LANSING, Mich. – Many Michigan residents have voiced their frustration with the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency.
Lawmakers in Lansing are working on finding a solution to the issues that have come up with the unemployment program during the COVID pandemic.
Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, many people have reached out to the Help Me Hank team for assistance.
Stephen Boyer is frustrated. He has been collecting unemployment but hasn’t been able to receive the money he said is owed to him.
Some people believe the system needs to be torn down and rebuilt from the ground up, but that would take time.
During a recent committee hearing, Rep. Stephanie Young shared what happened to her son. She said due to a mistake made by the Unemployment Insurance Agency her son, and thousands of others had to re-submit their claims. Many received letters saying they owed the UIA money.
The UIA has been working to resolve that issue but state representatives want residents to know what they can do to help.
UIA has more staff working and in-person appointments are available. The chat feature has been improved but communicating online can create issues, which is what happened to Boyer.
His issue dragged out over what he believes was a miscommunication about a document. When Local 4 got involved the issue was resolved and his money is on the way to him.
If you still need help you should document every interaction you have with the UIA and contact your local state representative. When possible make an in-person appointment.