However, UIA continues to work with their partners at FAST and DTMB to identify other groups of claimants who might also qualify for an overpayment waiver. More: Michigan Unemployment agency says claimants made big mistake. To do this, go to your MiWAM account and click on the Claimant Services Tab. If the UIA denies your protest, you can appeal. Michigan can waive more unemployment bills under new federal guidance, Michigan unemployment agency unlawfully demanded money back, class-action lawsuit says, Whitmer signs bill to pour $140M into Michigan unemployment fund. A new system will allow for quick analysis of data that is currently not possible for the agency. For those people, a waiver still is not the same as a determination that they are eligible and entitled to receive unpaid benefits. Workers with questions about overpayment waivers can go to Michigan.gov/UIA and click on the Schedule an Appointment link to set up an in-person, phone or online meeting with a trained staff member. It has detailed information about the refund. It is very important to read the notices, and protest or appeal on time using the process below if you disagree with the UIA's decision. This may have happened for a few reasons, like if you made a mistake when certifying your benefits, were unable or unavailable to work, or you knowingly gave false or misleading information when filing a claim. If you have supporting evidence, like a doctor's note or proof of earnings, include them along with the protest. WebThe UIA is responsible for collecting overpayments of unemployment benefits. Previously, a February 7, 2022 press announcement, the Governor and Unemployment Agency Director Julia Dale announced that the States Unemployment Agency intends to act quickly to halt collections and issue overpayment waivers. The ALJ is not part of the UIA, so the judge won't have access to any of the documents you sent to the UIA. The Michigan Legal Help website and affiliated local self-help centers are part of the Michigan Legal Help Program. According to recent reporting, the waiver program was much smaller than promised. Michigan Rehabilitation Services new layout, Michigan Council for Rehabilitation Services (MCRS), Executive Order 2020-107 established Michigan Workforce Development Board, Unemployment Insurance Appeals Commission, formerly MI Compensation Appellate Commission. News Update: Promised Waivers fall short. Claimants who receive waivers were sent a message in their Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM) online accounts. We offer a wealth of free workplace-related information in our Employee Rights and Information Center. Meanwhile, apause on"new" wage garnishments and interceptions of state of Michigan tax refundsfor 398,000 claimants expired on May 7. schedule an in-person, phone or online appointment. A legislative fix would be required to provide equal waiver rights for claimants who received regular UI benefits. In some situations, the UIA may send you actual bills for an overpayment. UIA: Misrepresentation must be investigated when a claimant provides information that conflicts with information the agency possesses. The announcement came days after the Detroit Free Press reported some workers with overpayment notices were accused of misreporting their income. Michigans unemployment agency announced another round of waivers and refunds for filers who were overpaid and asked to pay back the overpayment. TheU.S. Department of Labor issued guidance to states in February on how to address overpayments when the claimant is not at fault. All rights reserved (About Us). WebYou can request a waiver from your state if repaying the overage will cause a financial hardship if the overage is not the result of fraud. Letters will also be mailed to the address on file confirming the MiWAM notification. More rounds of waivers expected, offering relief to workers. Recovery would be unconscionable under the circumstances. Claimants say UIA is lying, More: Attorney for jobless claimants asks judge to stop Michigan from garnishing their wages. When you file your appeal, ask for a hearing before an administrative law judge (ALJ). After the UIA responds and issues a determination, you can protest or appeal a denial of the agency error waiver. Michigan Rehabilitation Services new layout, Michigan Council for Rehabilitation Services (MCRS), Executive Order 2020-107 established Michigan Workforce Development Board, Unemployment Insurance Appeals Commission, formerly MI Compensation Appellate Commission. Reassigned staff and resources to address the largest categories of claims that are contributing to the agencys case backlog. If you got unemployment benefits under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, you may have received a notice for overpayment. Waivers for unemployment claimants who received overpayment letters may come this weekend, Waivers for unemployment overpayments could start to roll out by end of the month, paused "new" wage garnishments and interceptions of State of Michigan tax refunds, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Implemented new policies for employees and contractors, including fingerprinting, criminal background checks, and an updated ethics policy. All Rights Reserved. Gretchen Whitmer supported Michigan's use of waivers from the Department of Labor, stressing that, "No one who followed the rules and received benefits through no fault of their own should have to pay back money to the federal government.". Built a new, user-friendly website that is more responsive to those using a mobile phone or tablet to access services. If you don't have the documents available, you can make the protest without them. He enjoys suffering through Lions games on Sundays in the fall. But the agency continued to fight back against claimants who argued they didn't misreport their income. Those who qualify will receive notification in the MiWAM account and a letter in the mail. Ken Haddad is the digital content and audience manager for WDIV / ClickOnDetroit.com. Michigan Rehabilitation Services new layout, Michigan Council for Rehabilitation Services (MCRS), Executive Order 2020-107 established Michigan Workforce Development Board, Unemployment Insurance Appeals Commission, formerly MI Compensation Appellate Commission. Julia Dale, the director of the agency, told state lawmakers in early April that the agency expectedto send out waivers over this past weekendto about 382,000 claimants who received overpayment letters. The collections suspension does not stop agency collections activities such as existing wage garnishments, intercepting federal tax returns, deducting a percentage from current unemployment benefit payments, or recovering overpayments for other states. The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) announced that it has issued waivers to approximately 7,300 state and federal COVID-19 jobless claims from About 327,000 fewer than expected claimants received a waiver. UIA 1901 (Spanish) - Unemployment Benefits in Michigan. You may want to repay the overpayment as quickly as possible. In late December 2022, Michigan's Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) said it would temporarily stop trying to collect overpayments from people who filed for unemployment insurance since March 1, 2020. This means the UIA should stop sending collection letters or doing anything else to make people pay these overpayments. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer. Were not finished providing substantial relief to Michigan workers, said UIA Director Julia Dale. The new press release is lacking in details and reports that during a pause until May 7, 2022 UIA will not issue new wage garnishments or intercept State of Michigan tax refunds. Since Dale was appointed director in October 2021, she also has: Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) provides the connections, expertise and innovative solutions to drive continued business growth, build vibrant communities, create affordable housing, generate tourism and attract and retain key talent to fill Michigans vast pipeline of opportunities. Once you have logged into your account, click on the "Determination Status" tab, and then click on "file an appeal.". The agency said it continues to work with its software vendor FAST Enterprises and the Michigan Department of Technology, Managementand Budget toidentify other groups of claimants who might also qualify for an overpayment waiver. Support for Michigan Legal Help is provided by: Copyright 2023 Michigan Legal Help. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer. How Do I Join a Class Action and How Does it Work for Me? No Michigander who did the right thing when applying for benefits should be required to pay anything back resulting from errors at the federal level. We are aware that there are issues related to gross versus net income calculations on Pandemic Unemployment Assistance weekly benefit amounts, Dale said. The agency said it doesn't know exactly how many claimants received benefits in the pandemic but were later told they were overpaid benefits through no fault of their own. Four PUA COVID-19 eligibility reasons that were included at the beginning of the pandemic were later found by the U.S. Department of Labor to be non-qualifying. Michigan erases $431M in pandemic unemployment overpayments. The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) has secured a second approval from the U.S. Department of Labor (U.S. DOL) to suspend certain collection activities for 391,769 workers who applied for federal jobless benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you have a question about your PUA overpayments, you may be able to get help from the Counsel and Advocacy Law Line. Michigan ice The federal jobless assistance programs were a critical lifeline for many Michiganders affected by the global pandemic and our action today means they will be able to continue to provide for their families without the fear of having to pay back benefits awarded through agency error.. The UIA has said it is reviewing how the categories would apply to claims in Michigan and is determining how quickly the waivers could be issued.. If you were overpaid benefits and you are currently employed, contact the UIA Benefit Overpayment Collection unit at 1-800-638-6372 to arrange repayment. The name of the labor department varies for each state, but it provides a full listing of the state employment offices (see Resources). There are other penalties for fraud, too. "For those who have responded, we're reviewing their cases to determine if they have an eligible COVID-19 related reason and if they may continue to receive benefits," said Acting UIA Director Liza Estlund Olson. Protests can take 10 months or longer to be resolved. This federal action will allow us the time we need to evaluate claims for overpayment waivers, which we will be announcing soon.. If you dont repay an overpayment, the UIA may: Unlike most other types of debt, the UIA can do all of these things without going to court. This latest round of waivers adds to our robust work to reform the agency and get money back to Michiganders, while also cracking down on fraud and abuse and holding bad actors accountable at every turn.. We continue to monitor and advocate as the situation unfolds. An earlier suspension expired in May. The programs were Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC), Mixed Earnings Unemployment Compensation (MEUC) and federal reimbursement for the first week of benefits. The state did not say when they will be issued. The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) announced today that over 55,000 claimants will not have to pay back a total of approximately $431 million in overpayments of federal pandemic unemployment benefits that the agency previously determined to have been improperly awarded. The waivers will apply to state and federal benefits that claimants received between March 15, 2020, and May 30, 2021, under a state jobless claim, extended benefits, or Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC). If the UIA believes you were overpaid, they will send you a letter. A worker files a claim on the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency website. More Michiganders are still waiting. After the report came out, the Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) started sending some recipients letters telling them they had to repay thousands of dollars. The federal waiver standard allows a state to waive benefit overpayments if: The May 2021 guidance from the Department of Labor also created two specific circumstances when states may use the standard to issue blanket waivers and waive overpayments automatically, when: In a letter sent to the Michigan Governor in December 2021, advocates for UI claimants urged the administration to adopt this standard, as many other states such as Illinois and Wisconsin already have. The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) announced Friday that those who wrongfully received Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits will be granted an overpayment waiver allowing them to keep the money, although many may no longer receive aid going forward. PUA benefits are $300 a week on top of maximum state benefits of $362. If you owe past income taxes or money to the UIA, the Michigan Department of the Treasury can take all or part of your federal and/or state income tax refund to pay the debt. Dale announced last week waivers on approximately 7,300 overpayment claims that waived $53.2 million in repayments. Some claimants have received a waiver. UIA is performing an analysis to determine the total population impacted by this issue.. You can use the Guide to Legal Help to get information about finding a lawyer. The Michigan UIA is facing a class-action lawsuit that claims the state unlawfully demanded pandemic aid back. If you find supporting documents later on, you can add them. instructionalvideos posted by the agency, Michigan Unemployment agency says claimants made big mistake. Although waivers for 55,000 more claimants is a good step forward, it fell short of the 382,000 promised and as of May 12, 2022 there is still no explanation about when or if more will be coming. For more information on the Financial Hardship Waiver and how to find it on your MiWAM account, visit page 89 of the MiWAM Toolkit for Claimants. Due to the intense volume, we are not able to answer individual questions or provide individual representation on UI matters. Because those programs were federally funded, the UIA is required to actively collect overpayments, unless specific suspensions are obtained from the federal government. LANSING, MI More Michiganders who asked to repay their pandemic jobless aid will soon have their overpayments erased. Already, weve issued 55,000 waivers for people who needed help and did nothing wrong, but thats not good enough, Dale said. UIA has notified claimants who received waivers by posting messages to their Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM) accounts. You can appeal online through your MiWAM account. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Some Michiganders had benefits cut short based on erroneous determinations about whether they lost work due to COVID, whether they were able and available for work, or whether they voluntarily quit their jobs for health and safety reasons. The waivers will apply to federal benefits received before September 4, 2021, the end date for pandemic unemployment benefits programs under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and its extensions. If a waiver does not apply, collections will resume. If the UIA later decides that you still owe the overpayment, they might start trying to collect from you again. The agency did not provide an estimate on how many people were affected by the earnings mishap. Some Michigan residents who benefited from billions in overpaid pandemic unemployment assistance may not owe that money back after all. Around $11 million was refunded to Michiganders who had paid or begun paying back these benefits. When we work any claim we recognize that each one represents a worker who has fallen on hard times, and a family that needs help to put food on the table, pay bills and keep a roof over their heads, Dale said. If the UIA doesnt get your appeal within 30 days, you must show good cause why it was late. Another round of waivers will go to claimants who received unclear instructions about gross earnings versus net earnings when applying for benefits, the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency said in a May 27 news release. If you need help with the Public File, call (313) 222-0566. If the UIA doesnt get your protest within 30 days, you must show good cause why it was late. The ETA Handbook 401 defines a Waiver as a "non-fraud overpayment for which the state agency, in accordance with state law, officially relinquishes the obligation of the claimant to repay." Readers can follow our Facebook page for developments on the UIA waiver program and the UIA class-action lawsuit. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Assuming Michigan UIA takes advantage of the broad blanket waiver allowances, waivers could fix many overpayment issues for Michigan residents who were incorrectly paid benefits through no fault of their own. Or provide individual representation on UI matters Dale announced last week waivers on approximately 7,300 overpayment claims waived... 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