ESD job search audit from 2 years ago - do I really need to reimburse for missing job logs?

Yes, this is 100% real and happens regularly. ESD can audit your job search activities for up to 6 years after you receive benefits. I got audited 14 months after my claim ended and had to provide documentation for every single job search activity I reported. I was lucky because I kept detailed records with dates, company names, position titles, contact info, and application confirmation emails. If you can't provide adequate proof during an audit, they can determine you didn't meet job search requirements and demand repayment of all benefits received during those weeks.

My brother-in-law went thru this last yr. Couldnt prove some of his job searches from 2021 and they made him pay back like $4k. He tried appealing but no luck. Said he should have kept better records.

I'm so confused about this. I thought we just had to enter the info in the weekly claim portal? Nobody told me I needed to save actual PROOF of every application for years afterward! What exactly counts as acceptable proof? I don't have confirmation emails for half the places I applied to, especially the ones where I walked in and filled out paper applications.

I went through an audit in January for a claim from 2022. It was a nightmare trying to track down proof of all my job search activities. I had to contact companies asking for application confirmations, search through old emails, and piece together what I could. In the end, I was able to prove about 80% of my activities, which was enough to avoid repayment. My advice is to start organizing whatever documentation you might still have access to - check your email archives, job site accounts, etc. Being proactive helped my case.

If you're worried about getting through to ESD to ask questions about this, I recently used a service called Claimyr that really helped. I was on hold with ESD for hours trying to ask about a similar situation, but Claimyr got me connected to an actual person in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. Their website is claimyr.com if you want to check it out. It saved me a ton of time and stress when dealing with my ESD issues.

this is all government BS trying to claw back money from regular people while corporations get away with billions in fraud. my neighbor got audited and they said his job searches weren't "quality" enough whatever TF that means. system is rigged!!!!

wait so do we need to keep the actual job posting too? or just proof we applied? i deleted all that stuff ages ago

For anyone dealing with this now, I recommend creating a spreadsheet with all the information you can remember about your job searches. List the company, position, date, application method, and any contact info you have. Then start gathering whatever documentation still exists. During my audit, having this organized information made a big difference, even for the few cases where I couldn't find the original confirmation. Also, don't panic if you get an audit notice - respond promptly and work with them. They're mainly looking for people who completely fabricated job searches, not honest mistakes in record-keeping.