Reemployment Assistance Benefits

Work Search Requirements

Most workers filing for unemployment must actively complete work search activities to be eligible for benefits. This includes claimants working reduced hours and PEUC claimants with a return-to-work date. Your efforts in searching for work must reflect a genuine desire to obtain employment.

How do you know if you have to search for work?

The filing instructions you receive will indicate if you must actively search for work to be eligible for benefits.
If your status changes, the RA Division will send a letter (mail or Electronic Correspondence).

If you believe this is an error and you should not have to do work search, you must contact us at 605.626.2452 for a review of your situation. If you do not call and choose not to search for work, you will not be eligible for payment.

Reporting work search activities

While filing for reemployment assistance benefits, you are required to make a good faith effort to seek full-time work, unless we have told you otherwise. You must perform at least two work search activities each week you are requesting benefits.

Examples of work search activities that qualify include:

Submitting a job application online or in-person
Submitting a resume online or in-person
Attending a job interview
Participating in a DLR-approved reemployment services program

When you file your weekly request for payment you will be asked to provide the following information regarding your job contacts:

Name of business contacted
Date the contact was made
Contact information for the business, including phone number, address of the business, email, and web link if applicable
Title of the position applied for
Name of the hiring authority you contacted at the business
Method of contact (in-person, online, etc.)

Document your job contacts for verification purposes. The Facts about Reemployment Assistance Handbook includes Employer Contacts forms for your convenience. The Employer Contacts form is also on the RA Forms page.

We will verify your reported work search with the employer. You may be selected at any time for an audit or eligibility review in which you will be asked to provide your job contact information.

Exceptions

You do not have to look for work if:

You have a definite recall date to return to full-time work with an employer that paid 50% or more of your base period wages and, due to weather-related seasonal factors, work is not available in your primary base-period occupation and other suitable work is not available, or
You are a member in good standing with a referring union through which you normally obtain employment, or
You have not been working at all but will be recalled to full-time work within 10 consecutive weeks with an employer. Your employer must provide a recall date, or
You are receiving Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and you are self-employed or an independent contractor, (through April 24, 2021. Please see Reopening Your Business/Work Search Steps for requirements after this date), or
Your start date for a new job has been delayed due to COVID-19. You must provide a start date from your employer, or
You are unable to work because you have been advised by a health care professional to self-quarantine because of COVID-19. A doctor’s note must be provided indicating the medically advised self-quarantine is related to greater-than-average health risks you might face if infected by the coronavirus, or
You fall under other COVID-19 related scenarios.

If you received a letter and think you fall under one of these reasons, you still must call the number on the letter so we can look into your situation. If you received a letter, do not call and choose not to search for work, you will not be eligible for payment.

Please remember, PEUC claimants, even those with a return-to-work date with their previous employer, and claimants working reduced hours are required to actively search for work.

PUA/Self-employed — Reopening Your Business/Work Search Steps

Per federal guidelines, self-employed individuals must take steps to reopen their businesses and report all wages or seek other employment to remain eligible for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) reemployment assistance benefits (effective April 25, 2021). See Steps to Reopen Your Business or Search for Work for more information.

IMPORTANT: You must report all of your gross income for earnings every week.

Contact Customer Service at 605.626.2452 if you have questions about your work search.

Back to main Reemployment Assistance Benefits page

Marcia Hultman

Cabinet Secretary