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. The ALJ is not part of the UIA, so the judge won't have access to any of the documents you sent to the UIA. 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. He's been with WDIV since 2013. Delinquent debts owed to other states or federal agencies. Michigans unemployment agency announced another round of waivers and refunds for filers who were overpaid and asked to pay back the overpayment. 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. Reassigned staff and resources to address the largest categories of claims that are contributing to the agencys case backlog. 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. If the UIA believes you were overpaid, they will send you a letter. When the hearing is scheduled, the judges office will send a Notice of Telephone Hearing to you in the mail. Julia Dale directs the state Unemployment Insurance Agency. 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. The move came twodays after the Detroit Free Press highlighted that certain peoplewho received Pandemic Unemployment Assistancebenefits were accused of misreportingtheir income and were to repay the excess benefits they had received. He enjoys suffering through Lions games on Sundays in the fall. 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. 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 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. The agency has paid a total of $39 billion in unemployment aid to 3.5 million Michigan residents since March 2020. There is no application process. instructionalvideos posted by the agency, Michigan Unemployment agency says claimants made big mistake. A motion for preliminary injunction to suspend collections on these overpayments is currently being considered by Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Brock Swartzle. The Michigan UIA is facing a class-action lawsuit that claims the state unlawfully demanded pandemic aid back. We will continue to review federal UI cases to make sure everyone who qualifies for an overpayment waiver will receive one.. If there is any money left in your refund after that debt is paid, you will get it. Unemployment waivers bring relief to thousands. Regular unemployment benefits paid during the pandemic are unaffected by this announcement. The UIA must get your appeal within 30 days from the date it is issued. 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. Because those programs were federally funded, the UIA is required to actively collect overpayments, unless specific suspensions are obtained from the federal government. 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. This means the UIA should stop sending collection letters or doing anything else to make people pay these overpayments. To date the UIA has waived over $4.3 billion in overpayment debt for more than 400,000 claimants with more to come. An overpayment happens when you receive more unemployment money than you should have received. currently being considered by Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Brock Swartzle. WebEligible Unemployment Claimants Granted Overpayment Waivers. Protests can take 10 months or longer to be resolved. 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. 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 It is still unknown on how waivers will be applied and how many or which people it will impact. Please note that contacting us does not create any attorney-client relationship between you and our firm. 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. When we work any claim we recognize that each one represents a worker who has fallen on hard times, and a family that needs help to put food on the table, pay bills and keep a roof over their heads, Dale said. Screenshots from some who received benefitsand instructionalvideos posted by the agencyshow itactually hadasked fortotalpay, not net pay. 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. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer. Already, weve issued 55,000 waivers for people who needed help and did nothing wrong, but thats not good enough, Dale said. In May, Dale announced that collections on more than 55,000 claims will not have to be paid back, totaling approximately $431 million in overpayments of federal pandemic unemployment benefits. 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. Were not finished providing substantial relief to Michigan workers, said UIA Director Julia Dale. Additional testing over the last week by FAST developers revealed the early numbers to overlap with waivers issued last fall by the agency. The agency said in an emailed news release that fewer waivers went out than expected because additional testing over the last weekrevealed that theearly numbers overlapped with waivers issued last fall by the agency. In some cases, the UIA might send a refund of payments you have already made. Read Appealing a Protest above to learn more. 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. 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.. 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. 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. Convenient times and dates are available. 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. If you believe you are eligible for benefits and the UIA made a mistake, you can ask for a waiver due to agency error. To find out if they can help you, apply online or call 1-888-783-8190 Monday - Thursday, 9am - 5pm, or Friday, 9am - 1pm. Convenient times and dates are available. Claimants say UIA is lying, Attorney for jobless claimants asks judge to stop Michigan from garnishing their wages, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. 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. 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. The claimants provided the information and documentation required by the agency but were later told they were ineligible for the benefits they received. Michigan has yet to adopt this standard, but it now seems poised to do so. 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. Claimants can also call UIAs Customer Service at 1-866-500-0017. The announcement came in the wake of allegations of unconstitutional overpayment collection notices sent out to thousands of Michigan residents. 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 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. A legislative fix would be required to provide equal waiver rights for claimants who received regular UI benefits. 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. Interest accumulates very quickly on unemployment overpayments. 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