Public commenters urge more jobs for blind Texans and ask TWC to review due-process failures; commission agrees to resubmit a contested UI case
Loading...
Summary
At a Texas Workforce Commission meeting, Jim Meehan of the Austin Lighthouse for the Blind urged expansion of the PPD program and fee-schedule review to sustain services; caller Caleb Jones Timbs urged independent review of a misconduct finding and the commission voted to resubmit case 3934951 for further consideration.
The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) heard two public comments urging both stronger employment supports for people with visual impairments and a review of procedural fairness in an unemployment-insurance case.
Jim Meehan, president and CEO of the Austin Lighthouse for the Blind, told commissioners the nine Texas lighthouses collectively employ about "1,500 Texans, more than half of whom have a permanent visual difficulty or [are] legally blind," and asked the commission to "support and strengthen" the Purchasing Products and Services for People with Disabilities (PPD) program so the organizations can hire more workers. He also asked the commission to "look at the fee schedule" for community rehabilitation providers (CRPs) that deliver vocational and independent-living services, saying inflation has strained their ability to meet demand. He invited commissioners to visit the Austin Lighthouse to see assistive-technology training, including drones, robots and 3‑D printing.
A caller, identified in the transcript as Caleb Jones Timbs, urged the commission to order an independent review of his unemployment-insurance claim. Timbs said the employer's case against him relied on inconsistent testimony and hearsay, that "no citation to a specific employer policy" was provided, and that a hearing officer's line of questioning effectively advanced the employer's case after the employer failed to appear for a rehearing. Timbs said the record did not show the "intentional or willful disregard" required under Texas law to sustain a misconduct finding and described "severe financial hardship, including housing instability" as a result of the decision. He asked for reversal of the misconduct finding or a remand with instructions addressing due-process failures.
Following those comments, the transcript records a discussion among commissioners about the case Timbs raised (identified by case number 3934951). Commissioner Connock (as named in the meeting transcript) recommended discussion of a possible resubmission in light of the procedural concerns; general counsel Les Troben confirmed the case number; staff reported the commission "will resubmit the case by majority vote." The transcript records that the commission directed resubmission of case 3934951 for further consideration.
What happens next: The commission recorded a direction to resubmit case 3934951; the transcript excerpt does not show a date for any future rehearing or the detailed instructions for the resubmission.
