Why is my unemployment under fact finding? Texas TWC won't tell me anything

Did the agent tell you how long it usually takes once they're done verifying? I'm already two weeks in and bills aren't going to wait.

Yeah the hold times at TWC are brutal, I've been disconnected so many times I stopped counting. Glad you eventually got through.

That's really useful to know that fact finding is just verification - I assumed it meant something was seriously wrong with the claim.

That's a relief. My employer sent me a formal notice about the department closure so I have that documentation if they need it.

TWC also sends your last employer a notice asking them to respond within 14 days of your application. If the employer says something that doesn't match what you reported, that can trigger the fact finding. Doesn't mean you did anything wrong, just that there's a discrepancy they need to sort out.

My layoff claim went through fact finding too even though it was a clear-cut position elimination. The employer just took a while to respond to TWC's notice and that caused the delay.

I've been doing that, requesting every two weeks through UBS. Good to know I should keep going even while this is unresolved.

This is so important and nobody tells you this upfront. Keep those payment requests going every two weeks regardless of what your claim status says.

Does the payment request window close if you miss a Sunday through Wednesday? I missed my window once and panicked.

You can still file Thursday through Saturday of that same week if you missed the Sunday-Wednesday window. After that week is fully gone though, you'd need to contact TWC directly to try to get it opened back up.

It just says under fact finding with no determination letter yet. So based on what you're saying, they're still in the middle of reviewing it.

Watch your mail every day during this period. TWC mails their determinations and sometimes the first sign you get is a letter showing up. Check UBS too but the official notice comes by mail.

So theoretically if my employer was slow to respond to TWC I could be waiting another week or two on top of the four weeks? That's a lot when you're living off savings.

Unfortunately yes. And if the employer raises any issue in their response - even something minor - that gets reviewed before a determination goes out. The good news is a layoff where the whole department closed is about as straightforward as it gets, so they're probably just waiting on paperwork confirmation.

My employer didn't respond at all within their window and TWC still took a few extra weeks to process everything. It's not a fast system unfortunately.

Fact finding sometimes involves TWC reaching out to both you and your employer for information, and sometimes it's just them reviewing what they already have. If they need something from you specifically, they'll mail you or call you. If you haven't heard anything, they may already have enough to proceed. Not every fact finding situation requires an interview.

Okay that makes sense. I was worried I had missed a call from them and it was going to hurt my claim.

TWC will usually send a letter if they need you to submit documentation or be available for a fact finding interview. If you haven't gotten anything, they're probably working from what they have.

I didn't get severance, just a final paycheck for my last weeks worked. Hopefully that means that's not the issue for my claim.

Wages paid in lieu of notice are different from regular severance and can pause benefits too. If your company gave you any kind of pay after your last actual day of work, that might be worth mentioning when you do get through to TWC.

Yeah report anything that could be considered income from your employer after your last day, better to have TWC make the call than to have an overpayment issue later.

So I can't appeal anything yet because there's no determination to appeal? I was wondering if I should be filing an appeal right now.

Exactly right - you appeal a specific determination after it's been mailed to you, and you have 14 calendar days from the date printed on that letter to file. No determination means nothing to appeal yet. Just wait for the letter.

This clears up something I'd been confused about for weeks. I kept thinking I should be doing something to push my claim along but there's nothing to appeal until they actually issue a decision.

Three weeks - okay I'm only two weeks in so I might still have another week or more of this. Frustrating but at least you got approved in the end.

The wait is genuinely stressful. Keep checking UBS once a day since they update overnight, so whatever happened yesterday might show something new in the morning.

When I got through to TWC using that service I mentioned earlier, the agent was actually really helpful about explaining exactly where in the process my claim was. Getting that specific update made the waiting feel a lot more manageable even though nothing had actually changed yet.

How many work search activities are required? I've heard different numbers from different people and I want to make sure I'm doing enough.

The number is set by your local Workforce Development Board and it varies by county. TWC mails you a letter with your specific required number after you apply. That letter is what you go by, not what someone else says their county requires. Keep a log of everything you do because TWC can ask to see it at any time.

I did get that work search letter and I've been keeping a log. Good to know that's the right move even while the claim is under fact finding.

Yes I registered on WorkInTexas.com when I applied, the instructions mentioned it as a required step.

Good, that's one less thing. Some people don't realize it's mandatory and find out later when their claim is flagged.

I completed the ID.me verification when I first applied, it prompted me to do it right away and I did it online same day.

Then you're good on that front. Some people miss that step entirely and wonder why their claim is stuck.

The ID.me verification caught me off guard too - they sent me a notice and I almost ignored it thinking it was spam. If you do it online through ID.me you just click allow and continue and it goes through, pretty fast actually.

Once a day is good advice. I've definitely been checking too often.

Just check in the morning after the overnight update and then leave it alone. Way less stressful.

The Tele-Serv line at 800-558-8321 also has claim status information if you want to hear it rather than log in. But same deal - it only updates nightly.

Neither situation is universally right - it depends on whether there's a hold on your specific claim. Some people get payments continuing while fact finding is in progress and others have them held pending the determination. It comes down to what TWC flagged. What you should definitely be doing either way is submitting payment requests every two weeks on schedule, because those weeks only get paid if you requested them. If your coworker was getting paid during fact finding, her situation just didn't have a payment hold attached to it.

That makes sense. I did keep submitting payment requests but nothing came through. I guess mine had a hold.

How did you file your appeal in writing? Through UBS or did you have to mail something?

UBS has a submit an appeal option that works fine, that's what I used. You can also do it in person at a Workforce Solutions office or by mail or fax. The 14 days runs from the date printed on the determination, not from when you actually receive it in the mail, so don't sit on it.

The in-person option at a Workforce Solutions office is good for people who don't have reliable internet access. But UBS is definitely the fastest way to submit and you get a confirmation that it went through.

This is probably the clearest summary I've seen in this whole thread. Thank you.

The worst thing to do is assume it's going to be a denial and either stop requesting payments or stop doing work search activities. Keep everything going like you're going to be approved, because you might be.

Agreed. I treated my fact finding period like I was definitely going to be approved and kept everything current. Got my determination and it was approved. Doing nothing wrong while they review keeps everything clean.

Worth knowing for if my status doesn't update soon and I need a real answer about what's actually happening.

She said it was pretty straightforward to set up. Got her connected to an actual agent without the hours of hold time.

Good call, I just checked and nothing in junk. But I'll keep an eye on both going forward.

Also make sure the address TWC has on file for you is current. If you moved recently and didn't update it, that determination letter could go to your old address.

I have the official notice email from HR about the department being cut. Printed it and saved it. Good to know that could matter.

Keep anything in writing from your employer about the reason for the separation. Email, formal letter, whatever you have. That paper trail is worth a lot if anything gets contested.

My appeal would have been much harder without documentation. I had emails, a performance review from three months before the firing that said I was meeting expectations, and the offer letter showing my original job duties. All of it went into my appeal file.

Calendar days not business days - I'll remember that. Important distinction.

Missing that deadline by even one day means you'd have to escalate to the Commission level, which takes longer. Don't risk it.

The date on the determination is when the clock starts, not when you open the envelope or receive it. If TWC mailed it on a Friday and you didn't get it until Tuesday, you've already used four days of your 14. Open any TWC mail the day it arrives.