This round of waivers accounts for 96% 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 About 530,000 were then hit with steep overpayment notices at no fault of their own. All Rights Reserved. Will the pause on collections continue? 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.". 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). 2 regarding overpayments. Support for Michigan Legal Help is provided by: Copyright 2023 Michigan Legal Help. 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. In February, the request for expanded waivers was granted. Here is what we know so far: The U.S. Department of Labor has been clear since May of 2021 that states like Michigan have broad powers to waive so-called overpayments on Pandemic Unemployment Benefits created by the CARES Act. 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. We will continue to review federal UI cases to make sure everyone who qualifies for an overpayment waiver will receive one.. 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. After the report came out, the Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) started sending some recipients letters telling them they had to repay thousands of dollars. The agency has paid a total of $39 billion in unemployment aid to 3.5 million Michigan residents since March 2020. "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.". 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. 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. Claimants also can schedule an in-person, phone or online appointment. If you find supporting documents later on, you can add them. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer. 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 with questions about todays announcement are urged to call UIAs Customer Service at 1-866-500-0017. Your next steps will depend on whether you agree or disagree with the UIAs determination letter. If you get a refund, make sure you carefully read any notices or information you get explaining the refund. 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. If the UIA denies your Financial Hardship Waiver, you can appeal to an ALJ. More: Michigan Unemployment agency says claimants made big mistake. We are aware that there are issues related to gross versus net income calculations on Pandemic Unemployment Assistance weekly benefit amounts, Dale said. It specifically said states could apply blanket waivers for overpayments for claimants who were approvedfor a higher weekly benefit amount than what they should have received. 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. State unemployment insurance program overpayments. Claimants say UIA is lying, More: Attorney for jobless claimants asks judge to stop Michigan from garnishing their wages. 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. It further states that a "state may authorize a waiver when or if the overpayment was not the fault of the claimant and If a waiver does not apply, collections will resume. Once you have logged into your account, click on the "Determination Status" tab, and then click on "file a protest.". Your Notice of Telephone Hearing will have instructions on how to do this. Of the roughly 690,000 claimants that were asked to requalify, about 241,000 responded to the UIA's request. If you owe past income taxes or money to the UIA, the Michigan Department of the Treasury can take all or part of your federal and/or state income tax refund to pay the debt. 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.. 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. 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. The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) announced Friday that those who wrongfully received Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits will be Michigan Legal HelpHelping Michigan residents solve their legal problems. 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. Unemployment waivers bring relief to thousands. You may get notices about your case during the collections pause. New wage garnishments, state tax return intercepts halted while Agency prepares to apply more waivers beyond 62,000 already granted. They can also contact the UIA by phone at 866-500-0017 or schedule a telephone, virtual or in-person appointment with an agent. Assuming Michigan UIA takes advantage of the broad blanket waiver allowances, waivers could fix many overpayment issues for Michigan residents who were incorrectly paid benefits through no fault of their own. 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. Letters will also be mailed to the address on file confirming the MiWAM notification. It is very important to read the notices, and protest or appeal on time using the process below if you disagree with the UIA's decision. Built a new, user-friendly website that is more responsive to those using a mobile phone or tablet to access services. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. The web Browser you are currently using is unsupported, and some features of this site may not work as intended. Unfortunately, the new guidance from the DOL applies only to CARES Act funded benefits (PUA, FPUC, MEUC, PEUC). More rounds of waivers expected, offering relief to workers. 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. 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. Reassigned staff and resources to address the largest categories of claims that are contributing to the agencys case backlog. "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. Claims determined to be fraudulent or being investigated for fraud. If you cant pay the overpayment amount that you owe, you can ask for a Financial Hardship Waiver by clicking on the Claimant Services Tab in your MiWAM account and filling out the application. Although Michigan has yet to adopt the federal waiver standard, the UIA seems poised to do so in light of the new guidance. Those with questions about the suspension or overpayments can go to Michigan.gov/UIAand click on the Schedule an Appointmentlink to speak with a trained staff member either in person, by phone or online. Video of the Day The federal government has expanded its criteria for who can get a waiver that would let people keep that money. Those 350,000 people wont be able to keep collecting Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits in the future, however. 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. You can appeal online through your MiWAM account. Screenshots from some who received benefitsand instructionalvideos posted by the agencyshow itactually hadasked fortotalpay, not net pay. 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. Paid a total of $ 39 billion in Unemployment aid to 3.5 million Michigan since! Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer related to gross versus income. 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