Abbott asks feds for jobless help
What you need to know concerning unemployment benefits in Texas
Hundreds of thousands of people have applied for unemployment benefits in Texas as shutdowns and stay-at-home orders necessary to slow the spread of the coronavirus force businesses to close up shop.
Nearly 156,000 unemployment insurance claims were filed in the state last week, according to the Department of Labor. That’s more than 10 times the filings during the same week of 2019, and since the middle of last week, claims for unemployment benefits are nearing 30,000 per day, said Ed Serna, executive director of the Texas Workforce Commission, the agency that oversees the program
Texans have flooded the Texas Workforce Commission’s phone lines and websites in the last two weeks. On Sunday, the Serna said, more than 800,000 people attempted to get through the TWC’s phone lines; about 100,000 were successful.
Here is how to apply for unemployment benefits in Texas, but be warned, the website and phone lines are overwhelmed.
Still, Serna encouraged Texans to keep trying to get through, since the agency is making updates and increasing its capacity both online and by the phone every day.
How to apply
You should apply for benefits as soon as you are unemployed or underemployed because the claim will start the week you complete the application. The state does not pay benefits for the weeks before you applied.
Go to ui.texasworkforce.org or, if you do not have internet access, call 1-800-939-6631 Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. central.
Log on with an existing TWC User ID or create a new user ID.
Apply for benefits by submitting an application. You will need:
• A Social Security number or Alien Registration number
• Last employer’s business name and address
• First and last dates you worked for your last employer
• Number of hours worked and pay rate if you worked this week (including Sunday)
• Information about your normal wage
A tutorial on how to apply for benefits can also be found at ui.texasworkforce.org.
Requirements for unemployment benefits:
1. You must be either unemployed or working reduced hours through no fault of your own. Most people seeking unemployment benefits as a result of coronavirus-related furloughs or cutbacks will meet this requirement.
2. You must be considered an employee. If you are an independent contractor or self-employed, you will need to apply for unemployment assistance through the Disaster Unemployment Assistance program, once it is open, which is funded by the federal government and administered by the state. However, you should still apply for regular unemployment benefits because the state must determine that you are ineligible for those benefits first before they can process your Disaster Unemployment Assistance claim.
3. You must have earned wages during two quarters of a previous 12-month period. The state uses past wages from a “base period” in order to determine unemployment benefits, which are the last four quarters of wages earned starting from the quarter before you were unemployed or underemployed.
For example, if you were laid off this month due to the coronavirus, you must have earned wages during at least two quarters between the fourth quarter of 2018 (Oct. 1, 2018) and the third quarter of 2019 (Sept. 30, 2019). The state uses that period to calculate benefits.
If you worked in more than one state during those 12 months, then you can apply for benefits in any state you worked, filing separate claims, or you may combine your wages to receive benefits from one state.
4. You must be a U.S. citizen or legally authorized to work in the U.S. If you are not a U.S. citizen, you can still apply for unemployment benefits. In order to apply, you must:
Be legally residing in the U.S.
Be authorized to work in the U.S. when you earned your “base-period” wages, when you applied for benefits, and while you are requesting the benefits.
Be able to satisfy the requirements of Form 1-9.
5. You must be physically and mentally able to work and available for full-time work. If you apply for or receive Social Security Disability Insurance benefits and are able to work part time, you may still be eligible to receive unemployment benefits, so you should still apply. If you are not able to work full time and are applying for or already receive disability insurance benefits, you are not eligible for unemployment benefits.
6. You must submit payment requests every two weeks. While you are totally or partially unemployed, submit a payment request online or by phone every two weeks for the previous two-week period. You must request payment within the calendar week your request is due or the state may delay or deny your benefits.
7. You must be available by mail or phone. The Texas Workforce Commission might call you or send you a letter instructing you to call them at 800939-6631. Texas Workforce Solutions may also contact you. If you do not respond to these communications, the state may deny or delay benefit payments.
8. If you worked for a temporary agency or staff leasing company, you must contact them first. The temporary agency or staff leasing company has three days to offer you a new assignment before you can apply for unemployment benefits.
9. You must not have received unemployment benefits in the last year. If your “benefit year” is still in effect from a previous claim, and you exhausted all your benefits, you cannot receive benefits again until that year is complete, provided you have had subsequent earnings totaling six times your weekly benefit amount.
Disaster Unemployment Assistance
Independent contractors and those who are selfemployed usually don’t qualify for unemployment benefits. President Donald Trump on Wednesday approved a request from Gov. Greg Abbott for a disaster declaration, which will likely free up money for disaster unemployment assistance, a federal program typically used for disasters such as major storms.
Independent contractors and self-employed people will likely be able to receive DUA benefits, which are funded by FEMA, through the Texas Workforce Commission’s website. They should first apply for regular unemployment benefits.
How much you’re paid
The average weekly unemployment insurance benefit in Texas is $246 or the wage one would be paid on a roughly $12,800 annual salary. Benefits range from a minimum payment of $69 per week (about $3,600 annually) to a maximum of $521 per week (about $27,100 annually).
The Texas Workforce Commission also has an unemployment benefits estimator online at apps.twc.state.tx.us/UBS/ benefitsEstimator.do.
The stimulus package that the Senate passed on Wednesday and that the House of Representatives is likely to pass Friday, would provide $600 per week to most unemployed Americans, in addition to the state unemployment benefits. The federal benefits would be administered by the Texas Workforce Commission.
Requirements no longer in effect
The waiting week is waived.
Work search requirements are waived, which usually require individuals to register for work search and meet a minimum number of work search activities per week.