I just wanted to add my experience as someone who recently went through this exact situation! My TWC check was mailed on a Monday and I received it the following Friday (5 business days) here in Austin. What really helped my stress levels was setting up informed delivery with USPS - it's free and shows you a photo of all the mail coming to your address that day. That way you'll know for sure if your check is arriving before you even get home to check your mailbox. You can sign up at usps.com and it usually activates within 24 hours. At least then you won't be wondering every single day if today is the day! Also, completely agree with everyone saying to get direct deposit set up again ASAP once you regain account access - it's so much less stressful than waiting for paper checks.

I'm going through the same situation right now! My check was mailed out last Thursday and I'm still waiting for it in the Dallas area. Reading through everyone's experiences here is really helping calm my nerves - it sounds like 5-7 business days is pretty normal. I'm definitely going to try that informed delivery signup that someone mentioned, and I'll also try the browser cache clearing trick to get back into my TWC account. It's so frustrating being stuck with paper checks when direct deposit is so much faster! Hopefully we all get our checks soon and can avoid this stress in the future.

I'm going through this exact same nightmare right now! Filed my second appeal on June 28th after my first one was denied (employer claimed I was terminated for poor performance but I have emails showing it was actually a layoff due to budget cuts). It's been almost 8 weeks now and I'm losing my mind checking that stupid TWC portal every day just to see "Appeal Received" with no other updates. The financial stress is unreal - I've burned through my savings and I'm behind on rent. But reading everyone's experiences here is actually really helpful. I had no idea that 6-8 weeks was normal for second appeals, and I definitely didn't know about continuing to request payments during the appeal process. I stopped doing that after the first few got denied because I thought it was pointless! Question for those who've been through this - when TWC finally schedules your second appeal hearing, do they give you much advance notice? I'm worried I'll miss the call or email notification since their communication has been so terrible throughout this whole process. Also going to try that Claimyr service someone mentioned and definitely calling my state rep's office. At this point I'll try anything to get some kind of update on where my case stands. This whole system is designed to make people give up, but I can't afford to do that!

Going through the second appeal process myself right now and this thread has been incredibly helpful! Filed mine on July 20th after my first appeal was denied (employer falsely claimed I abandoned my job when I was actually following medical leave procedures). One thing I wanted to add that I haven't seen mentioned much - if you have any medical documentation, union correspondence, or HR emails related to your separation, make sure to include ALL of it in your second appeal. I made the mistake of only submitting what I thought was most relevant in my first appeal, but for the second one I'm throwing everything at them. Better to have too much evidence than not enough. Also been using that work search tracking spreadsheet idea someone mentioned - game changer for staying organized! I include columns for date, company name, position applied for, method (online, in-person, etc.), and contact info. Makes those weekly certifications so much easier. The waiting is brutal but reading everyone's timelines here gives me hope. Sounds like most people who stick it out through the full process end up getting approved on the second appeal, especially when they have solid documentation. Just gotta keep pushing through the anxiety and financial stress while TWC does their thing at glacial speed. Keep us posted on your progress @Isla Fischer - rooting for you!

I just wanted to jump in and add something that really helped me during my TWC appeal hearing last year - make sure you have a backup plan for the phone call! I had my hearing scheduled and my landline went out that morning due to a storm. Luckily I had tested my cell phone connection beforehand and had a quiet backup location ready. Also, I noticed you mentioned your employer is claiming misconduct even though you resigned. This is actually pretty common - some employers will claim misconduct hoping it sticks, but if you have your resignation email and their acknowledgment, that's solid evidence of voluntary resignation. The hearing officer will see right through their attempt to reframe the situation. One thing that really helped me was writing down 3-4 bullet points about why the schedule changes were unreasonable and how they affected your childcare. For example: "March 15th - notified at 4pm that my shift changed from 9-5 to 2-10 the next day, making it impossible to pick up my child from daycare" - specific dates and impacts like that really resonate with hearing officers. You sound incredibly well-prepared after reading through all this advice! The combination of proper resignation notice + documented childcare conflicts + attempts to resolve the issue first is exactly what TWC looks for in good cause cases. Sending you positive vibes for Tuesday - can't wait to hear your success story!

Reading through all these responses, I'm amazed by how supportive and knowledgeable this community is! As someone who went through a similar TWC appeal hearing about 8 months ago (also for a voluntary resignation due to childcare conflicts), I wanted to add a few final tips: **Day of the hearing prep:** - Set multiple alarms and plan to be ready 30 minutes early - Have a pen and notepad dedicated just for taking notes during their testimony - Put your phone on "Do Not Disturb" except for the TWC number - Have a printed copy of your resignation email visible on your desk as a confidence booster **During opening statements:** - Lead with strength: "I was a dedicated employee for [X months/years] with excellent attendance until workplace scheduling became incompatible with childcare responsibilities" - Use past tense when describing your employment: "I WAS terminated for misconduct" vs "I resigned with proper notice due to good cause connected with the work" **If you get flustered:** - Take a slow breath and say "Let me make sure I'm addressing your question correctly" - this buys you time to collect your thoughts - It's okay to say "I'd like to refer to my documentation" and take a moment to find the right paper You've clearly done your homework and have all the right documentation. The scheduling/childcare combination is one of the strongest "good cause" cases for voluntary resignation. Trust your preparation and remember - you followed all the proper procedures, they're the ones who created an impossible work situation. Wishing you the absolute best on Tuesday! This thread will be waiting for your victory update! 🎉

I went through something very similar last year and it's infuriating how employers try to manipulate the system like this! The fact that HR confirmed you were terminated but TWC still denied your claim shows they're only getting one side of the story from your employer. Here's what worked for me: I gathered every piece of evidence I could find - my original notice email with the date, any texts or emails from when I was fired, and most importantly, I got HR to send me an official letter stating I was terminated before my notice period ended. During my appeal hearing, I made it super clear that I never actually quit - my employer made the decision to end my employment early. The hearing officer asked my former employer why they would terminate someone for safety violations if that person had already quit, and they couldn't give a coherent answer. One thing that really helped was keeping a detailed log of everything - dates, conversations, who said what. TWC hearing officers deal with these cases all the time and they can usually spot when an employer is being dishonest about the circumstances. You're absolutely doing the right thing by appealing. Don't let them get away with this manipulation - you were fired, plain and simple, and you deserve your unemployment benefits!

I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now and this thread has been incredibly helpful! My employer also terminated me after I gave notice and then tried to claim I quit voluntarily. Reading everyone's experiences gives me so much hope. One thing I wanted to add that might help others - when I was gathering documentation, I found out that my company's employee handbook actually states that giving two weeks notice doesn't guarantee you'll be allowed to work those two weeks. It says management reserves the right to make termination "effective immediately" for business reasons. I'm including this in my appeal because it shows their own policy treats immediate termination after notice as a firing, not a resignation. Has anyone else found their employee handbook useful as evidence? It seems like when companies put these policies in writing, it actually works against their unemployment claims because it proves they view it as termination rather than voluntary separation. Also wanted to say thank you to everyone sharing their success stories - it really helps when you're feeling overwhelmed by the whole process!

That's awesome that you got approved so quickly! Just a heads up - I got approved on a Friday and my first payment hit my direct deposit account the following Tuesday morning, so it really is pretty fast once you're in the system. One thing I wish someone had told me: even though you set up direct deposit, sometimes the first payment can still take an extra day or two to process compared to later payments. Don't stress if it doesn't hit exactly when you expect it. Also, definitely keep doing those work searches even after you start getting paid - I know someone who got audited 6 months later and had to provide all their documentation. You sound super organized though, so I'm sure you'll be fine!

So glad to hear you got approved! That's a huge relief. Just wanted to share my recent experience - I got approved two weeks ago and here's what actually happened with timing: My direct deposit hit exactly 3 business days after approval (Tuesday approval, Friday payment). The expedited ReliaCard arrived in 3 business days too, which was faster than expected. One thing that helped me was setting up text alerts through the TWC website so I got notifications when payments were processed. Also, make sure you have the ReliaCard app ready to go once your card arrives - you can check balances and even transfer money to your bank account from there. The whole process is stressful but you're through the hardest part now!