Since July 2021, the UIA has waived more than $4.35 billion in overpayment debt related to federal pandemic jobless benefits programs on more than 407,300 claims. Although waivers for 55,000 more claimants is a good step forward, it fell short 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. What is an Overpayment Waiver? He's been with WDIV since 2013. If you cant show good cause, the decision that you were overpaid will become final. The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency expects to send out waivers to about 382,000 claimants who received overpayment letters by April 29. The UIA waived the repayment of more than $53.2 million in benefits that were received by claimants, providing much needed relief for Michiganders. A total of $484.2 million in overpayments have been waived on 62,300 claims this year. If this happens, you will get a Notice of Adjustment to Income Tax Refund. This is a free legal aid hotline. Dale announced last week waivers on approximately 7,300 overpayment claims that waived $53.2 million in repayments. Letters will also be mailed to the address on file confirming the MiWAM notification. Those who qualify will receive notification in the MiWAM account and a letter in the mail. (WXMI) Relief could soon be coming for Michiganders who were told they would have to pay back unemployment money. Claimants can also call UIAs Customer Service at 1-866-500-0017. 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. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer. Good cause can be very hard to prove. After the report came out, the Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) started sending some recipients letters telling them they had to repay thousands of dollars. Convenient times and dates are available. 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. The appeal process and deadlines are still the same. TheU.S. Department of Labor issued guidance to states in February on how to address overpayments when the claimant is not at fault. Letters will also be mailed in the coming days confirming the MiWAM notification. Claimants who receive waivers were sent a message in their Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM) online accounts. Once you have logged into your account, click on the "Determination Status" tab, and then click on "file an appeal.". Your Notice of Telephone Hearing will have instructions on how to do this. Last year, the Michigan UIA retroactively determined nearly 700,000 people were ineligible for a federal pandemic unemployment program that extended benefits to part-time and gig workers. When you file your appeal, ask for a hearing before an administrative law judge (ALJ). 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.". When the hearing is scheduled, the judges office will send a Notice of Telephone Hearing to you in the mail. A new system will allow for quick analysis of data that is currently not possible for the agency. To date, more than $4.3 billion in overpayments have been waived for 400,000 Michigan unemployment recipients with likely thousands more still waiting. According to recent reporting, the waiver program was much smaller than promised. 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. More rounds of waivers expected, offering relief to workers. 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. 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. UIA 1901 (Spanish) - Unemployment Benefits in Michigan. Director Dale is committed to ensuring that no Michigan family be forced to repay benefits due to changes that affected their claims after they applied for benefits. If you believe you are eligible for benefits and the UIA made a mistake, you can ask for a waiver due to agency error. The UIA has requested an extension of that pause while they identify and process waivers for other population and is in the process of providing additional information to support the request for extension. Dale said the agency is still working hard to identify workers who qualify for the next round of waivers. 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. There is no application process. 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.. Collections of overpayments made before the onset of the pandemic in March 2020 will not be suspended. 2023 Blanchard & Walker PLLC. If the UIA later decides that you still owe the overpayment, they might start trying to collect from you again. In June, claimants were asked to requalify for PUA by providing the agency with the necessary information to remain eligible for the federal program. 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., Previous: 55,000 Michiganders wont have to pay back $431 million in improperly awarded unemployment benefits. 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. Dale announced last week waivers on approximately 7,300 overpayment claims that waived $53.2 million in repayments. To date the UIA has waived over $4.3 billion in overpayment debt for more than 400,000 claimants with more to come. Collaborated with the Attorney Generals office to combat fraud at the agency. This means the UIA should stop sending collection letters or doing anything else to make people pay these overpayments. WebThe UIA is responsible for collecting overpayments of unemployment benefits. Letters will also be mailed to the address on file confirming the MiWAM notification. All rights reserved. Many more have never been told why they werent paid the benefits owed, and they still just wait nearly two years later. A pause on collections that was granted by the U.S. Department of Labor expired on May 7. The claimants provided the information and documentation required by the agency but were later told they were ineligible for the benefits they received. 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. Step 1 Contact your state's unemployment department. Screenshots from some who received benefitsand instructionalvideos posted by the agencyshow itactually hadasked fortotalpay, not net pay. The agency expects more rounds in the future. 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. New waiver qualifications for Michiganders who received unemployment overpayments More people could qualify for Michigan's unemployment insurance agency 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". That's an average of about $7,800 per claimant that was waived. Please see q. The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) announced today that over 55,000 claimants will not have to pay back a total of approximately $431 million in overpayments of federal pandemic unemployment benefits that the agency previously determined to have been improperly awarded. Because those programs were federally funded, the UIA is required to actively collect overpayments, unless specific suspensions are obtained from the federal government. If you got unemployment benefits under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, you may have received a notice for overpayment. We continue to monitor and advocate as the situation unfolds. Contact us to request a meeting with one of our attorneys. The UIA must get your appeal within 30 days from the date it is issued. and last updated 7:40 PM, Feb 07, 2022. In some cases, the UIA might send a refund of payments you have already made. Delinquent debts owed to other states or federal agencies. UIA will continue to look at COVID-19 pandemic claims to identify others that may qualify for waivers. In some situations, the UIA may send you actual bills for an overpayment. If you want the ALJ to see any documents, you will need to send it to the judge before the hearing. 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. Regular unemployment benefits paid during the pandemic are unaffected by this announcement. An earlier suspension expired in May. 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. schedule an in-person, phone or online appointment. Three months after the U.S. Department of Labor guidance was issued,the first group of blanket waivers went out to 55,000 claimants. The suspension will put money back in the pockets of people who needed pandemic unemployment benefits and followed the rules when they asked for help. If you run into problems, you may want to try to contact a lawyer. 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. It is still unknown on how waivers will be applied and how many or which people it will impact. Built a new, user-friendly website that is more responsive to those using a mobile phone or tablet to access services. 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. This is a huge weight lifted off so many Michiganders shoulders, said Governor Whitmer. If you got an overpayment notice and disagree with it, you can protest and ask the UIA to look at your claim again. About 327,000 fewer than expected claimants received a waiver. He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters. Of the roughly 690,000 claimants that were asked to requalify, about 241,000 responded to the UIA's request. Claimants say UIA is lying, Attorney for jobless claimants asks judge to stop Michigan from garnishing their wages, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. About 530,000 were then hit with steep overpayment notices at no fault of their own. In February, the request for expanded waivers was granted. Around $11 million was refunded to Michiganders who had paid or begun paying back these benefits. Copyright 2022 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved. 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. 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. 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. Michigan Legal HelpHelping Michigan residents solve their legal problems. 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. More: Michigan Unemployment agency says claimants made big mistake. Protests can take 10 months or longer to be resolved. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer. To date, the agency said ithas waived more than$4.3 billion in overpayment debt for more than 400,000claimants. Over the past three months, we have waived more than $484.2 million on 62,300 claims. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Read Appealing a Protest above to learn more. Three months after the U.S. Department of Labor guidance was issued, the first group of blanket waivers went out to If the UIA believes you were overpaid, they will send you a letter. If you don't have the documents available, you can make the protest without them. Each letter will have a due date printed on your determination for when the protest is due. If the UIA doesnt get your protest within 30 days, you must show good cause why it was late. Recovery would be unconscionable under the circumstances. Video of the Day Michigan paid $8.5B in fraudulent COVID unemployment claims. WebEligible Unemployment Claimants Granted Overpayment Waivers. You may get notices about your case during the collections pause. The Michigan Legal Help website and affiliated local self-help centers are part of the Michigan Legal Help Program. Claimants say UIA is lying, More: Attorney for jobless claimants asks judge to stop Michigan from garnishing their wages. 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. 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. 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. Although waivers for 55,000 more claimants is a good step forward, it fell short of the 382,000 promised and as of May 12, 2022 there is still no explanation about when or if more will be coming. 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. Disclaimer & Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Sitemap. 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. There are other actions that can be taken if fraud is suspected. Claimants also can schedule an in-person, phone or online appointment. The news releasedidn't give an estimate as to how long it might take to issue waivers. 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. The UIA must get your written protest within 30 days from the date it is issued. Select Request Restitution Waiver for Financial Hardship and fill out the application. 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. More Michiganders are still waiting. The agency, in its news releaseFriday, said the issue was due to "unclear instructions regarding gross earnings versus net earnings.". The individual responded no to being unemployed, partially unemployed, or unable or unavailable to work due to the approved coronavirus-related reasons, and the state paid Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. The announcement came days after the Detroit Free Press reported some workers with overpayment notices were accused of misreporting their income. Related: Unemployment waivers bring relief to thousands. 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. 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. 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