Section 2865.210  Systematic and Sustained Search for Work

a)         An individual shall be deemed to have made a systematic and sustained search for work if he or she can present the tangible evidence, described in subsection (b), to the local unemployment office that he or she was engaged in such an effort to find work during a week of unemployment.

b)         The tangible evidence required by subsection (a) shall consist of, but not be limited to, all of the following:

1)         A showing that the individual persistently reviewed the newspaper advertisements for work and made an effort to contact the employers placing the advertisements, on each working day during every week for which he or she is applying for extended benefits;

2)         A showing that the individual actually made significant (at least five per week) personal contacts with prospective employers and applied for work on at least three working days during each week for which he or she is applying for extended benefits;

3)         A showing that he or she had been frequently contacting his or her union hall for information regarding work prospects, if applicable; and

4)         Registration with the State Employment Service.

c)         If the failure to make a showing of sustained and systematic job search on a particular day or days by the means indicated in subsection (b) is due to attending interviews, taking tests and/or physical examinations or commuting from one place to another to search for work or engaging in any other similar undertaking, he or she shall not be determined to have failed to meet the requirements of subsection (a) for that particular day or days.

d)         This Section shall not apply to weeks beginning on or after March 7, 1993 and before January 1, 1995.

e)         This Section shall not apply to weeks beginning on or after May 17, 2020, with respect to individuals whose unemployment is directly impacted by COVID-19.  The provisions of this subsection (e) are applicable to the extent permitted by section 4102(b) of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (P.L. 116-127, Division D, Emergency Unemployment Insurance Stabilization and Access Act of 2020 (EUISAA)).

(Source:  Amended at 44 Ill. Reg. 17662, effective October 23, 2020)