[tx] Got Fired After Fmla Leave Even Though My Doctor Cleared Me With Zero Restrictions

Location: Dallas, TX

So a little backstory — I worked IT for a mid-size fintech company (200+ employees) for about 2 years. Last year I had to go on FMLA leave for a serious mental health thing, ended up needing inpatient/psychiatric care for a while.

When I was ready to come back, I sent HR a note from the clinical psychologist who'd been treating me, saying I was cleared with no restrictions, good to return. HR comes back and says it's "not enough." Never told me what would actually be enough, never offered to work anything out, nothing. Just fired me on June 15, 2025 instead of putting me back to work.

I've got a huge email/text thread with HR through this whole back-and-forth, so it's all documented. I also filed for unemployment after, and TWC's investigation notes literally say I was let go for a "verifiable illness," not misconduct — I got approved for benefits.

Here's the thing though, at the time I just... didn't fight it. I was still deep in recovery, had no idea what rights I actually had, and honestly just trying to survive was enough without adding a legal battle on top. Looking back I probably should've done something sooner, but that's where I'm at now.

It's been way past 300 days at this point (over a year), so what I'm trying to figure out is:

Do I have any options left at this point given how much time has passed? Is this the kind of thing where the clock has just run out, or is there still something worth pursuing?

I've got everything saved — the doctor's note, the whole HR email/text thread, and the TWC determination letter. Any advice appreciated, feel like I let this sit way too long and want to know if it's actually too late.