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.. Michigan ice Michigan has yet to adopt this standard, but it now seems poised to do so. If your protests were filed on time, the UIA is not allowed to collect money before your case is final. 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. If the UIA doesnt get your appeal within 30 days, you must show good cause why it was late. There is no application process. The announcement came days after the Detroit Free Press reported some workers with overpayment notices were accused of misreporting their income. Ask the UIA to issue a determination to tell you if the overpayment is the result of the UIAs error. The Michigan Legal Help website and affiliated local self-help centers are part of the Michigan Legal Help Program. To date, more than $4.3 billion in overpayments have been waived for 400,000 Michigan unemployment recipients with likely thousands more still waiting. The web Browser you are currently using is unsupported, and some features of this site may not work as intended. If the UIA doesnt get your protest within 30 days, you must show good cause why it was late. Unfortunately, even if the Agency acts quickly to waive overpayments, this does nothing for the thousands of Michiganders who are owed benefits and have had them cut off. Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines. 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". The agency expects more rounds in the future. 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. Workers under fire recently from the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency for overpayments to them of federal benefits during the pandemic will now receive a waiver, the state said Friday. In some cases, the UIA might send a refund of payments you have already made. Michigan erases $431M in pandemic unemployment overpayments. The agency also said about $11 million will be refunded to claimants who had been paying back their federal benefits overpaymentor it will be applied to any outstanding debt a claimant may have. Over the past three months, we have waived more than $484.2 million on 62,300 claims. 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. 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. Dale announced last week waivers on approximately 7,300 overpayment claims that waived $53.2 million in repayments. 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. Please note that contacting us does not create any attorney-client relationship between you and our firm. Letters will also be mailed to the address on file confirming the MiWAM notification. This federal action will allow us the time we need to evaluate claims for overpayment waivers, which we will be announcing soon.. In May, UIA applied waivers to 55,000 claims Claimants who received waivers had messages Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer. 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. Over the past three months, we have waived more than $484.2 million on 62,300 claims. This round of waivers accounts for 96% 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. Those 350,000 people wont be able to keep collecting Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits in the future, however. 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. Step 1 Contact your state's unemployment department. 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. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer. Meanwhile, apause on"new" wage garnishments and interceptions of state of Michigan tax refundsfor 398,000 claimants expired on May 7. If states adopt the federal waiver standard, the new Department of Labor guidance would allow blanket waivers to be issued automatically to hundreds of thousands of Michigan residents who fall in specific categories. Copyright 2023 ClickOnDetroit.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. 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. Working off the Clock Alro Steel FLSA Overtime Pay Lawsuit, The End of Forced Arbitration for Survivors of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment, Repayment would cause financial hardship; or, The claimant relied on the payment or notice of payment and gave up a valuable right or changed positions for the worse; or. The UIA waived the repayment of more than $53.2 million in benefits that were received by claimants, providing much needed relief for Michiganders. If you disagree with the UIA and are protesting the overpayment, do not file the waiver until you have a final determination in your case. Readers can follow our Facebook page for developments on the UIA waiver program and the UIA class-action lawsuit. Unfortunately, the new guidance from the DOL applies only to CARES Act funded benefits (PUA, FPUC, MEUC, PEUC). 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. 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. You may get notices about your case during the collections pause. All Rights Reserved. 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. Already, weve issued 55,000 waivers for people who needed help and did nothing wrong, but thats not good enough, Dale said. Additional testing over the last week by FAST developers revealed the early numbers to overlap with waivers issued last fall by the agency. The name of the labor department varies for each state, but it provides a full listing of the state employment offices (see Resources). The claimants provided the information and documentation required by the agency but were later told they were ineligible for the benefits they received. It further states that a "state may authorize a waiver when or if the overpayment was not the fault of the claimant and The agency, in its news releaseFriday, said the issue was due to "unclear instructions regarding gross earnings versus net earnings.". Each letter will have a due date printed on your determination for when the protest is due. 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. Interest accumulates very quickly on unemployment overpayments. The federal government has expanded its criteria for who can get a waiver that would let people keep that money. You can appeal online through your MiWAM account. 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. Were not finished providing substantial relief to Michigan workers, said UIA Director Julia Dale. A new system will allow for quick analysis of data that is currently not possible for the agency. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Convenient times and dates are available. 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. There are other actions that can be taken if fraud is suspected. Many more have never been told why they werent paid the benefits owed, and they still just wait nearly two years later. "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. 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. Waivers issued earlier this month erased overpayments for 55,000 people caught in an agency mistake. Help website michigan unemployment overpayment waiver affiliated local self-help centers are part of the UIAs error taken if fraud is suspected the. Some cases, the new guidance from the DOL applies only to CARES Act funded benefits PUA. To a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov to., you must show good cause why michigan unemployment overpayment waiver was late ineligible for benefits. 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