TWC sent me an approval letter but agent says I'm denied? So confused about my UI claim status

This happened to me last year! TWC's system sometimes doesn't show the newest claim to the agent if you have multiple claims in the system. The determination letter is an official document, so if it shows you were approved with specific benefit amounts, that's more likely correct than what the confused rep told you. Make sure you're requesting payment on your regular schedule despite this confusion. If you miss payment requests, you could lose benefits even if you're approved. Also, start doing your work search activities immediately (minimum 3 per week in Texas) and document them carefully.

the twc reps get so confuesed when you have multipl claims my dude. trust the letter not the person!! letters come from the actual system so thats your actual determination. the rep proly was looking at your old claim file.

You need to check your claim status online rather than relying on phone reps. Log into your TWC account and look under "Claim and Payment Status." This will show your current claim information including: 1. Benefit year begin/end dates 2. Weekly benefit amount 3. Maximum benefit amount 4. Remaining balance 5. Most recent payment request status If you see the amounts matching your determination letter, then you ARE approved. The phone representative was likely looking at your old claim. TWC's system tracks claims by BYB (Benefit Year Begin) dates, so make sure you're both referring to the same claim period when speaking with representatives. If you can't get through by phone, you can also send a secure message through your TWC account asking for clarification on your CURRENT claim status (include the date you filed the new claim).

I swear TWC makes everything SO DIFFICULT. Their phone system is literally designed to prevent you from speaking to actual humans. I had a similar situation where I kept getting conflicting information about my claim. After calling for DAYS and getting hung up on, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a TWC agent in about 20 minutes instead of days of trying. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/V-IMvH88P1U?si=kNxmh025COIlIzKh When I finally got through, I had to specifically tell them to look at my MOST RECENT claim (gave them the exact filing date) and ignore any previous claims in the system. The determination letter is the official decision, so that should take precedence over what a random rep told you.

THIS IS WHY I HATE THE TWC!!! They send official letters saying one thing then their reps say something completely different! It's like the right hand doesn't know what the left is doing. The whole system is designed to confuse people so they give up and don't get benefits. I've been through THREE different claims with them over the years and it's always a nightmare. ALWAYS TRUST THE WRITTEN DETERMINATION LETTER over what a random rep says on the phone. Those letters go through multiple review processes before being sent out. The phone reps are often undertrained and overworked so they make mistakes all the time.

When you have multiple claims, always specify which claim you're calling about by giving them the Benefit Year Begin date (should be on your determination letter). If you don't clarify this, they default to looking at your most recent claim entry which might be the old denied one if that's what's at the top of your file. One important question: Did you receive a separate denial letter for your current claim? If not, and you only have the approval letter with benefit amounts, then you are definitely approved. Start making your payment requests immediately and follow all work search requirements (minimum 3 activities per week). Also, if your letter includes a waiting week, make sure you understand when your first actual payment will arrive. The waiting week is unpaid initially but you get paid for it when you've received 3x your weekly benefit amount and remain eligible.

btw do u have to do work search requiremnts during the waiting week too or does that start after?

Update: I finally got through to TWC today (took about 20 tries) and spoke with a different representative. She confirmed that I AM approved for benefits on my new claim! The first rep was definitely looking at my old claim from March. For anyone else dealing with this - definitely trust your determination letter if it shows benefit amounts. And make sure the rep knows which claim you're calling about by giving them the exact date you filed. Thanks everyone for your help! Going to start my work search activities today and make my first payment request on Sunday.