waiting for the decision 3) If approved, you'll likely receive back payments for any weeks that were held during the appeal process 4) The employer still has 14 days to appeal the hearing officer's decision if it's in your favor The fact that you provided documentation and the employer didn't dispute it puts you in a favorable position. And congratulations on finding a better job - that's always the best outcome regardless of the TWC decision!
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Arjun Kurti
•Thank you so much for all this information! I'll definitely keep requesting payments. Do you know if I should expect a large deposit all at once if they approve my claim? I'm owed about 6 weeks of back benefits since this whole appeal process started.
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Emma Johnson
I had my hearing last month and still dont have a decishun. Anyone know how long it takes TWC to tell you if u won or lost? They owe me like $3500 in backpay!!!
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Raúl Mora
•Decisions typically take 7-14 days, but they can take longer if the hearing officer has a large caseload. If it's been more than 21 days, you should try contacting TWC. Have you checked your correspondence inbox on the TWC portal? Sometimes the decisions show up there before the physical mail arrives.
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Evelyn Kim
I had the exact opposite experience where my employer brought their entire HR team and a company attorney to the hearing. I was completely overwhelmed and lost my appeal. If I could do it over again, I would have been much more prepared with specific documentation rather than just trying to explain my side verbally. For anyone struggling to get information about their claim or appeal status - I finally managed to speak with a TWC representative using Claimyr (claimyr.com). They got me connected to a real person at TWC within about 20 minutes after I'd spent weeks getting busy signals. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/V-IMvH88P1U?si=kNxmh025COIlIzKh It helped me resolve my issue and find out exactly what documentation I needed to submit for my second appeal. Sometimes just talking to an actual TWC agent makes all the difference.
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Lincoln Ramiro
•Does that service actually work? I've tried EVERYTHING to get through to TWC and just keep getting disconnected or busy signals. At this point I'm desperate enough to try anything.
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Arjun Kurti
Update: Got my determination letter today (5 days after hearing) and my benefits were APPROVED!!! The hearing officer specifically noted that the employer failed to provide evidence to support their claim of misconduct. So relieved and grateful for all the advice here. For anyone with an upcoming hearing - PREPARE, PREPARE, PREPARE! Having all my documentation ready made such a difference.
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Margot Quinn
•congrats!!!! told u so lol. enjoy that backpay
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Raúl Mora
•Great news! Be aware that your employer still has 14 days to appeal this decision, but it's somewhat rare for them to pursue it further, especially given their lack of participation in the first hearing. Make sure you continue doing your work searches and requesting payments on schedule.
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