Virginia Employment Commission requires 3 documented work search contacts per week throughout the benefit period. Virginia certifies weekly through VEC Online at vec.virginia.gov, and work search confirmation is part of each weekly certification. Northern Virginia's dense employer landscape — federal agencies, contracting firms, tech companies — provides ample opportunities for qualifying contacts, but documentation is still required for each one. VEC audits work search records and disqualifies weeks where contacts cannot be verified.
- 3 employer contacts per week, every week. Must be specific — a specific employer, a specific position.
- Virginia American Job Centers provide services that generate valid contacts — especially valuable in Northern Virginia and Richmond.
- Document every contact: date, employer, position, method, result. VEC audits can occur months after certification.
Always verify exact numbers, deadlines, and forms on the Virginia Employment Commission's official website – this page provides general guidance, not state-specific legal advice.
What Counts as a Contact in Virginia
Valid Virginia work search contacts: submitting a specific application to a specific employer for a specific open position; attending a job fair with employer contact; registering with or contacting a staffing agency about placement; attending American Job Center services (counseling, job referrals, workshops); attending employer-sponsored interviews. Contact with the same employer for the same position in consecutive weeks typically does not count as a separate contact. Browsing job sites, updating resumes without applying, and general career research do not qualify.
Virginia American Job Centers
Virginia's American Job Centers — operated through the Virginia Employment Commission's workforce development network — provide services that generate valid work search contacts. Services include career counseling, resume workshops, job referrals, skills assessments, and employer connection events. Northern Virginia workers can access American Job Centers in Arlington, Fairfax, and other locations. Richmond and Hampton Roads workers have their own centers. Register at vec.virginia.gov to find the nearest center. Each substantive engagement generates a valid work search contact.
Frequently Asked Questions
- I'm a cleared professional in Northern Virginia. There are limited positions requiring my clearance level in a given week. How do I meet the 3-contact requirement?
- Cleared professionals in Northern Virginia have a wider range of valid contacts than is immediately obvious. USAJobs.gov posts cleared federal positions for direct government employment. Major contracting firms (Booz Allen, SAIC, Leidos, GDIT, ManTech, etc.) have continuous posting pipelines on their career sites and LinkedIn. Cleared staffing agencies specializing in TS/SCI placements — contact them about current active searches even if no specific posting exists. LinkedIn InMail to cleared recruiters about active positions counts. Three contacts per week is achievable in the cleared professional market through a combination of these channels. Document each contact specifically: which firm or agency, what clearance level sought, the position title, and the date of contact.
- I applied to a government position through USAJobs in Virginia. Does that count as a work search contact?
- Yes — submitting a specific application through USAJobs.gov to a specific federal position with a specific vacancy announcement number is a valid Virginia work search contact. Record the specific vacancy announcement number, the agency, position title, grade level, and date of application. USAJobs applications generate confirmation emails — save them. Federal government hiring timelines are long (often 3 to 6 months), but the application itself is a valid contact in the week it was submitted. USAJobs contacts are particularly useful for cleared professionals, defense workers, and government agency alumni who have direct qualifications for federal roles.
- VEC audited a past week and says my work search was insufficient. I can't find my records from that time. What can I do?
- Appeal within 30 days of the disqualification notice. In the appeal, explain the circumstances: that contacts were made, you believed you documented them, but records are no longer available. If you can contact any of the employers or agencies from that period and they can confirm your outreach through their records (application database, email records, recruiter logs), gather that documentation. Work search audits that occur months after the benefit period are difficult to defend without contemporaneous records — which is why maintaining a work search log throughout your claim period is essential. For future weeks, create a simple spreadsheet entry for each contact immediately after making it.
- My former Virginia employer is now offering me a position at 60% of my prior salary. If I decline, do I lose UI?
- It depends on timing and the nature of the position. Early in your Virginia benefit period (first 4 to 8 weeks), VEC typically allows you to decline positions that are not reasonably comparable to your prior wages and duties. A 60% pay cut from your former employer for the same type of work is likely not suitable work in early weeks. Later in your benefit period, Virginia's suitability standard shifts and a wider range of wages qualifies as suitable. Report the declined offer accurately in your VEC Online certification. If VEC disqualifies you for the week, appeal within 30 days and document the specific offer terms versus your prior compensation and why it was not comparable.
- Virginia requires work search contacts but I have a union contract that sends work through a dispatch hall. Am I exempt?
- Virginia may grant work search exemptions for union hiring hall members who obtain work exclusively through the hall's dispatch system. Contact VEC directly at vec.virginia.gov to request information about the union hiring hall exemption and what documentation your local must provide. The exemption is not automatic — VEC must approve it based on your specific union's dispatch procedures. If granted, your registration on the out-of-work list and active hall engagement satisfies the work search requirement without individual employer contacts. If you are not sure whether your union operates a qualifying dispatch hall for Virginia purposes, contact VEC before stopping your regular work search documentation.