People wait in line for help with unemployment benefits at the One-Stop Career Center in Las Vegas on March 17, 2020. (Associated Press photo)
The Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation says workers collecting unemployment benefits will soon be required to prove they are looking for a job to keep getting checks.
That requirement was suspended because of the huge layoffs through the pandemic. But DETR says beginning May 1, all claimants filing for UI benefits will have to look for suitable employment and keep a record of the businesses they contact each week.
“As Nevadans are vaccinated and COVID cases continue to drop, DETR is focusing on getting Nevadans back to work, whether they return to their pre-pandemic job or get training for a new job,” said DETR Director Elisa Cafferata.
She said ahead of that date, the state is sending out notices that the Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment program is restarting. That program provides certain UI claimants the chance to meet remotely with representatives who can connect them to job search opportunities. Participation in that program is required for UI eligibility. Those individuals will be notified by mail and through their online unemployment account.
Cafferata said the requirement doesn’t apply to PUA claimants or the extended benefit programs. RESEA assistance is funded by the federal government.
To satisfy the work search requirements, claimants have to include the name and addresses of businesses or labor unions they have contacted, the method of contact — whether by email, in-person or telephone — and the results of the contact. If a claimant refuses work, they must justify that decision.
Claimants are required to conduct several work searches each week to keep their benefits and to complete a work search activity record each week they file for benefits.
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