TWC wants me to appeal COVID overpayment - anyone been through this?

Yes!! This EXACT thing happened to me in January. TWC said I owed $5,200 from COVID benefits because my employer claimed I was fired for misconduct (total BS). You have 14 DAYS from the date on the determination letter to file your appeal - DO NOT MISS THIS DEADLINE or you're automatically on the hook for everything!!

I successfully appealed an overpayment determination last year. Here's what you need to do: First, file your appeal immediately through your TWC online account or by fax/mail using the instructions on your determination letter. Then gather documentation showing you were laid off - texts/emails from your employer about the closure, witness statements from coworkers, your final pay stub, etc. If the restaurant truly closed, this should be fairly easy to prove. The hearing will be by phone with a hearing officer. You'll have a chance to tell your side, and your former employer can participate too. Be prepared to clearly explain the circumstances of your separation. Since it was a COVID-related business closure, the hearing officer will likely be familiar with these situations.

Text messages are definitely helpful evidence! Save screenshots of those immediately in case something happens to your phone. Also, if you have any coworkers who can verify the restaurant closed and everyone was laid off, get written statements from them if possible. The hearing officer will want to understand exactly why you stopped working. One thing to keep in mind: if you do lose the appeal, you can request a payment plan from TWC rather than paying the full amount at once. They're usually reasonable about this, especially for COVID-related overpayments.

just went thru this last month. you NEED to call twc before the appeal to understand exactly why they think you quit. the determination letter doesnt tell the whole story. took me 3 days of calling to get thru tho, their phone lines are a joke

My sister's friend got hit with a $7000 overpayment from 2020 and she won her appeal! The key thing was bringing proof of all communications with her employer. TWC sided with her once they saw the emails showing she was laid off. Good luck!!

DID YOU KEEP YOUR WORK SEARCH LOGS??? this is super important!!! they tried to make me repay because they said i didnt do proper work searches but i had screenshots of all my applications!!!

One more thing - when you get your appeal hearing scheduled, PRACTICE what you're going to say beforehand. I got flustered during mine and forgot to mention some important details. Write down bullet points of key facts you need to cover about your layoff and have them ready during the call.

After my appeal hearing, it took about 3 weeks to get the decision. Just prepare for a bit of a wait. If you win, they'll remove the overpayment from your account. If you lose, definitely request that payment plan right away. I had a $3,100 overpayment (different situation though - I accidentally reported my wages wrong), and they let me pay just $50 a month which was manageable.

They mailed the decision letter, but it also showed up in my online TWC account under the Determination/Resolution tab a few days earlier. Check both places.