Nearly 700,000 Michigan residents received letters in June from the state’s Unemployment Insurance Agency stating their eligibility criteria for unemployment benefits had retroactively changed.
The letters prompted concern that people who had received benefits from over the past year would have to pay them back.
However, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently announced that people who followed the rules and received benefits will not need to pay back the money.
The letters were sent out because four criteria the state established for Pandemic Unemployment Assistances no longer qualified as legitimate reasons for payments by the U.S. Department of Labor.
After receiving the letters, Michigan residents were given 20 days to re-certify their PUA claims. The deadline to refile was last weekend, but individuals who missed it, should contact their state representative or the UIA.
Whitmer said the letters were required to be sent by the federal government to keep the state in compliance and protect taxpayers against fraud.
Although some residents might go through the process and learn they weren’t eligible for benefits, Whitmer said a federal waiver guidance will cover residents, as long as their original applications were made in good faith.
“I want to be clear to every Michigander who did the right thing: 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,” Whitmer said in a statement.
This federal waiver guidance, announced in early May, allows states to waive recovery of overpayments for individuals not at fault. In cases where individuals collected benefits fraudulently, the guidance says states must assess monetary penalties, require repayments or potentially pursue criminal prosecution.
Jody Kerbyson is the CEO of GST Michigan Works. She said the best course of action for people confused about their PUA status is to schedule an appointment with the UIA.
“While GST Michigan Works understands the frustration that people are experiencing, unfortunately we are not equipped to assist with these unemployment issues,” Kerbyson said. “Since each situation is different, there is no one solution.”
Kerbyson said her organization is standing by ready to help people with re-employment efforts like completing their work search requirements and registering for work.
In a July 14 press release, Acting UIA Director Liza Estlund Olson said the agency will evaluate each requalification on a case-by-case basis. Olson said the agency is currently reviewing a waiver process, but no specific details on the process have been released yet.
Michigan House Oversight Committee Chairman Steve Johnson announced last week that he plans to launch an investigation into the UIA, calling the agency a “mess.” Johnson said the oversight hearings will include testimony on the “pattern of mismanagement, incompetence and outright fraud” at the agency.
For any questions about you unemployment claims, visit the Unemployment Insurance Agency website at www.michigan.gov/leo.
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July 27, 2021 at 03:15AM
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Michigan residents will likely not need to pay back pandemic unemployment benefits - The Pioneer
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