TWC appeal hearing after ID.me verification delays - need urgent advice!

I went through almost the exact same situation last year! For your appeal hearing, have these things ready: 1. Screenshots of your partial ID.me completion with timestamps 2. Any emails or messages showing you attempted to complete verification 3. Documentation of the hurricane (news reports, power outage notices, FEMA declarations) 4. A clear timeline of events written out The hearing officer will likely ask about your attempts to complete verification before and after the deadline. They'll want to know why you couldn't complete it and what steps you took once you realized there was a problem. Be honest but emphasize that you made good faith efforts to comply with requirements and that circumstances beyond your control (both the lack of notification and the hurricane) prevented timely completion. Stay calm during the hearing and answer questions directly. These appeal hearings are actually pretty fair in my experience - they understand that technical issues and natural disasters happen.

The TWC system is GARBAGE!! I had the EXACT SAME PROBLEM with ID.me last year and it took FOUR MONTHS to resolve!!! The verification system doesn't even tell you when it fails and then they blame YOU for not completing it on time!!! They denied my benefits for 3 months because of THEIR technical error and I almost got EVICTED waiting for this to be fixed!!! The appeal process is just as broken - they scheduled my hearing THREE TIMES and canceled twice with no warning. When I finally got through, the hearing officer couldn't even access my file and had to reschedule AGAIN!!! DON'T count on them being fair or understanding!!! Document EVERYTHING and record the phone call if you can (Texas is a one-party consent state). They will try to twist your words!

I help people navigate TWC appeals regularly, and ID.me verification issues are actually one of the easier appeals to win if you have the right approach. Here's what you should know: 1. TWC recognizes natural disasters as qualifying for "good cause" exceptions to deadlines. The hurricane will absolutely be considered valid grounds for delay. 2. For the hearing, you need to establish two key facts: (a) that you made a reasonable attempt to complete verification before the deadline, and (b) that factors beyond your control prevented timely completion. 3. The hearing officer will likely begin by explaining the process, then ask you to explain why you believe the determination was incorrect. Start with a clear, chronological explanation. 4. Be prepared to explain what steps you took to complete ID.me verification once you realized there was an issue. 5. When asked questions, answer directly without getting defensive or emotional (difficult, I know). One common mistake: people assume the hearing officer knows all the details of their case. They don't! Explain your situation clearly even if you think it should be obvious from your file.

Focus primarily on the ID.me verification issue since that's the specific reason for disqualification. However, briefly mentioning that you've continued to meet all other requirements (including work search) shows good faith compliance with the program, which can only help your case. Just keep it brief - maybe one sentence near the end of your explanation.

just went thru this last month! biggest advice: BE EARLY for the call!! i was 2 min late and they almost didnt let me join my own hearing lol. also if u dont hear from them at exactly the scheduled time CALL THEM immediately dont wait

ya they called from an austin area code (512) but showed as "unknown caller" on my phone. i almost ignored it thinking it was spam lol

I was in a similar situation with ID.me and spent WEEKS trying to get through to TWC about it. After calling literally 78 times and getting disconnected every time, I finally found this service called Claimyr that got me connected to a TWC agent in about 20 minutes. I was able to explain my ID.me verification issue to the agent, and they put notes in my file before my appeal hearing. Having those notes really helped my case because it showed I was actively trying to resolve the issue. Check out their website at claimyr.com - they also have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/V-IMvH88P1U?si=kNxmh025COIlIzKh I'd definitely recommend trying to speak with an agent before your hearing so they can document your attempts to resolve the ID.me issue. That documentation could really strengthen your appeal case.

Yeah, it definitely worked for me. I was super skeptical at first but was desperate after trying for weeks. It connected me to a real agent who helped document everything for my appeal. Made a huge difference having those notes in my file when the hearing came around.

my cousin had his appeal last week for the same thing!! he said just be really nice and they were actually super understanding. he got approved right away during the call!

they didnt tell him right on the call but he got the decision letter in his twc inbox like 2 days later! super fast

Whatever you do, DON'T trust what they tell you on the phone!!! Always get NAMES and EMPLOYEE IDs of everyone you talk to at TWC!!! I had an agent tell me my appeal was "looking good" and then they DENIED it a week later!!! DOCUMENT EVERYTHING!!!

One more thing I forgot to mention - at the start of the hearing, the officer will ask if you've received and reviewed all the documents related to your case. If you haven't received anything, make sure to tell them. Sometimes they fail to send important documents that could help your case. Also, I did win my appeal! The hearing officer agreed that the combination of technical issues and circumstances beyond my control (in my case it was a family emergency, not a hurricane) constituted good cause for the delay. The exact language they used in my favorable determination was that I had "made reasonable efforts to comply with program requirements but was prevented from doing so by factors outside my control." This is exactly the narrative you want to establish in your hearing. Good luck!

When I had my appeal hearing, I had my 3 year old screaming in the background and I was so embarrassed! But the hearing officer was actually really nice about it. Just wanted to say they're usually pretty understanding people. I was nervous too but it went way better than expected.