New job search verification requirement starting

Effective 23 August 2015, the Department of Workforce Development is implementing a new job search verification requirement.

Weekly Work Search Log Requirement Changes

When Filing Weekly Claims By Telephone

The following changes take effect Sunday, August 23, 2015 for all claimants who file weekly claims and are required to search for work:

• • If you file your weekly claim using the telephone and are required to look for work, you are required to send by fax or U.S. mail a copy of the work search log for the week of your claim, starting Sunday, August 23. This is the written record of your weekly work search that you already are required to create and retain for your records. The Unemployment Insurance (UI) Division will validate your work search before issuing payment.

• If you file your weekly claim via telephone, NO PAYMENT will be released until your weekly work search log has been received and validated by the UI Division.  Your work search log is due 7 days from the date you file your weekly claim.  We will work diligently to validate logs and issue timely payments as soon as we receive your work search information. The entire process could take up to 10 days.

You can help prevent potential payment delays by filing your weekly claim online at http://my.unemployment.wisconsin.gov. A majority of claimants already file their weekly claims using our online system.  You can file your weekly claim and enter your weekly work search information directly into our online system by using a computer or mobile device.

It’s easy to use UI’s online services:

1. Go to http://my.unemployment.wisconsin.gov.
2. Create an account. If you have created an account in the past, you can login using that information.
3. To file your weekly claim, click the link in the Unemployment Insurance menu or in the Important Message box.

We strongly encourage you to visit http://my.unemployment.wisconsin.gov and create a username and password prior to August 16, 2015. This will provide additional time in case you need our assistance to set up your account.

If you prefer to file your weekly claim by telephone and submit your work search actions by mail or by fax, please print a copy of the UCB-12, Weekly Work Search Log online from the claimant portal at my.unemployment.wisconsin.gov and by clicking on the “get work search log” link. Fill in your work search actions and either mail or fax the work search log to:

Department of Workforce Development
Division of Unemployment Insurance
PO Box 7905
Madison, WI 53707

-or-

Fax: 608-327-6499

Please allow additional time for faxed or mailed logs to be processed and validated. To lessen possible delays, make sure work search entries are complete and clear.

For translation services, call 1-800-494-4944 between 7:45 AM AND 4:30 PM Monday through Friday. An interpreter will be provided for unemployment insurance services at no cost.

There is no explanation or detail explaining what this new job verification actually entails.  My guess is that the Department has implemented some kind of cross-matching algorithm to determine whether job applications being reported match up with job openings on Job Center of Wisconsin. Hence, those who file on-line will not experience any delay because of the verification process. On the other hand, those who file by phone will, after supplying their work search information, most likely have that information uploaded so that the algorithm can be applied to their weekly work search report.

NOTE: For several months now, the Department has been requiring claimants to supply their job search information and has even instituted a requirement that those filing by phone supply their job search information via written forms. So, this requirement to supply work search information each week is NOT new.  What is new is the verification that is being done. 

Pat Schneider from the CapTimes has an article with additional info about this new requirement.