A Novi man used the identities of several prison inmates to file fraudulent pandemic unemployment claims and stole more than $300,000 in the process, federal officials said.

Extended unemployment benefits for Michigan residents will no longer be available after this week because the state’s unemployment rate dropped below the required threshold.

New COVID-19 restrictions lead to flood of new unemployment claims in MichiganMichigan unemployment: PUA, PEUC claimants can now reopen, certify claims, state saysDETROIT – Michigan residents who had PUA and PEUC claims that ended in December can now reopen, certify or apply for benefits, state unemployment officials said. Officials with the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency said they have completed system updates for the recently extended federal unemployment insurance programs. Those changes include indoor dining being capped at 25 percent capacity. Two shutdowns, partial reopenings: How Michigan restaurants have been handled during COVID pandemicRestaurants have been the most hotly debated topic of Michigan’s shutdowns throughout the COVID pandemic. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services have twice shut down indoor dining, with the most recent ban ending Monday (Feb. 1).

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan residents who had PUA and PEUC claims that ended in December can now reopen, certify or apply for benefits, state unemployment officials said. Officials with the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency said they have completed system updates for the recently extended federal unemployment insurance programs. All remaining Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation claimants whose claims ended when CARES Act programs were interrupted in December can now either reopen, certify or apply for benefits available under the Continued Assistance Act, according to the state. A new provision under the CAA requires PUA claimants to submit proof of employment or self-employment to maintain eligibility. Workers on regular state UI benefits will no longer receive the PEUC extension automatically.

RELATED: Michigan unemployment: Residents can start to claim remaining PEUC, PUA paymentsThere’s a new way people who are battling the Unemployment Insurance Agency can get help to solve these issues. The University of Michigan’s Workers’ Rights Clinic has law students assisting residents in solving what can be frustrating issues. Before the coronavirus pandemic, the school said the Workers’ Rights Clinic would average about 15 phone calls each week. The Workers’ Rights Clinic -- formerly the Unemployment Insurance Clinic -- offers advice, provides representation at more. To apply for legal assistance through the Workers’ Rights Clinic, visit the University of Michigan Law School’s official website here.

The additional $300 weekly unemployment payments for residents who qualify for COVID-19 relief will be delayed in Michigan, officials said. Congress passed a COVID-19 relief package that extends the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation federal unemployment programs. “This federal extension will bring much needed relief to nearly 700,000 Michigan workers who are currently receiving benefits under the PUA and PEUC programs,” said Liza Estlund Olson, acting director of the Unemployment Insurance Agency. “We will have to make updates to our systems to extend benefits and renew the FPUC $300 supplemental payments,” the release says. Year-end tax statements for anyone who received unemployment benefits in 2020 will be available online in mid-January.