Missed payment request due to illness - can I still claim last week's TWC benefits?
Y'all I messed up bad. I was down with the flu all last week (103 fever!) and completely forgot to request my unemployment payment. Today I logged into my TWC account to catch up and the system says I can't request until Wednesday?? I'm freaking out because rent is due soon and I NEED that money. Will I lose that week's benefits completely or can I still request it late? Has anyone dealt with this before? The TWC website is so confusing about missed payment dates. 😩
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Khalil Urso
Don't panic! You're not completely out of luck. TWC has a policy that allows you to request payment for the previous two weeks even if you miss your regular filing day. When Wednesday comes, you'll be able to request payment for both weeks at once. Just make sure you don't miss this upcoming Wednesday too, or things get more complicated. When you request on Wednesday, the system will guide you through claiming both weeks separately.
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Nasira Ibanez
•Omg thank you!! I was having a total meltdown thinking I'd lost that money completely. So just to be 100% clear - when I log in Wednesday, I'll actually be able to claim BOTH weeks (the one I missed and this current week)?
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Myles Regis
this happend to me 2. ur fine. they let u do it for 2 wks back i think
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Nasira Ibanez
•Thanks! Hope you're right. Did you have to call them or did the website just let you claim both weeks?
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Myles Regis
•website did it automaticly. just wait till ur filing day
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Brian Downey
You can request payment for the previous two-week period, so you won't lose the benefits for the week you missed. However, you need to understand that TWC operates on a biweekly schedule, so on Wednesday you'll be requesting for both the week you missed and the current week. Make sure you have your work search activities documented for BOTH weeks. Remember, Texas requires at least 3 work search activities per week. If you were too sick to complete your work search activities for the week you missed, you may need to report that as well, as illness can sometimes qualify as "good cause" for not completing work search requirements.
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Nasira Ibanez
•Oh shoot, I didn't even think about the work search requirement! I was so sick I definitely didn't do my 3 activities last week. Will they deny my benefits for that week then? Is there a way to explain I was sick?
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Brian Downey
•When you file on Wednesday, there should be an option to indicate why you didn't complete work search activities. Being sick with documentation (like a doctor's note) can qualify as "good cause" in some cases. Just be honest about your situation. If the online system doesn't give you a way to explain, you might need to speak with a TWC representative directly to explain your situation.
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Jacinda Yu
I went through EXACTLY this last month! My kid had a school emergency and I completely forgot to request my payment. Don't worry, you CAN still get that week's payment. When Wednesday comes, the system will automatically prompt you to enter information for both weeks. BUT - fair warning - if you already missed one request day, DO NOT miss Wednesday or you could end up having to call TWC to reactivate your claim which is a NIGHTMARE. I spent 3 days trying to get through on the phone lines when that happened to me once before.
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Landon Flounder
•I had the same phone nightmare when I needed to reactivate my claim! Busy signals for DAYS. I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a TWC agent in about 20 minutes instead of spending days redialing. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/V-IMvH88P1U?si=kNxmh025COIlIzKh But hopefully OP won't need that if they request on time Wednesday. Just keeping it in your back pocket for future reference is smart though - TWC phone lines are impossible otherwise!
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Jacinda Yu
•Oh wow, wish I'd known about that service before! Bookmarking for next time because dealing with TWC phone lines is the absolute worst. Thanks for sharing!
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Callum Savage
Same thing happened to my brother last month. He just waited until his regular filing day and the system let him request both weeks at once. No big deal.
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Ally Tailer
THE TWC SYSTEM IS DELIBERATELY CONFUSING!!! They make these rules complicated so people miss payments and they save money. I missed ONE payment request last year and ended up having my claim CLOSED and had to start all over again. The so-called "two week grace period" doesn't always work right in their buggy system. CALL THEM IMMEDIATELY!!! Don't wait until Wednesday or you might get NOTHING!!
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Brian Downey
•While it's true that missing payment requests can sometimes cause problems, the online system is designed to handle missed requests within the two-week period. Calling now likely won't change the Wednesday filing date, but it is good practice to document your attempt to file if you're concerned. If you do call, request a reference number for your call to keep as documentation of your attempt to resolve the issue promptly.
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Nasira Ibanez
•Omg now I'm freaking out again. 😰 Was your situation different somehow? I don't understand why the system would close your claim if they have the two-week policy?
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Ally Tailer
•My situation got messed up because I had ALREADY missed one filing period before, so this was my second time missing it. If this is your first time missing a payment request you MIGHT be OK, but I wouldn't trust their system. Call to make sure!!!
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Nasira Ibanez
Update: I just wanted to let everyone know that it worked out! I waited until Wednesday as suggested, and the system let me request payment for both weeks. I had to enter the work search information separately for each week, but I explained my illness for the missed week and it seemed to accept that. The payment is now pending in my account. Thanks everyone for your help and keeping me from panicking too much!
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Khalil Urso
•Glad to hear it worked out! That's exactly how the system is supposed to function. Just make sure to keep track of your regular request days going forward to avoid any more stress!
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Myles Regis
•👍 told ya
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