work search form (unemployment benefits, compensation, activities)

[jlane6429]

I became unemployed after almost 20 years of continuous service. I applied for unemployment benefits and kept a digital copy of work search form.

I became eligible for emergency unemployment compensation (EUC) program and EUC was established three weeks before. IDES has requested me to bring the work search form from the date on which EUC was established (that is only from last three weeks) to confirm if I am still eligible for continuing in EUC program. While merging the new set of form requirement to my old free text of digital copy, I accidentally lost 11 weeks worth of work search records prior to EUC was established.

IDES has requested me to bring only last three weeks worth of job search records, which luckily I still have. However, I started googling about what to do if I lost the work search form in case IDES asks me to produce prior forms at a later date. I saw the threatening stories such as prison terms and hefty fines. Since then, I have not been sleeping for 2-3 days for now. I read the IDES unemployment handbook over and over, which says that failure to maintain work search form will result in denial of future benefits. It does not state anything about prison terms or refunding the previous compensation etc.

Do you have any experience with this please? I am already in the midst of financial meltdown due to long-term unemployment and this has added unimaginable level of stress to me already. If you could share a word or two, that would be of great help. I decided to keep a manual copy for all future forms.

Thanks,

J

[linicx]

If you have critical work do not depend upon a computer or software for record keeping.

Invest in the largest "thumb" drive you can afford. Insert in USB port and check to make sure your computer can find it. From this day forward keep a plain text (.rtf) doc of your search activities: date, time, place, city/state, plus name/title interviewer and results. Keep it in order by date of interview. You are now the keeper of the most important information in the world. .

In the future, when someone wants a copy ypu can print it, burn it on a CD, or let the ? make their own copy -- all from the thumb drive. OR You can scan and print a copy of the required paper form that you also have.

Every computer in the world can translate .rtf docs into some type of readable form. Not so for every other or all other types of documents. Keep it simple and make it work.