Q: Can a full-time teacher who is terminated and then works as a substitute still collect unemployment benefits?
A: Accepting work as a substitute will not disqualify the teacher from benefits. However, the money earned as a substitute may affect the amount of benefits received. A person’s unemployment benefits will be reduced by the amount of any weekly earnings, whether from a temporary, part-time, or permanent job. However, benefits are not reduced dollar-for-dollar, so a person could actually bring home more money each week with combined substitute wages and reduced unemployment benefits than he or she would have received with the benefits alone.
There are other economic advantages to accepting substitute employment for teachers who have been laid off. Working as a substitute can extend the teacher’s eligibility for unemployment benefits. Benefits are usually described in terms of “weeks” but are actually allotted in dollar amounts. So, the less a teacher is paid each week in unemployment benefits, the longer the teacher will be able to rely on benefits being available. Initial benefit eligibility is for 26 weeks, but a teacher who collects less than 100 percent of his or her weekly benefit amount can extend eligibility for a longer period.
In any situation, it is important to remember that the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) is the decision maker on unemployment claims and each claim is decided based on its particular facts.
