Author: /u/Prerequisite

I’ve called TWC over 5,000 times the last three months and never got through. Here’s how I finally did and how you can claim your back pay. This especially applies to the self-employed.

IF YOU WE’RE SELF EMPLOYED AND LOST WORK IN EARLY MARCH YOU DESERVE YOUR UNEMPLOYMENT PAY.

The Texas Workforce Commission owes you weekly payments back to the date you lost work (not when you applied). If you’re like me it took over a month for TWC to sign me up, I missed an entire month’s unemployment because of that. If backpay didn’t happen automatically for you TWC has no intention of informing you on how to get this money, or sending it to you unless you do the following.

Here’s how you can claim your back pay:

• Call 18009396631 –
• press 1 to apply for unemployment benefits.
• hit 2,2,2,2,2,2 until it says its transferring you to someone to help set up your benefits.
• You should get through to someone after a couple tries.
• Immediately tell this person you are not applying, but you’ve called for months trying to get back pay from TWC and you MUST SPEAK WITH SOMEONE WHO CAN HELP
• They will transfer you to another line to stay on hold
• Stay on hold for 1-3 hours until someone picks up
• explain your situation with dates of back pay you are due
• they agent may be able to submit a ticket to get you some pay within a few days
• most likely they will mail you a form you must fill out siting the weeks they owe you unemployment backpay
• you must fax this form in to the number provided on the form and wait for it to be processed.

The TWC agent confirmed the backpay form is never going to be available online and information about it will not be posted on their website or communicated to the public.

YOU MUST TALK TO A TWC AGENT OR YOU WON’T GET IT

Here’s to hoping I actually see a large chunk of unemployment. I’ll update this post if payment is made, or I learn something new.

Remember to VOTE people into office that will build a respectable, proactive unemployment insurance service.