TWC denied one employee's unemployment claim due to severance while approving others - what's the explanation?

The difference is probably in how the severance was reported or calculated. TWC has specific rules about how severance affects benefits. Did your friend report her severance differently than others? Was her severance perhaps slightly higher due to longer tenure? Sometimes TWC considers severance as 'wages in lieu of notice' which can delay benefits but not permanently deny them. She should request a detailed explanation of the denial - there's usually a specific reason code on the determination letter.

this happened at my last job! some ppl got approved some didnt even tho we all got same package. turns out those who got denied listed their severance as a "lump sum" but the ones who got approved called it "wages in lieu of notice" which TWC treats differently!! tell ur friend to call TWC asap

There's a very specific distinction in how TWC treats different types of post-employment payments. Severance (considered payment for past service) can indeed disqualify someone, while wages in lieu of notice (payment instead of giving advance notice) may only delay benefits. The key is how the employer reported it to TWC on their end. Your friend should: 1. Request a copy of her Employer's Response to the claim from TWC 2. File a second level appeal if the appeal was already denied once 3. Ask the employer to clarify with TWC how they classified the payment I've seen cases where the exact same payment was classified differently for different employees, resulting in inconsistent determinations.

I had basically the same experience when our company downsized last year! My determination letter said my severance disqualified me while my cubicle neighbor got approved right away. After TWC kept giving me the runaround on the phone (when I could even get through), I tried Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got connected to a TWC agent in under an hour. They explained that my employer had coded my severance as a regular payment rather than a separation payment like my coworkers. The agent helped me file the right appeal paperwork and I got approved two weeks later! There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/V-IMvH88P1U?si=kNxmh025COIlIzKh - it was definitely worth it after weeks of busy signals.

when I appled for unployment last month they actuly NEVER EVEN ASKED about severence?? maybe ur friend put it somewere it didnt belong on the form and now TWC is confused??? the online form is SO CONFUSING

The same thing happened at my company!!! It totally depends on how the HR department coded the severance in their system. Some got coded as "severance pay" (which can disqualify you) and others as "wages in lieu of notice" (which only delays benefits). It's INFURIATING that HR's laziness or incompetence can mess up someone's unemployment benefits! The system is DESIGNED to be confusing and deny people their rightful benefits! Your friend needs to get HR to submit a correction to TWC immediately!!

Just to clarify something important: TWC uses a calculation method where they distribute severance pay over weeks based on your previous weekly wage. For example, if your friend earned $800/week and received $4,800 severance, TWC might consider that as 6 weeks of continued wages, delaying (not denying) benefits for that period. Key questions: 1. When did she file compared to the others? 2. Did she list a different last day of work? 3. Did she receive any extra vacation payout that others didn't? It sounds like this might just be a delay rather than a permanent denial. The determination letter should clarify whether she's disqualified permanently or just for a specific period.

Has she filed her payment requests every two weeks even though she was denied? That's SUPER important!! Even while appealing, you MUST keep filing your payment requests or you lose those weeks forever!!! When my claim had issues last year, I almost missed out on 6 weeks of backpay because I stopped requesting payments during my appeal process!!

Based on your latest comment, this actually makes perfect sense. Your friend isn't permanently denied - she's just having her benefits delayed during the severance period (March 16 to May 11). This is standard TWC procedure. The real question is why aren't the others experiencing the same delay? Possibilities: 1. They didn't report their severance correctly 2. The employer reported inconsistently 3. Different TWC claim examiners made inconsistent decisions Your friend should continue filing payment requests every two weeks. After May 11, she should start receiving benefits if she continues to qualify. If the others weren't properly reporting their severance, they might eventually face an overpayment situation.

This is actually a pretty common issue with mass layoffs. TWC processes claims individually, and even small differences in how information is reported or interpreted can lead to inconsistent decisions. From what you've described, it sounds like Sarah's case was handled correctly according to TWC rules - the severance is causing a temporary delay, not a permanent denial. The concerning part is that 13 other people with identical packages were approved immediately. They either didn't report their severance properly, or there was an error in how their claims were processed. I'd recommend Sarah document everything and keep filing her payment requests. She should also consider reaching out to your former employer's HR to get clarification on how they reported the severance payments to TWC. If there were reporting inconsistencies, that could help explain the different outcomes.