The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has published a final rule on January 16 in the Federal Register, that codifies a longstanding policy requiring unemployment compensation beneficiaries to be able and available to work.

The ability and availability of qualifying jobless workers has been a basic tenet of the program since its inception in 1935, according to DOL.

While implicitly required, it had not been explicitly stated in federal law until publication of this rule last month. The rule does not require states to amend their laws or regulations and does not change the eligibility requirements for unemployment compensation beneficiaries.

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