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. A new press release is lacking in details and reports the Agency intends to pause collections through May 7: During the pause, UIA will not issue new wage garnishments or intercept State of Michigan tax refunds. An independent report published late last year found Michigan paid $8.5 billion in fraudulent or intentional misrepresentation unemployment payments. In addition, approximately $2.4 million will be refunded to claimants who were paying back benefits received or applied toward overpayments not covered by the waivers. We will update this page if we get more information. 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In May, UIA applied waivers to 55,000 claims totaling $431 million. More Michiganders are still waiting. We are aware that there are issues related to gross versus net income calculations on Pandemic Unemployment Assistance weekly benefit amounts, Dale said. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer. A pause on collections that was granted by the U.S. Department of Labor expired on May 7. currently being considered by Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Brock Swartzle. 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. The $250 million deposited into the Unemployment Compensation Fund nearly matches the $249 million state portion of the $8.5 billion lost by the state to fraud. Many more have never been told why they werent paid the benefits owed, and they still just wait nearly two years later. Advocates continue to have discussions with the Agency leadership, and we are closely tracking when and how waivers will be issued to benefit the broadest possible class of Michigan residents who have suffered through this pandemic. 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. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer. 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). Under federal law, UIA had to re-evaluate PUA eligibility for individuals who selected one of the non-qualifying reasons. The web Browser you are currently using is unsupported, and some features of this site may not work as intended. Director Dale and UIA staff remain in constant contact with the federal DOL, advising them of the progress on waivers and advocating aggressively on behalf of Michigan workers and their families, so that no one is forced to repay benefits due to changes that affected their claims after they applied for benefits they needed during a global crisis. The pause does not stop 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. Although the press release was release went to media outlets, claimants facing collections notices did not receive any notice. Around $11 million was refunded to Michiganders who had paid or begun paying back these benefits. 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. After the notifications were issued, Gov. If you want the ALJ to see any documents, you will need to send it to the judge before the hearing. Letters will also be mailed to the address on file confirming the MiWAM notification. Screenshots from some who received benefitsand instructionalvideos posted by the agencyshow itactually hadasked fortotalpay, not net pay. Some examples of good cause include: You can protest online through your Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM). When the hearing is scheduled, the judges office will send a Notice of Telephone Hearing to you in the mail. WebEligible Unemployment Claimants Granted Overpayment Waivers. Of the roughly 690,000 claimants that were asked to requalify, about 241,000 responded to the UIA's request. Claimants can visitMichigan.gov/UIAto access their MiWAM account to chat with an agent. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. 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. 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. There is no application process. 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. There are other actions that can be taken if fraud is suspected. Claimants can also call UIAs Customer Service at 1-866-500-0017. The agency, in its news releaseFriday, said the issue was due to "unclear instructions regarding gross earnings versus net earnings.". 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. 2023 Blanchard & Walker PLLC. Last year, the Michigan UIA retroactively determined nearly 700,000 people were ineligible for a federal pandemic unemployment program that extended benefits to part-time and gig workers. (WXMI) Relief could soon be coming for Michiganders who were told they would have to pay back unemployment money. The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency expects to send out waivers to about 382,000 claimants who received overpayment letters by April 29. Claimants say UIA is lying, More: Attorney for jobless claimants asks judge to stop Michigan from garnishing their wages. The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) announced Friday that those who wrongfully received Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits will be If you got an overpayment notice and disagree with it, you can protest and ask the UIA to look at your claim again. According to recent reporting, the waiver program was much smaller than promised. The federal government has expanded its criteria for who can get a waiver that would let people keep that money. Additionally, roughly $11 million will be refunded to claimants who had been paying back their federal benefits overpayment, or it will be applied to any outstanding debt a claimant may have. 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. If the UIA denies your protest, you can appeal. The pause does not stop 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.. 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. 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. Julia Dale directs the state Unemployment Insurance Agency. When you file your appeal, ask for a hearing before an administrative law judge (ALJ). To do this, go to your MiWAM account and click on the Claimant Services Tab. If the UIA denies your Financial Hardship Waiver, you can appeal to an ALJ. 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. Interest accumulates very quickly on unemployment overpayments. If you run into problems, you may want to try to contact a lawyer. If you were overpaid benefits and you are currently employed, contact the UIA Benefit Overpayment Collection unit at 1-866-500-0017 orschedule an appointment online to arrange repayment. 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. The Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) is now reviewing the categories added Monday and determining how many other claims might qualify for waivers under If you want to appeal to the UIAC, you may want to speak with a lawyer. Convenient times and dates are available. If you got unemployment benefits under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, you may have received a notice for overpayment. The UIA is responsible for collecting overpayments of unemployment benefits. 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. Since July 2021, the UIA has waived over $4.35 billion in overpayment debt related to federal pandemic jobless benefits programs on more than 407,300 claims. Claimants who receive waivers were sent a message in their Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM) online accounts. In some situations, the UIA may send you actual bills for an overpayment. Reassigned staff and resources to address the largest categories of claims that are contributing to the agencys case backlog. If you lose your appeal in front of an ALJ, read What If I Lose My Appeal? below. An individual responded no to being able and available for work and the state issued payment for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance or Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation without adjudicating the eligibility issue. 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