Texas Unemployment Benefits Explained
With the continued recession, finding yourself unemployed is not very surprising anymore. With different state laws and procedures, it is however important to understand them so you know how to file an unemployment claim. If you are in Texas, you need to know all there is to know about Texas employment and Texas unemployment benefits.
Texas unemployment
The state of Texas has instigated the “employment at will” policy which literally means that they expect any hiring or firing is done at will. This is easy to understand as it means that the state of Texas accepts that companies can terminate a person’s employment for absolutely any reason whatsoever. In a similar way the state accepts that workers can strike or stop working if they so choose. There are a few exceptions though like the public policy (jury duty) and statutory exceptions including the federal anti-discriminatory laws that do not allow you to discriminate based on gender, age, race, national origin etc. In addition to this, even though ‘at will’ states can hire and fire at will; the employers need to follow their own procedures and policies.
How do you interpret all of this as a former worker? What do you need to do if you live in Texas and need to make an unemployment claim? Well the first thing to take into account is your qualification for a claim. The unemployment benefit is for those that have worked on a regular basis before and not for people who have never had a job. Your removal from your job should not be due to any illegal activity or personal misconduct. If you have been the victim of a mass downsizing or needed to stop working for medical reasons then you will be eligible.
The TWC or the Texas Work Force Commission will handle your Texas unemployment benefits claim. They will require to know from you the date you commenced working for your employer and the date that your employment was terminated as well as the salary that you were earning. The commission will also require that you confirm the number of hours per week that you worked. An assessment of your details will be undertaken by the TWC to see if you are entitled to unemployment benefit or not.
Your claim will not be instantly approved and you are entitled to chase your claim via telephone or through their web site. Austin is the location for the TWC main office and they have another five offices located state wide. The telephone lines for the TWC are open from seven in the morning until the early evening which will give you time to look for work and be able to go to the office with all the details you need. These opening hours are designed to save you travelling costs and time.
As you would imagine, Texas unemployment benefit payments are decided by what the average cost of living in the state currently is. For instance, for a previous wage of $150,000 annually, you would get $392 every week where the cost of living is $59,000 or thereabouts in Texas.
It is possible that you will not be in full agreement with your Texas unemployment determination agent or even the state level hearing, then you have the right to a court hearing on the subject. If you get to the stage where you want to go to court over your Texas unemployment benefits claim, it is highly recommended that you contact a good lawyer.
Texas unemployment
The state of Texas has instigated the “employment at will” policy which literally means that they expect any hiring or firing is done at will. This is easy to understand as it means that the state of Texas accepts that companies can terminate a person’s employment for absolutely any reason whatsoever. In a similar way the state accepts that workers can strike or stop working if they so choose. There are a few exceptions though like the public policy (jury duty) and statutory exceptions including the federal anti-discriminatory laws that do not allow you to discriminate based on gender, age, race, national origin etc. In addition to this, even though ‘at will’ states can hire and fire at will; the employers need to follow their own procedures and policies.
How do you interpret all of this as a former worker? What do you need to do if you live in Texas and need to make an unemployment claim? Well the first thing to take into account is your qualification for a claim. The unemployment benefit is for those that have worked on a regular basis before and not for people who have never had a job. Your removal from your job should not be due to any illegal activity or personal misconduct. If you have been the victim of a mass downsizing or needed to stop working for medical reasons then you will be eligible.
The TWC or the Texas Work Force Commission will handle your Texas unemployment benefits claim. They will require to know from you the date you commenced working for your employer and the date that your employment was terminated as well as the salary that you were earning. The commission will also require that you confirm the number of hours per week that you worked. An assessment of your details will be undertaken by the TWC to see if you are entitled to unemployment benefit or not.
Your claim will not be instantly approved and you are entitled to chase your claim via telephone or through their web site. Austin is the location for the TWC main office and they have another five offices located state wide. The telephone lines for the TWC are open from seven in the morning until the early evening which will give you time to look for work and be able to go to the office with all the details you need. These opening hours are designed to save you travelling costs and time.
As you would imagine, Texas unemployment benefit payments are decided by what the average cost of living in the state currently is. For instance, for a previous wage of $150,000 annually, you would get $392 every week where the cost of living is $59,000 or thereabouts in Texas.
It is possible that you will not be in full agreement with your Texas unemployment determination agent or even the state level hearing, then you have the right to a court hearing on the subject. If you get to the stage where you want to go to court over your Texas unemployment benefits claim, it is highly recommended that you contact a good lawyer.
