TWC second claim after trailing spouse benefits - hours cut just as benefit year renews

omg this happened to me!!! sort of. I had trailing spouse benefits too when we moved from Austin to Dallas, then got a job for about 4 months before getting laid off. The timing is super important here - if your benefit year is up (which sounds like it will be Aug 10) then you CAN file a new claim based on your 6 months of work. But if you file before Aug 10, they'll just reopen your old claim which is already exhausted!

You should definitely apply for a new claim once your benefit year ends on August 10th. The trailing spouse provision could apply to your new situation as well, but you'll need to document that your husband's job relocation was the reason for your separation from work. However, there's an important technicality here - since your current job loss is due to reduction in hours/layoff (not directly because you're following your spouse), you might actually qualify for regular unemployment rather than trailing spouse benefits, which would mean no 6-week disqualification period. Regarding your base period wages - typically TWC looks at the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you file. Since you've worked 6 months at your current job, you should have enough wages in your base period to qualify for a new claim, especially if some of your work from before your previous claim is also captured in this new base period. Make sure to specify the exact reason for separation from your current job (hours reduction/layoff) when you file.

Ughhh the TWC system is SO FRUSTRATING when dealing with these complicated situations!!! I went through something similar last year and spent WEEKS trying to get a human on the phone to explain my options. WEEKS!!! The website is useless for special circumstances and the automated phone system just disconnects you. I finally got through by using a service called Claimyr that got me connected to an actual TWC agent in about 20 minutes instead of spending days redialing. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/V-IMvH88P1U?si=kNxmh025COIlIzKh Trust me, for complicated situations like yours, you NEED to speak with an actual agent who can look at your specific case details. Regular benefits vs trailing spouse makes a huge difference in when you'll get paid!

One thing to consider - your base period for calculating benefits might be affected by your previous claim. Based on what you said, you've worked about 6 months since your last claim ended. TWC typically uses the earliest 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters to determine your benefit amount. Since you mentioned filing in August 2024, your base period would normally be April 2023 through March 2024. If you didn't work much during some of those quarters because you were on unemployment, your weekly benefit amount might be lower this time. Also remember that Texas requires 3 work search activities per week that you'll need to document. The fact that you're moving out of state to join your husband doesn't exempt you from this requirement until you actually relocate.

THE WHOLE TWC SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO CONFUSE PEOPLE AND DENY BENEFITS!!! I bet they'll find some technicality to deny your claim or make you wait AGAIN. It's all about saving money for the state. When I had a similar situation they kept giving me different answers every time I called. One rep said I qualified, the next said I didn't. They'll probably say you haven't earned enough since your last claim or some other BS reason. AND GOOD LUCK EVEN GETTING THROUGH TO ACTUALLY TALK TO SOMEONE!!!

i think u need to work 6x yr weekly benefit amount from last claim to qualify for a new 1. so if yr weekly amount was like $400 last time, u need to have earned at least $2400 in the last 6 months. should be ok if u worked 30hrs a week for 6 months i think??? but definately wait till after aug 10 to apply cuz thats when yr benefit year ends

Wait, I'm confused about something... you mentioned your husband relocated out of state, but you're still in Texas? Are you planning to follow him soon? This could complicate things because if you move out of state while collecting Texas unemployment, you need to notify TWC and register with the new state's workforce commission. You can still collect Texas benefits but have to follow both states' requirements. Just something else to think about!

One more important thing to remember - when you file your new claim, TWC will contact your current employer to verify the reason for separation. Make sure that what you tell TWC matches what your employer will say. If they classify your separation as a layoff due to lack of work or reduction in hours, make sure that's exactly what you select. Any discrepancy could lead to delays while they investigate.

My sis works for twc and says you should be fine to file a new claim after aug 10 based on what u described. The out of state thing isn't a big deal except you'll need to register with their workforce commission too and do work searches in that state. Most states require fewer work searches than texas (we require 3 per week which is high).