Job Searches Again A Requirement to Receive Unemployment In VA

VIRGINIA — After more than a year of not having to list their search for work as part of applying for unemployment benefits, out-of-work Virginians are again required to do so as part of requirements that went into effect on Sunday.

Those seeking to collect unemployment will again have to list two places where they applied for work, a requirement that was in place prior to the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The requirement was temporarily waived by Gov. Ralph Northam last year because of the economic impact caused by COVID-19.

But with people now able to be out as more coronavirus restrictions are starting to be lifted, the requirement of alerting the Virginia Employment Commission about job searches has been reinstated, according to VEC spokeswoman Joyce Fogg.

In an email to Patch on Wednesday, Fogg said that there are currently 530,000 jobs listed on the Virginia Workforce Connection website, on which those who are collecting unemployment must register. Fogg said that employers from around Virginia are contacting the VEC as they cannot find enough workers to re-open their businesses.

Starting this week, those seeking to collect unemployment will be required to report two job searches per week or the benefit being sought will not be paid out by the VEC, Fogg said Wednesday.

Those who turn down suitable work offered up through job searches will also not receive their unemployment benefits. Among the issues discussed at Tuesday night’s debate among the five Democrats seeking their party’s nomination for the general gubernatorial election in November was why out-of-work Virginians are hesitant to return to work.

While moderators suggested that a federally funded $300 a week unemployment benefit may factor in, former Gov. Terry McAuliffe said that raising minimum wage to $15 across the board would go a long way in enticing people to return to work. He, along with other candidates has also called for paid sick leave and hazard pay along with paid family medical leave.

State Sen. Jennifer McClellan said that workers also need access to childcare, an industry that she said has been decimated by the pandemic. Del. Lee Carter said Tuesday night that too many people are still waiting to be reimbursed for unpaid unemployment claims – including Carter, who said he drove Lyft as a second job.

“I am not going back to work exposing myself and my family to a disease that is still out there for less than minimum wage,” Carter said Tuesday night. “These companies have to pay people more and stop complaining about the fact people don’t want to jeopardize their lives for pennies.”

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the unemployment rate in Virginia stood at 4.7 percent, a rate that now stands at 3.9 percent, according to the Virginia Workforce Connection.