Calling this number to reach the Texas Workforce Commission for Unemployment Benefits is useful if you need information on eligibility or want to check on an existing claim.
However, this number is completely automated and cannot be used to connect with a live representative. This is the TWC's TeleServ phone number, which is open 24 hours a day to provide information about unemployment in Texas.
If you already have filed a claim, the automated system allows you to enter your information and check its status. You can also check on your weekly benefit amount and review how much you're eligible for if you're seeking part-time work during your unemployment search.
The automated system also features a robust general information section where it will go over the details of things such as unemployment eligibility, whether you can have a part-time job and keep your benefits and your requirements to file.
I tried out two sections of the menu, first looking at how a part-time job would affect eligibility for unemployment. The system told me that the TWC would pay out part of the possible unemployment benefits if the worker in question earned no more than their weekly benefit amount plus 25% in a week.
If that occurred, TWC would pay the difference to bring them up to that amount. Additionally, the system said holding a part-time job and leaving it could affect your eligibility. If you were fired from your part-time job or left on your own, your eligibility could be re-assessed.
I then went to the section on eligibility for unemployment after losing a job. I was told that to be eligible, you must be available for work and be unemployed through no fault of your own. If you were fired from your previous job, the system said you could be eligible depending on why you were fired.
If you were fired because you did something illegal or unethical, the employer would be able to get the TWC to deny your claim. However, if you were fired strictly because you were not a good fit at the company, you would be entitled to receive unemployment benefits.
Overall, I thought this was a nice way to give people information on solving their unemployment issues without having to wait on the phone. At the same time, using an automated system that's open at any time means that workers at the TWC can focus their efforts on helping those with more specific problems that need a person's assistance.
Having a well-designed menu that's easy to navigate makes it very straightforward to get assistance with any issue that's a simple question of getting information. If I needed information about unemployment in the state of Texas, calling this number would be where I'd begin my search.