unemployment benefits; requirements; disqualifications; determinations

Job search requirements for unemployment benefits are now more specific, requiring claimants to conduct at least five distinct work search actions per week and provide detailed weekly reports.

Shared work plans now must include a specific expiration date and require written approval from collective bargaining agents to ensure fair treatment of unionized workers.

New provisions require the department to cross-check claims against external data sources like the National Directory of New Hires, inmate databases, and death records to identify fraud.

Workers terminated for refusing a COVID-19 vaccine or booster shot are now explicitly protected from disqualification, provided the vaccine requirement was mandated by law.

New protections allow individuals to receive benefits if they leave their job due to domestic violence, preventing these separations from being treated as voluntary quits.

The definition of 'suitable work' was adjusted to consider the degree of risk to health, safety, and morals during the first four weeks of a benefit period.