Unemployment Benefits in the State of Texas

I know that the economy today is very unstable and I am very lucky to have a job right now. However, I know how it feels to be laid off from a position. I was laid off last year right before mother's day and was given five days notice of my termination. I didn't want to have to do it but I had to apply for unemployment benefits until I was able to find another job. I know that a lot of us don't want to draw unemployment or we just don't know what steps to take to draw the benefit. I'm going to let you know how to apply, and receive, and what you have to do to continue to receive unemployment benefits for the state of Texas.

First of all, you must apply for unemployment benefits. You can apply over the telephone or online. In order to apply for benefits you must have lost your job due to no fault of your own and you must have made wages in a recent 12 month period which is known as your base period. You must have wages in at least two of the four calendar quarters before you filed your claim. A statement of benefits will be mailed to you the same day as your benefit package. This packet will tell you weather you are eligible, how long you are eligible for unemployment, and how much you will receive for your weekly benefit.

In order to receive your unemployment benefits, you will have to file and request your payment through the telephone or the internet. You will file for your unemployment payment every two weeks. However, in the beginning when you file for the first two weeks, you will be only receiving a unemployment benefit payment for the second week that you are unemployed. The first week of unemployment pay is known as the waiting week. When you file two weeks later, you will receive payment for the first, third, and fourth unemployment weeks. Next time you will file for two weeks and then get paid for two weeks. I was unemployed for two weeks and only got paid my unemployment benefit for the second week and the first week was held because I didn't need to draw unemployment benefits anymore.

You will receive your unemployment benefits through the form of a visa card. In the mail you will receive a Texas Workforce Commission Unemployment Insurance Visa Debit Card. You will need to activate your debit card before you can use it. This way you can use your Visa Card to pay for bills, at the grocery store, or use it to withdraw cash like an ATM card. I thought that this was pretty neat that your funds are deposited to an account for you automatically. Getting paid this way is much quicker than waiting for a hard check in the mail.

In order to continue receiving unemployment benefit payments, you must make an active search for work and file with the local Texas workforce Commission either online at www.texasworkforce.org or at the nearest center in your city. When you search for work, you must keep a detailed log of all your phone contacts, jobs you applied for, and interviews that you have went on. You must make at least 3 contacts every week to prove that you are actively looking for a job. Texas Workforce Commission will provide you with a notebook to keep track of all your contacts. However, remember that at any time a Texas Workforce Commission representative can request to see your contacts workbook.

Once you find a new job, you must contact the Texas Workforce Commission to let them know that you will no longer be needing benefits and so they can close your case. Remember to follow the instructions that are given to you so that you can receive much needed unemployment benefits while you are out of work. Your goal should be to find a new job as quickly as possible.

I know that job hunting is not any fun. Looking for a job is a full time job in itself. I felt like I was never going to get another job when I got laid off. However, I kept applying, sending out my resume, and going on interviews. In the end it all worked out for me and my family. Remember to keep your head up and don't be ashamed to draw your unemployment benefits. Unemployment benefits is what you have put into the system by working and you have to use them then do it.