TWC Is Accepting Disaster Unemployment Applications in 20 Counties Through Dec. 29

The Texas Workforce Commission is accepting applications for Disaster Unemployment Assistance in 20 counties hit by severe storms and flooding last summer, and it has set a hard deadline. In a Nov. 6 announcement, the agency said applications under this declaration "must be submitted by December 29, 2026." As of Nov. 14, that announcement still listed the same deadline and the same 20 counties. This is not the same program as the FEMA Individual Assistance that Dock Line reported when federal officials approved Texas' appeal for household aid in the same 20 counties. DUA is an unemployment-insurance benefit for people whose work or self-employment was lost or interrupted as a direct result of the disaster.

TWC said the storms and flooding occurred between July 12 and Aug. 4, 2026, and that the aid is available under Presidential Disaster Declaration DR-4935-TX, which the agency dated Sept. 1, 2026. The designated counties are Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Crockett, Dimmit, Frio, Gillespie, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, La Salle, Maverick, Medina, Real, Schleicher, Sutton, Uvalde, Val Verde, and Zavala. The release says additional counties may be added. TWC told applicants to specify that their applications are related to damage caused by the July storms and flooding.

People may apply online through Unemployment Benefit Services or by calling TWC at (800) 939-6631 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Central time, Monday through Friday. The announcement is not a promise that every applicant will be paid. TWC describes DUA as a benefit "made available especially for victims of disaster," and it lists the people to whom the assistance is available:

Those who have applied for and used all regular unemployment benefits, or do not qualify for unemployment benefits; those who worked, were self-employed, or were scheduled to begin work or self-employment in the disaster area; those who can no longer work or perform services because of physical damage or destruction to the place of employment as a direct result of the disaster; those who can establish that the work or self-employment they can no longer perform was their primary source of income; those who cannot perform work or self-employment because of an injury as a direct result of the disaster; those who became the breadwinner or major support of a household because of the death of the head of household; or those who were unable to reach their job or self-employment location because they must travel through the affected area and are prevented from doing so by the disaster.

TWC also said unemployment "may be considered a direct result of the disaster" when it results from physical damage to the workplace, physical inaccessibility caused by a government closure in immediate response to the disaster, or "certain immediate losses of work or revenue connected to a damaged, destroyed, or government-closed entity in the disaster area." This report follows that wording and does not add examples the agency did not give.

Documentation is not optional. "To receive DUA benefits, all required documentation must be submitted within 21 days from the day the DUA application is filed," the release says. Applicants must provide a Social Security number when filing and must submit documentation showing they were employed, self-employed, or scheduled to begin employment or self-employment when the disaster occurred. "If you do not send us proof of employment by the 21-day deadline, TWC will halt DUA payments, and you will be responsible for repaying any benefits you received." In some cases, TWC said, it can use information already in its system, such as wage records, to prove employment.

For the fastest review, TWC told applicants to submit proof of employment through its online UI Submission Portal and to select "DUA Proof of Employment at Time of Disaster" from the Type of Submission menu. Proof may also be sent by fax to (512) 322-2867 or by mail to Texas Workforce Commission, Attn: DUA Proof, P.O. Box 149137, Austin, TX 78714-9137.

The Dec. 29 filing deadline and the 21-day proof deadline are two different clocks. Missing the December date means a person has not applied under this declaration. Missing the 21-day proof deadline, TWC said, can stop payments already started and create a repayment obligation. The agency also pointed people toward local Workforce Solutions offices for job-search help and toward WorkInTexas.com, and it said the Texas Division of Emergency Management encourages Texans to report damage to homes and businesses with the state's online Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool, which "help[s] emergency officials determine eligibility for federal assistance such as DUA." This report has not independently verified how many people have applied, how many have been paid, or whether more counties will be added. "Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble" (Psalm 41:1).