When the hearing is scheduled, the judges office will send a Notice of Telephone Hearing to you in the mail. On April 8, 2022 the Unemployment Insurance Agency announced a new promise to halt new collections activity and waive overpayments. 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. 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". Ask the UIA to issue a determination to tell you if the overpayment is the result of the UIAs error. You can appeal online through your MiWAM account. Many more have never been told why they werent paid the benefits owed, and they still just wait nearly two years later. In some cases, the UIA might send a refund of payments you have already made. About 530,000 were then hit with steep overpayment notices at no fault of their own. The web Browser you are currently using is unsupported, and some features of this site may not work as intended. To find out if they can help you, apply online or call 1-888-783-8190 Monday - Thursday, 9am - 5pm, or Friday, 9am - 1pm. The UIA still is working to identify additional individuals who may deserve waivers from the overpayment notices they got after receiving federal aid during the pandemic. Over the past three months, we have waived more than $484.2 million on 62,300 claims. More: Michigan Unemployment agency says claimants made big mistake. and last updated 7:40 PM, Feb 07, 2022. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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. 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. Your Notice of Telephone Hearing will have instructions on how to do this. We offer a wealth of free workplace-related information in our Employee Rights and Information Center. I want to thank the Governor for her proactive efforts to seek federal guidance on issuing waivers for overpayments to claimants who did the right thing when the applied for benefits, Dale said. Claimants can visitMichigan.gov/UIAto access their MiWAM account to chat with an agent. About 327,000 fewer than expected claimants received a waiver. The agency has paid a total of $39 billion in unemployment aid to 3.5 million Michigan residents since March 2020. Claimants who receive waivers were sent a message in their Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM) online accounts. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer. To do this, go to your MiWAM account and click on the Claimant Services Tab. Claimants can also call UIAs Customer Service at 1-866-500-0017. UIA is performing an analysis to determine the total population impacted by this issue.. You will not get a notice that your refund is being held to pay a debt to the state until you file your state income tax return. It is still unknown on how waivers will be applied and how many or which people it will impact. Claimants say UIA is lying, More: Attorney for jobless claimants asks judge to stop Michigan from garnishing their wages. People who were paid on regular UI will still be eligible for waivers under the narrower state standards, and any applications will have to be individually determined by the Agency. Affected claimants will receive notification in their MiWAM account, or by U.S. mail. If you cant pay the overpayment amount that you owe, you can ask for a Financial Hardship Waiver by clicking on the Claimant Services Tab in your MiWAM account and filling out the application. The UIA must get your written protest within 30 days from the date it is issued. Contact us to request a meeting with one of our attorneys. WebEligible Unemployment Claimants Granted Overpayment Waivers. The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) announced that it has issued waivers to approximately 7,300 state and federal COVID-19 jobless claims from 2023 Blanchard & Walker PLLC. If you become unemployed and get unemployment benefits while you still owe an overpayment, 50 percent (or 100 percent if fraud was involved in the original overpayment) of your weekly unemployment benefit payment will be taken for repayment. An earlier suspension expired in May. "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. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer. The federal government has expanded its criteria for who can get a waiver that would let people keep that money. 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. If you want the ALJ to see any documents, you will need to send it to the judge before the hearing. Of the roughly 690,000 claimants that were asked to requalify, about 241,000 responded to the UIA's request. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. When you file your appeal, ask for a hearing before an administrative law judge (ALJ). 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. Some claimants have received a waiver. Recovery would be unconscionable under the circumstances. Those who qualify will receive notification in the MiWAM account and a letter in the mail. WebThe UIA is responsible for collecting overpayments of unemployment benefits. That's an average of about $7,800 per claimant that was waived. 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. We do not know how long this pause will last or when the UIA will start trying to collect these overpayments again. Michigans unemployment agency announced another round of waivers and refunds for filers who were overpaid and asked to pay back the overpayment. A pause on collections that was granted by the U.S. Department of Labor expired on May 7. Convenient times and dates are available. Implemented new policies for employees and contractors, including fingerprinting, criminal background checks, and an updated ethics policy. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. 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. WebThe UIA is responsible for collecting overpayments of unemployment benefits. If you don't have the documents available, you can make the protest without them. 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". If claimants qualify for a waiver, UIA will notify them through an online message to their Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM) accounts and by a letter mailed to the address on file. Once you have logged into your account, click on the "Determination Status" tab, and then click on "file a protest.". Select a county above for resources near you, Helping Michigan residents solve their legal problems, Are You Being Evicted? 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 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. If the UIA doesnt get your protest within 30 days, you must show good cause why it was late. An individual was eligible for payment and the state issued payment at a higher Weekly Benefit Amount under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance or Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program. If this happens, you will get a Notice of Adjustment to Income Tax Refund. 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. TheU.S. Department of Labor issued guidance to states in February on how to address overpayments when the claimant is not at fault. 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. 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.. A worker files a claim on the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency website. More rounds of waivers expected, offering relief to workers. 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. At every turn, I will stand up and fight on behalf of Michiganders to make sure they get what they were promised. When asked to self-certify, the individual did not respond or confirmed that none of the approved coronavirus-related reasons applied and the state issued payment, resulting in overpayment for the week. But the agency continued to fight back against claimants who argued they didn't misreport their income. Convenient times and dates are available. UIA 1901 (Spanish) - Unemployment Benefits in Michigan. 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. All rights reserved (About Us). Claimants who received waivers had messages The UIA must get your appeal within 30 days from the date it is issued. The approximately 55,000 claimants who received a waiver represent a total of$431 million in overpayments that they won't have to pay back. The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) announced that it has issued waivers to approximately 7,300 state and federal COVID-19 jobless claims from workers in Michigan. Unfortunately, the new guidance from the DOL applies only to CARES Act funded benefits (PUA, FPUC, MEUC, PEUC). Collaborated with the Attorney Generals office to combat fraud at the agency. Thanks to these waivers that we fought for and secured Michiganders will get to keep their hard-earned money.. The UIA waived the repayment of more than $53.2 million in benefits that were received by claimants, providing much needed relief for Michiganders. 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. 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. Please note that contacting us does not create any attorney-client relationship between you and our firm. This means the UIA should stop sending collection letters or doing anything else to make people pay these overpayments. 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, UIA waives $431M in federal pandemic overpayments, 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. 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. Copyright 2023 ClickOnDetroit.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. Letters will also be mailed to the address on file confirming the MiWAM notification. If the UIA denies your protest and appeal and still says you owe the money, you can use this waiver process to argue that even if there is an overpayment, you should not have to pay it back. 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. After the report came out, the Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) started sending some recipients letters telling them they had to repay thousands of dollars. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. UIA: Misrepresentation must be investigated when a claimant provides information that conflicts with information the agency possesses. The waiver only covers past Claimants with questions about todays announcement are urged to call UIAs Customer Service at 1-866-500-0017. The agency did not provide an estimate on how many people were affected by the earnings mishap. There are other penalties for fraud, too. The web Browser you are currently using is unsupported, and some features of this site may not work as intended. UIA will continue to look at COVID-19 pandemic claims to identify others that may qualify for waivers. LANSING, MI More Michiganders who asked to repay their pandemic jobless aid will soon have their overpayments erased. A new system will allow for quick analysis of data that is currently not possible for the agency. 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. (WXMI) Relief could soon be coming for Michiganders who were told they would have to pay back unemployment money. State 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. 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. This is wonderful news for those who lost their job through no fault of their own, UIA Director Julia Dale said. For example, a message to the UIA could say "I am writing to ask that the Unemployment Insurance Agency send a determination saying whether or not the overpayment is the result of agency error." Once you have logged into your account, click on the "Determination Status" tab, and then click on "file an appeal.". Work as intended for jobless claimants asks judge to stop Michigan from their... 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