Update Wednesday, April 1, 3:30 p.m.: The Texas Workforce Commission said it will now backdate unemployment claims to the date that workers were laid off, in an apparent revision to its previous position, remedying the issue of a potential loss in benefits, however, the additional $600 will only be backdated from the week ending April 4.

Help is on the way from Washington for millions of newly unemployed people in the form of an additional $600 per week to their unemployment benefits as well as aid for independent contractors and the self-employed, who previously didn’t qualify.

But the stimulus package makes one major assumption — that people are able to apply.

For several weeks, hundreds of thousands of Texans have sat home jobless, dialing and redialing the Texas Workforce Commission help-line, trying to get through the overburdened call centers to file unemployment assistance claims. The flood of unemployment claims — 3.3 million nationally last week, 156,000 in Texas — has crashed websites and overwhelmed call centers for filing first-time applications.

If the newly unemployed are not able to submit their application, though, they stand to miss out on much-needed income. Texas only pays benefits for the week from which the claim was submitted, meaning that Texans who cannot get through the clogged phone lines and crashing websites the same week that they lost their job won’t receive benefits for that week.

How to apply for unemployment assistance You should apply for benefits as soon as you are unemployed or underemployed because the claim will start the week you complete the application. The state does not pay benefits for the weeks before you applied. Go to ui.texasworkforce.org or, if you do not have internet access, call 1-800-939-6631 Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. central. Log on with an existing TWC User ID or create a new user ID. Apply for benefits by submitting an application. You will need: A Social Security number or Alien Registration Number Last employer’s business name and address First and last dates you worked for your last employer Number of hours worked and pay rate if you worked this week (including Sunday) Information about your normal wage A tutorial on how to apply for benefits can also be found at ui.texasworkforce.org.

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Cisco Gamez, a spokesperson for the Texas Workforce Commission said the agency is upgrading its systems and working “tirelessly” to process the huge amount of claims. If you have already applied for unemployment benefits, and qualify, he said, no additional action is necessary; the state will apply the new federal benefits to your claim.

“We are upgrading our system to adapt to the new legislation,” Gamez said.

Help from Congress?

The stimulus package significantly boosts unemployment benefits by nearly $125 billion, according to estimates. The program gives those who lose jobs due to the pandemic an additional $600 per week on top of whatever the state provides. The stimulus also extends benefits from a previous maximum of 26 weeks of benefits in Texas to a maximum of 39 weeks.

In Texas, unemployment benefits range from $69 per week to a maximum of $521 per week, with an average of $246 per week. The additional federal aid would boost the maximum benefit in Texas to more than $1,100 a week.

The program will be administered by states, meaning jobless Texans will need to apply for state unemployment first to get the additional federal benefits. When everything is going to plan, the average wait time for Texas to disburse unemployment benefits from the time an application is submitted is 21 days, said Gamez.

The wait, however, is likely to be longer given the sheer numbers of applications the Texas Workforce Commission must process. The agency said it could not provide an estimate of how long checks might be delayed because of the volume of claims.

“My landlord is not going to want to hear that,” said Precious Williams, a single mother of two in Palestine, outside of Tyler.

Williams was laid off from her job at Stage Stores, which said last week that it would furlough “virtually all” the company’s associates. She began attempting to apply for unemployment benefits last Tuesday, but has yet to get through.

She has car payments to make, rent to pay and other bills coming in, but the website refers her to the call center to file her claims and the phone system’s automated response sends her back to the website.

“I don’t know what is supposed to happen for people who can’t apply for those benefits,” she said. “Everything I have, I feel it’s in jeopardy for me to lose right now.”

The state said it’s aware of the problems and trying to address them by moving staff from other divisions to work the call centers. The Texas Workforce Commission said it would hire 100 temporary workers to help staff the call centers, increase its server capacity and increase the call center’s capacity.

On HoustonChronicle.com: What you need to know about unemployment benefits in Texas

The stimulus package also includes help for those not traditionally eligible for unemployment benefits. Independent contractors and self-employed people will be able to receive benefits under Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, which will operate similarly to Disaster Unemployment Assistance, a program funded by FEMA.

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance will pay $600 per week in federal benefits to contractors and self-employed who lost work. That program, too, will be administered by the Texas Workforce Commission.

Independent contractors and self-employed workers should submit the application for regular unemployment insurance to the TWC. Once the state determines they are not eligible for regular unemployment, it will re-route the claims to pandemic unemployment assistance.

30,000 a day

The state’s call centers and website servers are unlikely to get a break any time soon. The number of unemployment claims is set to soar even higher this week as closures drag on and the virus continues to sicken more people.

As of last week, around 30,000 people a day were applying for unemployment insurance, said Texas Workforce Commission Director Ed Serna. That daily figure is more than double the claims Texas received for the entire first week of March.

The state’s capacity to process all those claims is limited. Texas has one of the lowest tax rates for funding unemployment insurance. And, in 2020, the agency dedicated only 5 percent of its budget to paying unemployment benefits.

On HoustonChronicle.com: ‘Exponential’ increase in Texas unemployment benefit apps overwhelming state’s capacity to process claims

Gov. Greg Abbott has already requested an interest-free loan from the federal government to keep the program funded. Serna said last week that Texans should not worry about the state’s capacity to pay claims: Everyone who is eligible will get checks.

“There are funds there now,” Serna said, “and as we deplete it we will turn to other sources to make sure the people who need help get the help they need.”

The question for many, though, is how soon.

Waiting anxiously

Will Walla who worked as a sales manager for an oil and gas company in Houston, is still waiting. Since he was laid off Wednesday, he has tried unsuccessfully to reset his login for the website to complete his application.

Walla, the sole income earner for a household of six, already lost out on benefits that might have started last week. Now, in a new week, he isn’t any closer to filing his claim.

“It’s very frustrating that there’s nobody that you can actually talk to, or an office you can go to,” said Walla, who estimates he has called around 100 times on Monday. “When you call you can’t get through. It’s just crazy.”

erin.douglas@chron.com

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