LANSING, Mich. – Michigan workers who returned to work after being on unemployment and are now temporarily unemployed again should reopen their claims online, officials said. “Michiganders who were on unemployment, went back to work, and are now temporarily unemployed again due to COVID-19 can reopen their claim online,” the UIA said in a release. Click here for more information on filing or reopening an unemployment claim, including FAQs, tutorial videos and other resources. UIA encouraged Michigan employers to file employer filed Claims online on behalf of their full-time workers who are temporarily or permanently laid off. The program allows job providers to retain their skilled workforce and avoid layoffs by reducing employee hours while employees collect partial unemployment benefits to make up for the lost wages.

The state of Michigan is looking to overhaul its unemployment office after the director’s sudden resignation. Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the Michigan unemployment office has worked through significant issues. The UIA has been flooded with calls, as more than 2 million Michigan residents have applied for benefits since the start of the pandemic. The system couldn’t keep up with demand, and many people were frustrated. UIA Director Steve Gray tried to answer questions from lawmakers, but now he is out.

Gretchen Whitmer has signed a bill to allow Michigan residents who qualify for unemployment to earn an extra $300 per week as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues. The bill appropriates $2.8 billion in supplemental funding from revenues awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The $300 payments will continue until the relief funding has been exhausted. The bill also includes $8 million toward the Brandon Road Lock and Dam in Illinois, a barrier to prevent invasive carp from entering Lake Michigan. It also provides match funding for disaster flood cleanup in Midland and Gladwin counties, as well as funding to cover costs for flood response and mitigation efforts in Detroit.

DETROIT – Thousands of Michiganders are still struggling to get unemployment benefits in the state. The progress and upgrades to the Unemployment Insurance Agency’s computer and phone systems has helped many but unemployment offices remain closed. The issues with Michigan’s unemployment system include phone issues, websites crashing, identity theft and even accusations of wrong doing by some new hires on the inside. Part of its reopening plan includes adding new safety partitions to the UIA offices, allowing for customers to be on one side, staff on the other keeping both sides as safe as possible. Additionally, the UIA claims it is currently developing an online scheduling system that will also include one-on-one meetings over the internet.

DETROIT – Michigan unemployment officials said the $600 coronavirus (COVID-19) unemployment bonus will end this weekend. The Unemployment Insurance Agency announced Friday that the additional $600 weekly unemployment bonus offered to workers during the COVID-19 pandemic will expire Saturday, barring congressional action. States don’t have the ability to extend the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation Program and it’s unclear if federal officials plan to extend, reduce or eliminate the payments, according to Michigan officials. The extra $600 bonus has been paid to eligible residents since the beginning of April. Unemployment officials said they have made determinations on all currently eligible claims filed before June 1.

WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. The federal governments $600 per week coronavirus (COVID-19) unemployment bonus is set to expire by the end of the month, but will it be extended before then? Michigans economy is in a strange place, as businesses that have reopened are having a hard time finding workers who are making more money through unemployment. PREVIOUS: Will extra COVID-19 unemployment benefits be extended or replaced by back-to-work bonus? Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D) got emotional Thursday while talking about the number of unemployed people across Michigan and the country. Part of the program extended benefits to many who otherwise wouldnt qualify, especially small business owners.

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LANSING, Mich. Michiganders struggling to get their unemployment benefits told lawmakers how frustrating the system is Thursday. An estimated 1.5 million people applied for unemployment benefits across the United States last week. Applications peaked at about 7 million applications in March. In Michigan, many residents are still having problems getting their unemployment benefits, leading to Thursdays hearing. Lawmakers heard complaints from employers and employees, all frustrated with the unemployment system.

DETROIT – With the extra $600 in unemployment benefits during the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis set to expire next month, will the weekly payment be extended or replaced by a new “back-to-work” bonus? President Donald Trump’s administration wants to replace the $600 unemployment payment with a new “back-to-work” bonus. What does this mean for Michigan residents collecting unemployment right now? Millions of Americans, and around 1.3 million Michiganders, are collecting unemployment right now. “The idea is to give a bonus to incentivize people to come off of unemployment and go back to work,” financial expert Kirk Cassidy said.

DETROIT Help Me Hank found some Michigan companies that are hiring as job numbers start to turn around amid record unemployment caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19). The U.S. economy added 2.5 million jobs last month. Now, they thought the number would be a loss of 9 million jobs, and it was a gain of almost 3 million jobs. Local 4s Help Me Hank set out Friday to find companies that are hiring right now. You can watch the full Help Me Hank report in the video posted above.

DETROIT – Scammers targeting Michigan residents who have legitimately filed for unemployment are causing even more delays in the system as officials are forced to investigate. These scams are affecting thousands of Michiganders who have filed for unemployment, and many others who haven’t filed. READ: New problem keeps more Michigan residents from getting unemployment checksThe problem has gotten so serious that some people who have filed legitimately are having their accounts put on hold as the Unemployment Insurance Agency investigates. Scammers are also working to steal the identities of people who haven’t filed for unemployment. Our WDIV human resources team received letters that appeared to be from the unemployment agency about employees who never filed.

DETROIT – A new scam is impacting thousands who have filed for unemployment and even many who haven’t. The problem is so big that some residents who have filed legitimately are now having their accounts put on hold as the Unemployment Insurance Agency investigates. RELATED: New problem keeps more Michigan residents from getting unemployment checksFormer Lt. Governor Brian Calley and president of the Small Business Association of Michigan announce on Twitter that he was targeted by the scam. Several WDIV team members are now concerned their personal information is in the wrong hands.

New scam steals personal information to file false unemployment claimsPublished: May 29, 2020, 6:19 pmA new scam is impacting thousands who have filed for unemployment and even many who haven’t.

DETROIT – A new problem is keeping more Michigan residents from getting their unemployment checks, and this time, it has nothing to do with a computer glitch. Now, fraud concerns are keeping Michiganders from getting their badly needed benefits. Whitmer says everyone who qualifies for unemployment benefits will get themSandy Hurt, a woman who lives in Houston, started receiving benefits from Michigan that she said she never requested. A UIA spokesperson said the fraud threat is causing issues for some people who are still trying to file and collect unemployment claims. It’s an unfortunate snag affecting a Michigan unemployment system that’s already been riddled with problems.

New problem keeps more Michigan residents from getting unemployment checksPublished: May 27, 2020, 5:10 pmA new problem is keeping more Michigan residents from getting their unemployment checks, and this time, it has nothing to do with a computer glitch.

Gretchen Whitmer is assuring the thousands of residents still struggling to claim their unemployment benefits during the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis that they will receive them. While many looking for unemployment benefits have had trouble logging on or calling, this is viewed as an opportunity to look at the situation step by step. As of last week, the director of Michigans Unemployment Insurance Agency said more than a million Michiganders are still trying to get benefits. I will continue working around the clock to ensure everyone who qualifies for unemployment benefits receives them during this time, Whitmer said. Latest numbers show that 92% of eligible claimants have received benefits or have been approved to receive benefits.