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. You can appeal online through your MiWAM account. 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. Those with questions about the suspension or overpayments can go to Michigan.gov/UIAand click on the Schedule an Appointmentlink to speak with a trained staff member either in person, by phone or online. 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. Additional testing over the last week by FAST developers revealed the early numbers to overlap with waivers issued last fall by the agency. The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency expects to send out waivers to about 382,000 claimants who received overpayment letters by April 29. This most recent round of waivers provides relief to Michiganders who, during the height of the pandemic, followed the rules as they navigated an overburdened unemployment benefits system. Awarding waivers is a cornerstone of Director Dales reform of the UIA, including chasing down bad actors who steal money from workers, striving for exemplary customer service and leading the effort to replace the Agencys decade-old computer system with a user-friendly, state-of-the-art interface for claimants and businesses. The Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) has begun to notify claimants who are no longer eligible to receive Pandemic Unemployment Assistance(PUA) benefits that overpayments will be waived. 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." May 04, 2022 The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) announced today that over 55,000 claimants will not have to pay back a total of approximately $431 The individual submitted required proof of earnings used to calculate Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Weekly Benefit Amount and the state incorrectly processed the calculation, resulting in a higher WBA under the PUA program. A new system will allow for quick analysis of data that is currently not possible for the agency. Claimants say UIA is lying, Attorney for jobless claimants asks judge to stop Michigan from garnishing their wages, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Some claimants have received a waiver. State officials worked with the U.S. Department of Labor to issue the first round of waivers last August followed by the second chunk in early May. 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). Step 1 Contact your state's unemployment department. Michigan has yet to adopt this standard, but it now seems poised to do so. If this happens, you will get a Notice of Adjustment to Income Tax Refund. The DOLsEmployment and Training Administrationupdated its waiver guidance to approve five new scenarios under which states who have adopted the federal provisions for consideration of a waiver may use blanket waivers to wipe out overpayments: The Department of Labor has also created a process for states to propose additional categories for blanket waiver treatment. Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines. The Program works with judges, courts, lawyers, bar associations, nonprofit legal aid agencies, legal self-help centers, libraries and many others to promote coordinated and quality assistance for persons representing themselves in civil legal matters in Michigan. 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Claimants can also call UIAs Customer Service at 1-866-500-0017. 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. More than 55,000 unemployment insurance claimants who received benefits in the pandemic but were later told they were overpaid got waivers and will be refunded if they started paying back their overpayment, Michigan's Unemployment Insurance Agency said Wednesday. A pause on collections that was granted by the U.S. Department of Labor expired on May 7. Once you have logged into your account, click on the "Determination Status" tab, and then click on "file a protest.". The agencypaused "new" wage garnishments and interceptions of State of Michigan tax refunds for 398,000 claimants starting in early April, but that pause expires Saturday. To get benefits under the PUA program, the Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) must have determined that your unemployment was directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency did not provide an estimate on how many people were affected by the earnings mishap. Under federal law, UIA had to re-evaluate PUA eligibility for individuals who selected one of the non-qualifying reasons. When the hearing is scheduled, the judges office will send a Notice of Telephone Hearing to you in the mail. Related: Michigan erases $431M in pandemic unemployment overpayments. 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. 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. If this happens, you can use the same Financial Hardship waiver process. WebEligible Unemployment Claimants Granted Overpayment Waivers. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. To date, the agency said it has waived more than $4.3 billion in overpayment debt for more than 400,000 claimants. The web Browser you are currently using is unsupported, and some features of this site may not work as intended. The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) announced today that it has issued another round of waivers to approximately 7,300 state and federal COVID-19 jobless claims from workers in Michigan. Some claimants have received a waiver. How Do I Join a Class Action and How Does it Work for Me? If the UIA denies your Financial Hardship Waiver, you can appeal to an ALJ. Michigan Legal HelpHelping Michigan residents solve their legal problems. Good cause can be very hard to prove. Once you have logged into your account, click on the "Determination Status" tab, and then click on "file an appeal.". Support for Michigan Legal Help is provided by: Copyright 2023 Michigan Legal Help. Of the roughly 690,000 claimants that were asked to requalify, about 241,000 responded to the UIA's request. There is not an application for this on MiWAM, but you can ask for the waiver by going to your main account page and finding the link "Send Unemployment a Message". News Update: Promised Waivers fall short. Interest accumulates very quickly on unemployment overpayments. The agency, in its news releaseFriday, said the issue was due to "unclear instructions regarding gross earnings versus net earnings.". The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) announced that it has issued waivers to approximately 7,300 state and federal COVID-19 jobless claims from Rebuilt the Trust Fund to $1.5 billion (and growing). Were not finished providing substantial relief to Michigan workers, said UIA Director Julia Dale. If you get a refund, make sure you carefully read any notices or information you get explaining the refund. We continue to monitor and advocate as the situation unfolds. The suspension through Oct. 31, 2022, halts collections on unemployment benefits programs launched under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and its extensions: 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. "We wont stop fighting until weve corrected past mistakes made by this agency so that not one innocent Michigander will face consequences as a result of asking for help they needed,"Julia Dale, thedirector of Michigan's UIA, said in the release. Use the Guide to Legal Help to find a legal services office near you. If the UIA tries to collect from you during the pause, you can try contacting the UIA's Benefit Overpayment Collection unit at 1-866-500-0017. It is still unknown on how waivers will be applied and how many or which people it will impact. The agency has paid a total of $39 billion in unemployment aid to 3.5 million Michigan residents since March 2020. Director Dale is committed to ensuring that no Michigan family be forced to repay benefits due to changes that affected their claims after they applied for benefits. To date the UIA has waived over $4.3 billion in overpayment debt for more than 400,000 claimants with more to come. Affected claimants will receive notification in their MiWAM account, or by U.S. mail. The waivers apply to claimants who received federal benefits before Sept. 4, 2021, the end date for pandemic unemployment benefits through programs such asPandemic Unemployment Assistance andPandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation. The claimants provided the information and documentation required by the agency but were later told they were ineligible for the benefits they received. 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. The web Browser you are currently using is unsupported, and some features of this site may not work as intended. Three months after the U.S. Department of Labor guidance was issued, the first group of blanket waivers went out to Lynda Robinson, a spokesperson for the agency, said she didn't have any estimates on how many claimants may also qualify for a waiver and when they might receive one. In May, UIA applied waivers to 55,000 claims Protests can take 10 months or longer to be resolved. Unfortunately, the new guidance from the DOL applies only to CARES Act funded benefits (PUA, FPUC, MEUC, PEUC). 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., Previous: 55,000 Michiganders wont have to pay back $431 million in improperly awarded unemployment benefits. The appeal process and deadlines are still the same. Because those programs were federally funded, the UIA is required to actively collect overpayments, unless specific suspensions are obtained from the federal government. If you lose your appeal in front of an ALJ, you can appeal to the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Commission (UIAC). The Michigan UIA is facing a class-action lawsuit that claims the state unlawfully demanded pandemic aid back. This round of waivers accounts for 96% Claimants who received waivers had messages posted to their Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM) accounts, the agency said, and letters started going out on Monday. This is wonderful news for those who lost their job through no fault of their own, UIA Director Julia Dale said. The UIA has said it is reviewing how the categories would apply to claims in Michigan and determining how quickly the waivers could be issued. Regular unemployment benefits paid during the pandemic are unaffected by this announcement. 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. Unemployment waivers bring relief to thousands. Boards, Commissions & Councils collapsed link, Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Michigan State Housing Development Authority, Commission on Middle Eastern American Affairs, Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission, Michigan Council for Rehabilitation Services, MiSTEM Advisory Council and MiSTEM Network, Workers' Disability Compensation Appeals Commission, https://dev.michigan.local/som/json?sc_device=json, Go to Bureau of Services for Blind Persons, Go to Michigan Career & Technical Institute, Go to Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Go to Michigan High-Speed Internet Office, Go to Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Go to Michigan State Housing Development Authority, Go to Office of Mobility and Electrification, Requests for Proposals and Qualifications, Go to Workers' Disability Compensation Agency, Go to Michigan Employment Relations Commission, Go to Commission on Middle Eastern American Affairs, Go to Hispanic/Latino Commission of Michigan, Go to Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission, Go to Michigan Community Service Commission, Go to Michigan Council on Future Mobility, Go to Michigan Council for Rehabilitation Services, Go to Michigan Workforce Development Board, Go to MiSTEM Advisory Council and MiSTEM Network, Go to Unemployment Insurance Appeals Commission, Go to Workers' Disability Compensation Appeals Commission, UIA 1554 DUA - Application for Disaster Unemployment Assistance, UIA 1785-DUA - Bi-Weekly Paper Certification for DUA, UIA 6439 - Public Official, Educational Institution or Michigan Works Agency Request for Information, UIA 1299, Waiver for Accommodation Assistance, UIA 1680, Certification of Completion of Approved Training, UIA 1718, Unemployed Worker's Statement of Wages (Fillable), UIA 1729, Notice of Inquiry for Benefits of a Deceased or Mentally Incompetent Claimant, UIA 1733 - Protest of a Determination/Appeal of a Redetermination, UIA 1735 - Certification for Benefits Due Deceased Claimant, UIA 1795 (Spanish) - Request to Waive Repayment of Benefit Overpayment Balance, UIA 1848 - Certification of Agency and Appearance, UIA 1901-S, Beneficios Del Desempleo En Michigan, UIA 1901 - Unemployment Benefits in Michigan, UIA 1920 - Request for Form 1099-G (Fillable PDF), UIA 6349 (Fillable) - Statement of Identity Theft, UIA 1795 - Request to Waive Repayment of Benefit Overpayment Balance, UIA 1925 - Request for Name and/or Address Change, UIA 6102 Authorization for UIA to Release Confidential Information. Contact Adrienne Roberts: amroberts@freepress.com. Some examples of good cause include: You can protest online through your Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM). Already, weve issued 55,000 waivers for people who needed help and did nothing wrong, but thats not good enough, Dale said. To date, more than $4.3 billion in overpayments have been waived for 400,000 Michigan unemployment recipients with likely thousands more still waiting. He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters. The federal government has expanded its criteria for who can get a waiver that would let people keep that money. The suspension is key to UIAs continued progress in granting overpayment waivers to claimants who were asked to repay some or all of the federal benefits they received. Regular unemployment benefits paid during the pandemic are unaffected by this announcement they were ineligible for the agency appeal an! 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