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.

The agency will date payments for unemployment benefits from the time of the worker’s separation of employment, a spokesperson said late Tuesday night in a statement.

The Texas Workforce Commission typically pays unemployment benefits starting from the week that claimants file their application, according to the agency’s website and a previous statement from the TWC. However, as the Houston Chronicle reported Monday, that procedure would mean many stand to miss payments, since the state’s websites and phone lines are so overwhelmed that thousands are having trouble submitting their claim during the first week they became unemployed.

Calls to the Texas Workforce Commission, which administers unemployment benefits, rose “to the millions” within a week, state officials said Wednesday, as business closures to slow the spread of the virus leave hundreds of thousands of Texans out of a job.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Texas unemployment filings expected to surpass all of 2019 in matter of weeks

Cisco Gamez, spokesperson for the agency, said in a statement that unemployment benefits will now date back to the week of separation from employment, not the time the claimant filed for benefits.

“We are finding claims and backdating those claims,” Gamez said. “We are also notifying the individuals if we have their email address.”

The stimulus package passed by Congress requires that unemployment benefits for claims related to the coronavirus be paid retroactively. The act, signed into law last week adds $600 per week on top of what Texas and other states would usually provide.

The TWC said that Governor Greg Abbott’s disaster order allows the agency to backdate claims.

If claimants applied for unemployment before the stimulus package was passed, they don’t need to reapply to get federal benefits. The TWC said it will notify people who are eligible for additional benefits by mail or electronic correspondence.

The agency said in a release Wednesday that it is committed to responding to each case, “in as timely a manner as possible” to ensure every eligible applicant receives benefits.

“Our top priority is to eliminate the backlog, get Texans registered and on the path to getting the benefits they need,” said Ed Serna, TWC executive director in a press release Wednesday. “The sheer weight of the demand right now is unprecedented.”

To help relieve pressure on the call centers, Texas launched an automated virtual assistant to help Texans sign up for unemployment insurance. The chatbot can answer common questions about the unemployment benefits process.

The state has also hired new workers, reallocated staff from other departments and added new phone lines.

erin.douglas@chron.com

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