TWC denied my DUA claim saying employer letter looks fake - help with appeal process?

I went through a DUA appeal last year after Hurricane Helene and won my case. Here's what you need to do: 1. File your appeal IMMEDIATELY - you only have 14 calendar days from the date on that determination letter 2. Get your employer to write a more detailed letter that includes: - Exact start date that was planned - Your agreed-upon salary/wages - Specific explanation of how the storm affected their business - Their contact information for verification 3. Gather any supporting evidence like: - Copy of any job offer email/letter - Text messages about the position - Photos of the damaged business if possible For my appeal, I also included a written personal statement explaining the timeline of events. The appeal hearing was scheduled about 3 weeks after I filed, and it was a phone hearing that lasted about 20 minutes. The appeals examiner was actually very fair and just wanted clear documentation.

the TWC system is garbage with these DUA claims. they denied me twice before i finally got approved. keep appealing and dont give up!!

DUA requirements are much stricter than regular unemployment. For your appeal to succeed, you need more than just the employer letter. The key issue here is proving you had a genuine job offer that was rescinded specifically because of the disaster (not for other reasons). 1. Submit any written job offer (email, letter, text) showing the start date was AFTER the storm 2. Bank statements showing you weren't working elsewhere at the time 3. A detailed letter explaining exactly how the storm impacted your employment 4. Photos of the damaged workplace if possible Also, make sure the employer letter explicitly states that your job offer was rescinded SOLELY due to storm damage, not for any other reasons. That's critical for DUA eligibility. Having been through TWC appeals, I recommend using the online appeal system rather than mailing it. It's faster and you get confirmation immediately.

they did the EXACT same thing to me!!! said my boss's letter looked fake but it was real!!! the whole system is set up to deny people i swear

If you're struggling to get through to TWC on the phone, you might want to check out Claimyr. I was in a similar situation with my disaster claim and kept getting busy signals for days. Someone on this forum recommended it, and I was able to get through to a TWC rep in about 20 minutes instead of spending hours redialing. They have a good video demo at https://youtu.be/V-IMvH88P1U?si=kNxmh025COIlIzKh that shows how it works. Basically they hold your place in line and call you when they have a TWC agent. Made the appeals process much less stressful since I could actually talk to someone about what documents I needed.

I think you've got a good chance with your appeal. Make sure your notice of appeal clearly explains the misunderstanding - that the letter is genuine and you can provide additional proof. I had to appeal a regular UI denial (not DUA) and the notice of appeal is really important since that's the first thing the appeals examiner reads. Also important - continue to request payment every two weeks even while your appeal is pending! If you win your appeal, they'll only pay you for weeks you properly requested payment.

not to be a downer but DUA is really hard to get... my neighbor lost her restaurant job after the tropical storm and they denied her 3 times sayin she didnt have enough proof even tho the restaurant was literally underwater lol so dont expect too much

Update: I just submitted my appeal online with WAY more documentation. I included: 1. Original offer letter 2. Email thread discussing the job details 3. NEW letter from the dentist with more details about the damage 4. Photos of the water damage to the clinic that my would-be boss sent me 5. Timeline of all communications Fingers crossed this works. I'm still confused about how to request payments while my claim is denied though. When I log in it doesn't give me the option to request payment - just shows DENIED in red letters. Any advice?

I'm dealing with a similar DUA denial right now - TWC seems to have really tightened up their review process lately. One thing that helped me was getting a notarized affidavit from my employer instead of just a regular letter. The notarization seemed to give it more legitimacy in their eyes. Also, if you haven't already, try to get documentation from the city/county about the official disaster declaration for your area. I found mine on the county emergency management website and it helped establish that there was indeed a qualifying disaster event. The appeals examiner specifically asked about this during my hearing. For the payment request issue while your claim is denied - you might need to look for a "weekly certification" or "payment request" link that's separate from your main claim status. It's not always obvious where to find it when the claim shows denied. The system is honestly terrible at explaining this stuff. Good luck with your appeal! The fact that you have all those emails and photos should really help your case.

I'm going through a DUA appeal right now too and wanted to share something that really helped my case. When I got my employer to write the updated letter, I had them include specific financial details about how the storm impacted their business - like "due to water damage totaling $X, we had to close for Y weeks and postpone all new hires until repairs are completed." The appeals examiner told me that showing the concrete business impact made it much clearer that this wasn't just an excuse to rescind job offers. Also, if your dental office filed any insurance claims for the storm damage, see if they can reference the claim number in their letter - that adds another layer of verification. One more tip: when you do your phone hearing, be prepared to walk through the exact timeline step by step. They'll want to hear "I was offered the job on [date], storm hit on [date], employer contacted me on [date] to postpone start date, etc." Having those specific dates ready made a huge difference in my case. The whole process is frustrating but don't give up! TWC seems to deny a lot of DUA claims initially just to see if people will appeal with better documentation.