A day after reporting that Texas employees rejecting a return to suitable work for fear of contracting COVID-19 could lose unemployment benefits, Govenor Abbott announced that the TWC has promulgated rules allowing employees to continue receipt of benefits even if rejecting a return to suitable work. According to the Governor’s press release:
Each unemployment insurance
When Congress was drafting the enhanced unemployment benefits available under the FFCRA some lawmakers opposed the additional $600 per week benefit because it could incentivize workers to remain on unemployment rather than returning to work. As Texas prepares to return to work, those lawmakers concerns are coming to fruition.
There are anecdotal reports that
This morning the government reported a record number of new unemployment benefit claims: 3.283 Million new claims. Meanwhile, based on directive from Governor Abbott last week, the Texas Workforce Commission Unemployment Division is waiving the seven day waiting period for receipt of unemployment benefits and temporarily suspending the work search requirements for unemployment eligibility.
On March 18, 2020, President Trump signed the Families First Corona Virus Response Act. The Families First Act requires small and midsized employers to provide paid sick leave benefits and expanded FMLA leave to employees needing time away from work due to COVID-19 reasons. While the Act provide others benefits, the FMLA Expansion Act and
In a Texas unemployment benefit proceeding, the employee usually bears the burden of establishing an entitlement to benefits when the employee resigns. The employer bears the burden to show disqualification for benefits when the employer initiates the termination. However, when an employee offers more than two weeks’ notice of intent to resign and the employer
In a Texas case of first impression, Fort Worth Court of Appeals held that an employee on FMLA leave of absence is not entitled to receipt of state unemployment benefits reversing the Texas Workforce Commission’s administrative decision. In Texas Workforce Commission v. Wichita County, Texas, a county employee applied for state unemployment benefits when
It’s rare for employers state-wide to get good news in this troubled economy. Today, however, the Texas Workforce Commission presented Texas employers with an early Christmas present in the form of the newly released 2012 unemployment tax rates. The tax rates range from .61 to 7.58 percent on the first $9,000 in wages
The Texas Workforce Commission will announce the new 2012 state unemployment tax rates on December 12, 2011. The Commission will also mail each employer its 2012 unemployment tax determinations on that day.
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In Texas, employees and employers are entitled to a telephone hearing before a hearing officer if either party disagrees with an initial determination issued by the Commission in unemployment benefit and Texas Pay Day Act claims. There are some occasions, however, where an employer may consider foregoing these telephone conferences –even if it means losing the unemployment
Most Texas employers handle claims for unemployment compensation in-house (i.e., they don’t use an outside lawyer). A good resource to consult when handling these claims (and for answers to many Texas specific employment-related legal issues generally) is published by the Texas Workforce Commission titled "Especially for Texas Employers". According to its introduction,
Especially for Texas