Thousands of Texans are in limbo of unemployment

FORT BEND COUNTY – A Fort Bend County man is one of the possibly thousands of Texans caught in the limbo of unemployment. Some residents, who worked out of state before COVID-19, are struggling to apply for unemployment insurance in the state where they were employed.

“I have exhausted all means as an out-of-state applicant,” said the former Georgia high-risk security consultant, whose identity is withheld due to security reasons.

Since he was fired, beginning April 1, he said he had been unable to access the Georgia Department of Labor website to complete his application or contact the agency by phone.

The dilemma is beginning to weigh on his family.

“We are essentially living on savings that I have accumulated through my work time,” he said. “But we are almost out.”

Since you have not been able to apply in Georgia, you cannot apply for federal unemployment, which is based on registering for and receiving state unemployment.

According to the Texas Workforce Commission, nearly 58,000 Texans have applied for out-of-state wages since March 1. The TWC said there are probably many others they don’t know about. The Fort Bend County resident, who is one of them, continues his efforts to contact Georgia officials for help for his family and others.

“The attorney general or Georgia Secretary of Labor might look at this and say, ‘Hello, we have a problem that needs to be fixed,'” he said. “This story is bigger than me.”

The Texas Workforce Commission said anyone who has worked out of state can contact them to ask about their filing options. They can also refer people to that state if necessary.