When an individual files for unemployment insurance compensation (UI) there are a number of steps the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) goes through to determine if that individual meets the requirements necessary to receive UI benefits. Several weeks after you apply for UI benefits, you will receive a document called a Determination Notice that lets you know our decision on whether you meet the requirements or not.

A copy of the Determination Notice is also sent to your recent employer for whom you last worked. For that employer to have appeal rights, they must have responded to the notice of your application for unemployment benefits (called a Notice of U.I. Application) within 14 calendar days from the date it was mailed to them. Depending on whether the Determination Notice is in your favor or against you, either you or your last employer (providing they timely responded to the Notice of U.I. Application) may appeal the Determination Notice. An appeal is a written disagreement with our decision that requests us to hold a hearing to ensure each affected person has the chance to state his or her case.

What follows is a tutorial designed to help you further understand the appeals process, the correspondence TWC will be sending to you and the affected employers, how to prepare for the appeal hearing, and what steps you must follow in the appeal process. The tutorial also provides a number of worksheets and documents located on the right under Tools that you can access to assist in your preparation.