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New Strings on Unemployment Benefits

NASHVILLE, Tenn  (AP) — The state Department of Labor is warning the 56,000 Tennesseans currently receiving unemployment benefits will soon be required to prove they’re looking for work.

The state is preparing to implement new guidelines issued by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Tennessee Department of Labor spokesman Jeff Hentschel explained the new requirements, saying...

“Perform two documented searches each week; in other words, contact an employer. They have to be sure and write down the employer’s name, the contact information, and write all that down. If they were asked, they would send that into the department and we would verify that information.”

Hentschel says that beginning in April, claimants will also be required to meet face-to-face with state job service employees.

Unemployment recipients should get a packet in the mail outlining the new requirements in the next few days.