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According to recent reporting, the waiver program was much smaller than promised. We are aware that there are issues related to gross versus net income calculations on Pandemic Unemployment Assistance weekly benefit amounts, Dale said. Interest accumulates very quickly on unemployment overpayments. They can also contact the UIA by phone at 866-500-0017 or schedule a telephone, virtual or in-person appointment with an agent. (WXMI) Relief could soon be coming for Michiganders who were told they would have to pay back unemployment money. Claimants say UIA is lying, Attorney for jobless claimants asks judge to stop Michigan from garnishing their wages, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. If you cant show good cause, the decision that you were overpaid will become final. If you want the ALJ to see any documents, you will need to send it to the judge before the hearing. 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. 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. currently being considered by Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Brock Swartzle. Letters will also be mailed to the address on file confirming the MiWAM notification. Michigan ice In some situations, the UIA may send you actual bills for an overpayment. The waiver only covers past The web Browser you are currently using is unsupported, and some features of this site may not work as intended. 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. My top priority is to help Michigan families. We will update this page if we get more information. Copyright 2023 ClickOnDetroit.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. A pause on collections that was granted by the U.S. Department of Labor expired on May 7. The UIA is responsible for collecting overpayments of unemployment benefits. 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. UIA will continue to look at COVID-19 pandemic claims to identify others that may qualify for waivers. 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 agency expects more rounds in the future. Release date: Friday, July 30, 2021. 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The agency did not provide an estimate on how many people were affected by the earnings mishap. 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 federal government has expanded its criteria for who can get a waiver that would let people keep that money. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Make sure to keep your contact information updated in your Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM) account so you get any notices from the UIA. Claims determined to be fraudulent or being investigated for fraud. 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. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. The UIA must get your appeal within 30 days from the date it is issued. 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. 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. If the UIA doesnt get your protest within 30 days, you must show good cause why it was late. Related: Michigan erases $431M in pandemic unemployment overpayments. If this happens, you can use the same Financial Hardship waiver process. 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. 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. At every turn, I will stand up and fight on behalf of Michiganders to make sure they get what they were promised. 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 Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) announced Friday that those who wrongfully received Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits will be granted an overpayment waiver allowing them to keep the money, although many may no longer receive aid going forward. PUA benefits are $300 a week on top of maximum state benefits of $362. 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. Some claimants have received a waiver. Dale announced last week waivers on approximately 7,300 overpayment claims that waived $53.2 million in repayments. If the UIA believes you were overpaid, they will send you a letter. The Michigan Legal Help website and affiliated local self-help centers are part of the Michigan Legal Help Program. Three months after the U.S. Department of Labor guidance was issued, the first group of blanket waivers went out to To date, the agency said ithas waived more than$4.3 billion in overpayment debt for more than 400,000claimants. If a waiver does not apply, collections will resume. Claimants with questions about todays announcement are urged to call UIAs Customer Service at 1-866-500-0017. Built a new, user-friendly website that is more responsive to those using a mobile phone or tablet to access services. 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. An independent report published late last year found Michigan paid $8.5 billion in fraudulent or intentional misrepresentation unemployment payments. 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. Although the press release was release went to media outlets, claimants facing collections notices did not receive any notice. Video of the Day Once you have logged into your account, click on the "Determination Status" tab, and then click on "file an appeal.". 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 ALJ is not part of the UIA, so the judge won't have access to any of the documents you sent to the UIA. Waivers issued earlier this month erased overpayments for 55,000 people caught in an agency mistake. 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. 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. 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 the UIA denies your Financial Hardship Waiver, you can appeal to an ALJ. Letters will also be mailed to the address on file confirming the MiWAM notification. The Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) is now reviewing the categories added Monday and determining how many other claims might qualify for waivers under All Rights Reserved. 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. 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. And in February, the U.S. Department of Labor allowed Michigan to issue more blanket waivers for the remaining overpayments. The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) has secured a second approval from the U.S. Department of Labor (U.S. DOL) to suspend certain collection activities for 391,769 workers who applied for federal jobless benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement came in the wake of allegations of unconstitutional overpayment collection notices sent out to thousands of Michigan residents. Select Your County for Lawyers and Other Housing Help, An administrative or clerical error is discovered, You had a legitimate inability to act earlier, The notice or decision arrived late in the mail and you could not respond sooner, You were misled by incorrect information from the UIA, Take your federal and/or Michigan income tax refund. In May, UIA applied waivers to 55,000 claims totaling $431 million. 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. 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. Issuing waivers is a cornerstone of Director Dales reform of the UIA. UIA is performing an analysis to determine the total population impacted by this issue.. 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. "We wont stop fighting until weve corrected past mistakes made by this agency so that not one innocent Michigander will face consequences as a result of asking for help they needed,"Julia Dale, thedirector of Michigan's UIA, said in the release. This federal action will allow us the time we need to evaluate claims for overpayment waivers, which we will be announcing soon.. After the UIA responds and issues a determination, you can protest or appeal a denial of the agency error waiver. WebThe UIA is responsible for collecting overpayments of unemployment benefits. 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. 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 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. There are other actions that can be taken if fraud is suspected. 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. We continue to monitor and advocate as the situation unfolds. 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 This is a huge weight lifted off so many Michiganders shoulders, said Governor Whitmer. 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 the UIA later decides that you still owe the overpayment, they might start trying to collect from you again. 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 motion for preliminary injunction to suspend collections on these overpayments is currently being considered by Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Brock Swartzle. If you get a refund, make sure you carefully read any notices or information you get explaining the refund. New wage garnishments, state tax return intercepts halted while Agency prepares to apply more waivers beyond 62,000 already granted. 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 federal jobless assistance programs were a critical lifeline for many Michiganders affected by the global pandemic and our action today means they will be able to continue to provide for their families without the fear of having to pay back benefits awarded through agency error.. State unemployment insurance program overpayments. Michigan paid $8.5B in fraudulent COVID unemployment claims. Due to the intense volume, we are not able to answer individual questions or provide individual representation on UI matters. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer. Claimants who received waivers had messages posted to their Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM) accounts, the agency said, and letters started going out on Monday. Dale announced last week waivers on approximately 7,300 overpayment claims that waived $53.2 million in repayments. 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. An individual responded no to being able and available for work and the state issued payment for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance or Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation without adjudicating the eligibility issue. Claimants can also call UIAs Customer Service at 1-866-500-0017. A legislative fix would be required to provide equal waiver rights for claimants who received regular UI benefits. This round of waivers accounts for 96% We wont stop fighting until weve corrected past mistakes made by this agency so that not one innocent Michigander will face consequences as a result of asking for help they needed, said Michigan UIA director Julia Dale in a statement. Four PUA COVID-19 eligibility reasons that were included at the beginning of the pandemic were later found by the U.S. Department of Labor to be non-qualifying. WebEligible Unemployment Claimants Granted Overpayment Waivers. 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). 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. I want to thank the Governor for her proactive efforts to seek federal guidance on issuing waivers for overpayments to claimants who did the right thing when the applied for benefits, Dale said. In February, the request for expanded waivers was granted. About 327,000 fewer than expected claimants received 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. The state did not say when they will be issued. 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. 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. If you don't have the documents available, you can make the protest without them. He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters. 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. State If you got an overpayment notice and disagree with it, you can protest and ask the UIA to look at your claim again. 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. 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