In June, claimants were asked to requalify for PUA by providing the agency with the necessary information to remain eligible for the federal program. If you don't have the documents available, you can make the protest without them. Michigan has yet to adopt this standard, but it now seems poised to do so. If the UIA doesnt get your appeal within 30 days, you must show good cause why it was late. 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. A pause on collections that was granted by the U.S. Department of Labor expired on May 7. 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 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. 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. The UIA is responsible for collecting overpayments of unemployment benefits. 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 run into problems, you may want to try to contact a lawyer. Michigan paid $8.5B in fraudulent COVID unemployment claims. Additional testing over the last week by FAST developers revealed the early numbers to overlap with waivers issued last fall by the agency. Hopefully, the Agency will issue guidance soon. 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. We are aware that there are issues related to gross versus net income calculations on Pandemic Unemployment Assistance weekly benefit amounts, Dale said. 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. 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 web Browser you are currently using is unsupported, and some features of this site may not work as intended. A legislative fix would be required to provide equal waiver rights for claimants who received regular UI benefits. 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 date, more than $4.3 billion in overpayments have been waived for 400,000 Michigan unemployment recipients with likely thousands more still waiting. If you cant show good cause, the decision that you were overpaid will become final. He enjoys suffering through Lions games on Sundays in the fall. The agency said it continues to work with its software vendor FAST Enterprises and the Michigan Department of Technology, Managementand Budget toidentify other groups of claimants who might also qualify for an overpayment waiver. Convenient times and dates are available. They weren't told by Michigan's UIA until Friday that they would receive a waiver. 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. My top priority is to help Michigan families. According to recent reporting, the waiver program was much smaller than promised. The announcement came days after the Detroit Free Press reported some workers with overpayment notices were accused of misreporting their income. It has detailed information about the refund. (WXMI) Relief could soon be coming for Michiganders who were told they would have to pay back unemployment money. Waivers will be granted to the initial group of approximately 350,000 non-responses, many of whom may no longer be collecting benefits. The appeal process and deadlines are still the same. 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. 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. Around $11 million was refunded to Michiganders who had paid or begun paying back these benefits. UIA: Misrepresentation must be investigated when a claimant provides information that conflicts with information the agency possesses. Please note that contacting us does not create any attorney-client relationship between you and our firm. What is an Overpayment Waiver? This round of waivers accounts for 96% Three months after the U.S. Department of Labor guidance was issued,the first group of blanket waivers went out to 55,000 claimants. Monday's letter added five "blanket waiver" criteria for a total of seven that would automatically exempt overpayments related to a federal CARES Act unemployment program. Claimants can also call UIAs Customer Service at 1-866-500-0017. Will the pause on collections continue? At every turn, I will stand up and fight on behalf of Michiganders to make sure they get what they were promised. 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. But the agency continued to fight back against claimants who argued they didn't misreport their income. Issuing waivers is a cornerstone of Director Dales reform of the UIA. schedule an in-person, phone or online appointment. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer. 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. In May, UIA applied waivers to 55,000 claims totaling $431 million. Blanchard & Walker PLLC 221 North Main St., Suite 300 Ann Arbor, MI 48104, UIA CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AND WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW, Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Discrimination, PROFESSIONAL LICENSING AND DISCIPLINARY REVIEW, BW Wins Approval for $1.95M Delivery Driver Settlement. Screenshots from some who received benefitsand instructionalvideos posted by the agencyshow itactually hadasked fortotalpay, not net pay. To do this, go to your MiWAM account and click on the Claimant Services Tab. 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.". 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). 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. The web Browser you are currently using is unsupported, and some features of this site may not work as intended. If the UIA later decides that you still owe the overpayment, they might start trying to collect from you again. 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. When the hearing is scheduled, the judges office will send a Notice of Telephone Hearing to you in the mail. If you dont repay an overpayment, the UIA may: Unlike most other types of debt, the UIA can do all of these things without going to court. Contact Adrienne Roberts: amroberts@freepress.com. Thanks to these waivers that we fought for and secured Michiganders will get to keep their hard-earned money.. Reassigned staff and resources to address the largest categories of claims that are contributing to the agencys case backlog. All rights reserved. You can appeal online through your MiWAM account. 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. This means the UIA should stop sending collection letters or doing anything else to make people pay these overpayments. It is still unknown on how waivers will be applied and how many or which people it will impact. Michigan erases $431M in pandemic unemployment overpayments. Over the past three months, we have waived more than $484.2 million on 62,300 claims. Some claimants have received a waiver. Related: Unemployment waivers bring relief to thousands. 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. Regular unemployment benefits paid during the pandemic are unaffected by this announcement. 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. If you need help with the Public File, call (313) 222-0566. 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. Each letter will have a due date printed on your determination for when the protest is due. You may get notices about your case during the collections pause. This is a free legal aid hotline. Although Michigan has yet to adopt the federal waiver standard, the UIA seems poised to do so in light of the new guidance. Some Michiganders had benefits cut short based on erroneous determinations about whether they lost work due to COVID, whether they were able and available for work, or whether they voluntarily quit their jobs for health and safety reasons. 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. 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. If this happens, you can use the same Financial Hardship waiver process. To date the UIA has waived over $4.3 billion in overpayment debt for more than 400,000 claimants with more to come. 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. 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. 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. Step 1 Contact your state's unemployment department. If you find supporting documents later on, you can add them. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. 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. Ken Haddad is the digital content and audience manager for WDIV / ClickOnDetroit.com. 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. 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. All Rights Reserved. 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. Rebuilt the Trust Fund to $1.5 billion (and growing). That's an average of about $7,800 per claimant that was waived. The UIA must get your written protest within 30 days from the date it is issued. 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. We continue to monitor and advocate as the situation unfolds. 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. WebYou can request a waiver from your state if repaying the overage will cause a financial hardship if the overage is not the result of fraud. An earlier suspension expired in May. "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.". Dale announced last week waivers on approximately 7,300 overpayment claims that waived $53.2 million in repayments. New waiver qualifications for Michiganders who received unemployment overpayments More people could qualify for Michigan's unemployment insurance agency 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 material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. There is no application process. 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. 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. 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