TWC directing me to call after seasonal job ended - lines dead silent with no hold music

The TWC phone system is a complete disaster right now. The number you want to call is 800-939-6631 for general unemployment services. Call EXACTLY at 7:00am when they open or you'll be waiting forever. If you're trying to start a new claim after a seasonal job, make sure you have your separation letter ready - they're requiring those now for all 2025 seasonal position claims. Also, regarding the silence - that actually means you ARE in their queue system. They changed it last month and removed the hold music (something about reducing their phone system costs). Stay on the line even with the silence.

Uggggh I HATE that weird silent hold thing too!!! I literally wasted 2 hours last week thinking I was on hold but then realized my call had dropped after like 20 mins and I was just sitting there in silence like an IDIOT. 🤦‍♀️ BTW with seasonal jobs they're being super picky right now. Make sure you emphasize that the job had a clear end date when you were hired. They denied my roommate because her seasonal warehouse job "could have become permanent" even tho they laid off like 200 people after Christmas!

Try using Claimyr instead of wasting days trying to get through. I was in the same boat last month - silence on hold, no way to tell if I was even connected. Claimyr got me through to an actual TWC agent in about 25 minutes instead of the usual hellscape of calling for days. Their site is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/V-IMvH88P1U?si=kNxmh025COIlIzKh They basically wait on hold for you then call you when they get an agent. Saved my sanity when I had that weird "must call in" message after my previous claim.

Former TWC employee here. The system is directing you to call in because you had a previous claim with a commission-level appeal. Their automated system flags all accounts with previous appeals for manual review when starting a new claim. Regarding your seasonal work situation: Make sure you clarify that it was a "TEMPORARY SEASONAL POSITION WITH PREDETERMINED END DATE" - use those exact words. This classification is important because TWC differentiates between seasonal work that could potentially continue (which might be considered quitting) versus true temporary seasonal work with a clear end date (which qualifies for benefits). And yes, the silent hold is their new system. Completely ridiculous implementation but it does actually work - they just failed to add any audio confirmation that you're still connected. Stay on the line at least 45-60 minutes before giving up.

I swear TWC does the silent hold thing on PURPOSE to make people hang up!!! 😡 Its a SCAM to reduce their workload!!! My cousin works for the state (not TWC) and she said all state agencies are dealing with budget cuts this quarter. Fewer agents + more claims = making it impossible to get through. When I finally got hold of someone last week they said over 60% of callers hang up before reaching an agent. THEY COUNT THAT AS "RESOLVED" in their metrics!!!! The whole system is designed to make us give up.

One more important thing about your situation: Since you're filing after a seasonal job, make sure you've completed your work search activities from the previous week BEFORE you call. They will ask for those details when opening your new claim, and if you haven't done them, they might delay your claim processing. For seasonal workers in 2025, TWC requires 3 work search activities per week unless you're in a county with a different requirement.

im having THE SAME PROBLEM rn!!! that silent hold is freaking me out lol. i kept thinking my phone was broken. soooo annoying. i worked seasonal at amazon warehouse and got laid off jan 20th. been trying to file for 5 days straight and cant get through to anyone. this sucks

So about that whole "using Spanish at work" thing - I'm really curious what happened there if you don't mind sharing. Was that seriously the reason they fired you and denied benefits? That sounds like potential discrimination depending on the circumstances, especially if non-Hispanic employees were specifically targeted for using Spanish while Hispanic employees weren't.

UPDATE: I finally got through this morning! Called exactly at 7:00am and still waited 45 minutes, but eventually spoke with someone. For anyone else stuck in the "must call in" loop after a seasonal job: 1. They confirmed my account was flagged for manual review due to previous appeal history 2. I had to verify identity again through ID.me even though I did this last year 3. The agent manually created my new claim 4. She said I should receive my determination letter within 7-10 business days 5. I CAN start requesting payments next week even before determination (this was news to me!) Thanks everyone for your help! That silent hold is still absolutely maddening though.