AHRMA Webinar - TWC Update - Unemployment Claims During the Pandemic

Approved for 1 HRCI & SHRM recertification credit.

For each $1 donation to the SHRM Foundation during registration,
your name will be entered for the following giveaway:
two $50 Amazon gift cards.

Tommy Simmons will discuss the many ways that the Covid-19 pandemic has altered the landscape of unemployment insurance (UI) in Texas. He will address regular and extended UI benefits, shared work plans, mass claims, and how employers may be protected in whole or in part against financial liability for such benefits. The talk will also cover the three new kinds of unemployment benefits created under the CARES Act and how eligibility is determined. Special issues such as work refusals and fraud will be highlighted. Finally, he will cover how the disaster-related benefits may affect employers’ state unemployment tax rates for 2021 and the years beyond.

• Who can file unemployment claims, the times during which claims can be filed, what the qualification and eligibility criteria are for receiving unemployment benefits, methods for appealing adverse rulings, best strategies for handling claim responses and appeals, and how an employer can qualify for chargeback protection.
• The new types of unemployment benefits created under the CARES Act, specific requirements for each, and the special funding mechanisms for such benefits.
• Ethical requirements and guidelines under Texas and federal statutes for claimants, employers, and their representatives to follow during the claim and appeal process.

Tommy Simmons
Legal Council, TWC

William T. (Tommy) Simmons serves as legal counsel for Commissioner Aaron S. Demerson, the Commissioner representing employers at the Texas Workforce Commission (twc.texas.gov), where he advises the Commissioner on final-level appeals, assists business groups with employment-related legislation, counsels employers on Texas and federal employment laws, and frequently speaks to employer groups on such topics. He is the author of the book Especially for Texas Employers, the editor of the Employment Law Handbook of the Texas Association of Business, and created the online versions of both books. He has also created a web app with employment law utilities for employers, as well as a version for Android mobile devices, and is working on an iOS version.

Thank you to our Sponsor