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Texas Unemployment Guide 2 Texas-Unemployment.Com Texas-Unemployment.com 1 The Complete Texas Unemployment Guide 2 Texas-Unemployment.com Guide Introduction The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) carefully reviews unemployment claims in order to provide federally-funded unemployment insurance payments to out-of-work Texans. In order to meet eligibility guidelines, these claimants must demonstrate certain conditions regarding a qualifying job separation, such as a lay off or reduced hours. The primary goal of the unemployment benefits program is to provide unemployed jobseekers with the resources necessary to find gainful employment, which ultimately helps the workers, families, employers and overall economy of Texas. Texas-Unemployment.com 3 4 Texas-Unemployment.com The TWC’s unemployment insurance program temporarily provides beneficiaries with a weekly amount of temporary income generally paid through employer tax money. The amount of income provided to unemployment beneficiaries in Texas depends on several factors, including the amount that the beneficiary earned during an established period of employment and the amount a beneficiary earns in a given week while receiving benefits. In order to receive benefits, unemployed potential beneficiaries must meet the TWC’s eligibility requirements pertaining to work history and wages, ability to work and a qualifying involuntary job separation. To continue receiving unemployment benefits, recipients must meet ongoing requirements, such as performing an active and documented search for work. Currently, the unemployment benefits period is limited to 26 weeks of benefits payments, and weekly benefits payments can run between $66.00 and $493.00. To find out if you are eligible for unemployment benefits in Texas, you can file a Texas unemployment claim. The TWC will examine and investigate your claim in order to determine your eligibility for unemployment benefits as well as your benefit amount. The following guide provides information to help Texas unemployment claimants and beneficiaries as they navigate the entire unemployment benefits process, from filing an initial claim to appealing a disqualified claim, documenting job-search activities, preventing unemployment fraud, obtaining healthcare and much more. Texas-Unemployment.com 5 Table of Contents 6 Texas-Unemployment.com Guide Introduction 2 Unemployment Eligibility requirements in Texas 8 How to File an Unemployment Claim in Texas 10 Preparing for the Unemployment Insurance Interview as a Claimant 12 How to Request an Appeal if Disqualified 14 Unemployment Insurance Benefits Extensions in Texas 16 What to Do When You Become Employed Again 17 Calculating How Much You Will Receive In Unemployment 19 Acquiring Healthcare While on Unemployment 20 5 Ways to Update Your Resume or Cover Letter for Success 22 Texas-Unemployment.com 7 Using the Texas Unemployment Office to Jumpstart Your Career Search 24 How to Document Your Job Search Activities 27 Charting Mandatory Weekly Activities on Unemployment 30 Can I Apply for an Unemployment Extension? 33 4 Ways to Make Extra Money While on Unemployment 34 Alternatives to Taking on Credit Card Debt and Depleting your Savings Account while Unemployed 36 Cost-Cutting Measures to Save While on Unemployment 38 Free Food Programs for the Unemployed in Texas 41 How to Report Unemployment Fraud 43 Other Need-Based Government Programs in Texas 45 8 Texas-Unemployment.com Unemployment Eligibility Requirements in Texas To be eligible for Texas unemployment benefits, claimants must meet several initial requirements, including an acceptable job separation situation and minimum work history. In order to continue receiving unemployment benefits, claimants must meet ongoing requirements like conducting work search activities. While the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) will ultimately determine the applicant’s eligibility and benefit amount, an applicant can get an idea of his or her eligibility by examining the following qualifying criteria. Qualifying Job Separation To meet eligibility requirements for unemployment benefits in Texas, petitioners must be involuntarily unemployed or involuntarily working fewer hours. The Texas Workforce Commission provides unemployment benefits for Texans who find themselves in several different job separation situations, including a layoff, reduced hours or firing. In any of these situations, candidates must demonstrate that work was not reduced or terminated due to issues such as poor work performance, personal choice or personal misconduct. For example, if you were fired for breaking the company’s policy, you would not be eligible for unemployment benefits in Texas. Likewise, if you quit your job to take care of your children at home, you would not be eligible for Texas unemployment benefits. Texas-Unemployment.com 9 Past Wages and Base Periods Request benefit payments every two weeks Next, claimants must meet established requirements according to schedule, and answer work, regarding past taxable wages. To determine your eligibility earnings and eligibility questions. and benefit amount, the TWC first determines your “base period,” which refers to the first four of the last five calendar quarters before the effective date of your unemployment Be physically and mentally able to work. claim. Please note that the “effective date” of your initial claim will always be the Sunday during the week in which you apply, while calendar quarters are three month periods that divide the year into four groups: January-March, April- June, July-September, and October-December. For example, if a claimant applies in February 2017, his or her base period would exclude the current calendar quarter (January-March 2017) and the previous calendar quarter (October-December 2016). The base period would therefore include October-December 2015, January-March 2016, April-June 2016 and July-September 2016. To meet eligibility requirements for an unemployment claim and benefits, a claimant must have worked in Texas for at least two of your base period calendar quarters. Alternate base periods may be available for claimants who have missed work during a base period due to qualifying health reasons such as disability, illness or pregnancy. In order to determine your eligibility for an alternate base period, you can call a TWC Tele-center at 800-939-6631. Ongoing Work Search Requirements Potential unemployment beneficiaries must also register for job seeker status no later than three business days after applying for Texas unemployment benefits. Once the claim becomes active, beneficiaries must remain unemployed or employed part-time to continue receiving benefits. Among other requirements, beneficiaries must: Register for work in Texas; search for, apply for and accept work opportunities; and document all work search activities. 10 Texas-Unemployment.com How to File an Unemployment Claim in Texas In order to receive benefits as soon as possible, Texans who have become recently unemployed or have lost work hours can apply for benefits immediately. The effective claim date begins during the week in which applicants submit the application, and the TWC cannot provide benefits for any unemployed time before this claim date. Texas-Unemployment.com 11 Completing an Application Exceptions Unemployment claimants can apply for benefits by calling There are some exceptional cases that might require a TWC Tele-Center at 800-939-6631 or completing an applicants to wait or take other action before applying. If online application through TWC’s Unemployment Benefit you have received notice of termination or reduced hours, Services. Completing the online application will require you must wait until this change goes into effect before the applicant to have some information ready. Required applying. You will be eligible to submit an application after information includes the business name, phone number you complete your last normal working day. If you were and address of the applicant’s last employer; start and end working for a temporary help agency, you must first request dates of the last job; pay rate and hours worked this week a new assignment through the agency by the next business (if applicable); the normal wage rate, and a Social Security day after your assignment ends. You must then wait at Number or Alien Registration Number. Once registered, the least three business days for a response before applying applicant will be prompted to enter Personal Information, for benefits. Similarly, if you were working for a staff leasing Contact Information, Employment information and company (or professional employer organization), you Citizenship Information. After completing the application, must first request a new assignment through the agency the petitioner will receive a confirmation number. Finally, by the next business day; however, you do not have to wait applicants must register as a job seeker no more than three days before filing an unemployment claim. three business days after completing the application. Checking a Claim Status While waiting, you may receive updates to your claim status by logging back in to Unemployment Benefit Services using the same user name and password. Alternatively, you may call TWC’s automated phone system at 800-558-8321 and choose Option 2. Processing the Claim Unemployment benefits candidates will receive notice of eligibility for benefits about four weeks after filing an unemployment claim. During this waiting period, the TWC collects information about the claimant’s past wages, job separation and other factors in order to determine
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