Does NYS Department of Labor actually verify your job search activities when claiming unemployment?

Yes, NYS Department of Labor can and does audit job search activities, especially if there are red flags or your claim gets selected for review. You need to keep detailed records of at least 3 job search activities per week - employer name, position, date applied, and method of contact. They can request this documentation at any time during your claim period.

yeah they definitely check sometimes. my friend got a letter asking for his job search log and he had to send it in within like 10 days or something. he almost got disqualified because some of his job searches weren't detailed enough

The key is maintaining a comprehensive job search log from day one. Include employer contact information, specific job titles, application methods, and any follow-up activities. NYS Department of Labor audits are typically random, but they also target claims with certain patterns - like consistently reporting the minimum required searches or claims from certain industries with high fraud rates.

I got audited last year and it was a nightmare! They wanted EVERYTHING - screenshots of online applications, emails, phone call logs. Took me weeks to gather all the documentation and I was stressed the whole time thinking they might cut off my benefits. The NYS Department of Labor system is so paranoid about fraud but honest people get caught up in their bureaucracy.

If you're having trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor to clarify job search requirements or if you get selected for an audit, I recently discovered a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps people get through to actual NYS Department of Labor agents by phone. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Really helped when I needed to discuss my job search documentation requirements with someone who could give me definitive answers instead of guessing.

honestly i just put down whatever and never had a problem. been claiming for months

Same boat here! The job search requirement always makes me nervous because I never know if I'm doing enough. Good to know others are keeping detailed logs too.

I've been through a NYS Department of Labor job search audit and here's what I learned: they typically give you 10-21 days to submit your documentation once requested. The most important things to track are employer name, contact person/HR department, job title, date of application, and method of contact (online portal, email, in-person, etc.). For online applications, try to save confirmation emails or take screenshots of the "application submitted" pages. If you're missing some early records, you can try to reconstruct them by checking your email for application confirmations, looking at your browser history, or contacting employers directly for confirmation. The auditors understand that perfect records from day one aren't always possible, but they want to see genuine effort to document your search activities.

I've been wondering about this exact same thing! I'm about 4 weeks into my claim and have been keeping a basic log, but reading these responses has me realizing I probably need to be way more detailed. It's honestly pretty stressful not knowing if what you're doing is "enough" until potentially getting that audit letter months later. Has anyone here found any official NYS Department of Labor guidance on exactly what level of detail they expect in job search records? Like, is there a checklist or template they recommend? I feel like I'm flying blind and just hoping my documentation will pass if they ever check it.