The UIA is responsible for collecting overpayments of unemployment benefits. The federal government has expanded its criteria for who can get a waiver that would let people keep that money. Some Michigan residents who benefited from billions in overpaid pandemic unemployment assistance may not owe that money back after all. 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. When you file your appeal, ask for a hearing before an administrative law judge (ALJ). We will continue to review federal UI cases to make sure everyone who qualifies for an overpayment waiver will receive one.. 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.. 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. 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. But the agency continued to fight back against claimants who argued they didn't misreport their income. 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. To do this, go to your MiWAM account and click on the Claimant Services Tab. Were not finished providing substantial relief to Michigan workers, said UIA Director Julia Dale. UIA is performing an analysis to determine the total population impacted by this issue.. The waiver only covers past The state paid the individual a minimum PUA Weekly Benefit Amount (WBA) based on Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) guidance that was higher than the states minimum PUA WBA, which resulted in an overpayment, The individual was eligible for payment under an unemployment benefit program, but through no fault of the individual, they were instead incorrectly paid under either the PUA or PEUC program at a higher WBA. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer. The U.S. DOL authorized a pause on certain collection activity through May 7, 2022. The name of the labor department varies for each state, but it provides a full listing of the state employment offices (see Resources). If the UIA doesnt get your protest within 30 days, you must show good cause why it was late. Contact Adrienne Roberts: amroberts@freepress.com. Michigan has yet to adopt this standard, but it now seems poised to do so. Although waivers for 55,000 more claimants is a good step forward, it fell short Reassigned staff and resources to address the largest categories of claims that are contributing to the agencys case backlog. The agency, in its news releaseFriday, said the issue was due to "unclear instructions regarding gross earnings versus net earnings.". 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Those 350,000 people wont be able to keep collecting Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits in the future, however. WebUIA 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 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. You can appeal online through your MiWAM account. Related: Unemployment waivers bring relief to thousands. 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. A worker files a claim on the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency website. Michigan erases $431M in pandemic unemployment overpayments. Step 1 Contact your state's unemployment department. According to recent reporting, the waiver program was much smaller than promised. It is still unknown on how waivers will be applied and how many or which people it will impact. Michigan ice 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. The waivers provide fresh hope for Michiganders who faced paying back the federal government for benefits they received based on frequently shifting federal and state program rules. 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.". An earlier suspension expired in May. All rights reserved (About Us). We will update this page if we get more information. WebThe UIA is responsible for collecting overpayments of unemployment benefits. There is no application process. That's an average of about $7,800 per claimant that was waived. 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. They can also contact the UIA by phone at 866-500-0017 or schedule a telephone, virtual or in-person appointment with an agent. "For those who did not respond, we want to assure them that claimants who are no longer eligible won't have to return the money they received when, through no fault of their own, they chose one of the four non-eligible reasons.". currently being considered by Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Brock Swartzle. To date, the agency said ithas waived more than$4.3 billion in overpayment debt for more than 400,000claimants. 2023 Blanchard & Walker PLLC. What is an Overpayment Waiver? They weren't told by Michigan's UIA until Friday that they would receive a waiver. 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. More: Waivers for unemployment claimants who received overpayment letters may come this weekend, More: Waivers for unemployment overpayments could start to roll out by end of the month. Read Appealing a Protest above to learn more. It has detailed information about the refund. If you lose your appeal in front of an ALJ and you do not want to appeal your case again, you will need to repay the overpayment amount or ask for a waiver. 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. Michigans unemployment agency announced another round of waivers and refunds for filers who were overpaid and asked to pay back the overpayment. At the hearing you will be able to explain why you believe you are eligible for the benefits you received and any good cause that you relied on. Waivers will be granted to the initial group of approximately 350,000 non-responses, many of whom may no longer be collecting benefits. If you run into problems, you may want to try to contact a lawyer. 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. Dale announced last week waivers on approximately 7,300 overpayment claims that waived $53.2 million in repayments. You may want to repay the overpayment as quickly as possible. If you want the ALJ to see any documents, you will need to send it to the judge before the hearing. Three months after the U.S. Department of Labor guidance was issued, the first group of blanket waivers went out to 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. He enjoys suffering through Lions games on Sundays in the fall. 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. 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. Waivers will not be applied to claims where UIA has determined fraud is involved and the agency will continue to vigorously pursue restitution of any stolen benefits. Unfortunately, the new guidance from the DOL applies only to CARES Act funded benefits (PUA, FPUC, MEUC, PEUC). 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. If you need help with the Public File, call (313) 222-0566. Roughly 350,000 waivers were distributed in July 2021 so Michiganders would not have to repay overpayments that were received by no fault of their own. The announcement came days after the Detroit Free Press reported some workers with overpayment notices were accused of misreporting their income. 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. After the UIA responds and issues a determination, you can protest or appeal a denial of the agency error waiver. Governor Whitmer called on U.S. Department of Labor (U.S. DOL) to expand the eligibility for waivers for Michigan workers who received federal assistance and UIAs Dale proactively advocated for waivers for Michigans workers who followed the rules when they applied for benefits were not negatively affected by decisions the agency made. Round of waivers and refunds for filers who were overpaid and asked to pay back the overpayment the. This standard, but it now seems poised to do so a browser! 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