What do I do?

This is one of those: 'Why does this happen to me things? I am frustrated, and could use the sound thinking that this board always provides. This is also a cautionary tale!

On March 30th 2001, I got laid off from my job. I went and filed for Unemployment, here in Virginia. I followed the procedures. I was looking very actively for work. I called in every week with my list of resumes sent and interviews attended. I counted myself very lucky that, in a month, I found a comparable job. I called the Employment Commission immediately, and stopped my benefits. My first day was May 1.

The Company that hired me laid me off after 7 weeks. By that time, I had another offer from my search, and was able to start a new job without any down time. Again, I was fortunate. I moved on.

Last week, I got a letter from the Employment Commission, saying that the Company has indicated that I was hired in April, not May. Virginia now wants the money it paid me ($800) for three weeks back.

I called the Employment Commission, who said that I need to either
a) get Company to fix their mistake or
b) provide written documentation of my start date.

I threw out my offer letter a few months after I left the company, since this sort of thing didn't occur to me. Otherwise, I don't really know how to prove I didn't work there.

Can anyone think of what else I might be able to do? Right now, the only thing I can think to do is root around and hope I have an old pay stub, which showed my salary and YTD pay (and do the math backwards to show when I started). I may have kept my final one for tax purposes. But I don't know that that would even be good enough.

Thanks!
-Brad

Now the moral: If you receive unemployment and get a new job, keep that offer letter! If the job doesn't have an offer letter, keep your first pay stub (the one that will show a match between current pay and YTD pay).