State lawmakers are demanding answers from Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency over an error that could end up costing people who collected benefits.

Gretchen Whitmer over severance payments to top officials, on Tuesday disclosed nearly $700,000 worth of separation agreements or legal settlements over the past decade. The bulk of the payouts, $632,000, involved 30 separation deals in the Senate since 2010, including 20 in the past five years. Three House agreements in 2018 and 2015, totaling nearly $60,000, settled legal disputes with terminated employees since 2013. Neither chamber disclosed details of the deals to media outlets and a liberal advocacy group, citing their confidential nature. A message seeking additional comment on the 30 Senate agreements was left with Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey of Clarklake, who became leader in 2019.

Gretchen Whitmer wants the state Legislature to pass a permanent extension of unemployment benefits as residents continue to deal with the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. “I also urged the Legislature to pass a permanent extension of unemployment benefits,” Whitmer said. “Just yesterday, they invited the Republican colleagues to join forces with them to protect unemployed Michiganders,” Whitmer said. Michigan looks to overhaul unemployment officeThe 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 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.

More than 900,000 Michigan workers who are collecting unemployment benefits are expected to begin receiving a $300 weekly bump in payments this month. The Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) has started processing payments for Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) for eligible Michiganders. Due to the large volume of payments to be processed, workers will begin receiving LWA payments over the next week to ten days. Also, all unemployed workers receiving Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) have already completed this step. States were initially granted three weeks of LWA benefits and must apply for additional weeks.

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.

The state of Michigan has brought on Deloitte to help sort out issues with unemployment during the coronavirus pandemic. The state says Deloitte will assist the Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) with financial operations, investigations into imposter claims, and a forensic review to help in identifying fraudulent activity that can be quickly turned over to law enforcement for prosecution. “As the UIA works to improve its systems to enhance customer service, data transparency, payment systems and fraud prevention, we’re glad to have Deloitte on our team,” said UIA Director Steve Gray. “The Deloitte team’s skills and experience help us protect Michiganders and provide unemployment benefits to our working families.”Deloitte will also bring additional capacity to help the state identify potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities and take action to mitigate identified risks. “Consistent with our commitment to our clients and our communities, Deloitte is pleased to bring our deep understanding of unemployment insurance systems and our broad capabilities in cybersecurity and forensic assessment to support the State of Michigan’s efforts to protect the integrity of their complex systems,” said David Parent, Michigan Managing Principal, Deloitte LLP.

LANSING, Mich. – Eligible Michiganders who are still waiting to receive unemployment insurance benefits may receive funds by July 4. The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) announced Tuesday a goal to respond to all unanswered claims filed before May 1 by July 4. Officials say unpaid claims filed before May 1 comprise only 0.5 percent of all claims in Michigan. When the pandemic hit the state in March and forced residents to isolate at home, claims for unemployment benefits were filed at unprecedented rates. Officials say the UIA will announce a target date to respond to unanswered claims filed after May 1, 2020.

The state is bringing on a forensic accounting firm and experts to help weed out fraud and clear legitimate claims. People who receive what is known as a monetary determination letter without having applied for jobless benefits or whose name does not match what is on the form may be a victim of identity theft. Michigan has seen 2.2 million new jobless claims since COVID-19 officially arrived in March and businesses were closed to curb the spread. The federal government said this week 21.5 million people are receiving jobless aid, creating added opportunity for criminals. An extra $600 a week in benefits provided as part of a U.S. coronavirus rescue law makes it more lucrative.

LANSING, Mich. – The director of Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency provided an update Wednesday on how close the state is to getting unemployment benefits to the many eligible Michiganders trying to navigate the system. Navigating Michigan’s unemployment system has been difficult for many, as 1.6 million eligible applicants have filed for benefits. Local 4 Consumer Investigator Hank Winchester has been digging into the problems with the system as Steve Gray, the head of the Unemployment Insurance Agency, testified. “It’s now become clearer than ever that it can be hard to get unemployment benefits.”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. “On average, before this crisis, just 26% of unemployed workers in Michigan received unemployment benefits.”More than a million people are still trying to get benefits, and many have had problems.

DETROIT – Are you still having issues with unemployment in Michigan? Help Me Hank held a live Q&A with a director from the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency on Friday on the Local 4 Facebook page. The Help Me Hank team has been answering common unemployment questions for weeks, but many are still reporting issues filing or receiving payment. Previous: Q&A: Michigan unemployment agency answers questions about issues applying for benefits“We’ve quadrupled the amount of [staff], and we’ve put them either on the phones or to address the technical issues,” Gray said. If you later need to resume filing for unemployment benefits, you cannot just continue to certify, you have to reopen your claim (file an additional claim).

The Michigan Unemployment Agency is offering some guidance to residents who need to certify their benefits every two weeks. Under federal law, unemployed workers must certify that they are still unemployed two weeks after their initial claim is approved and every two weeks after. “Workers who need to certify their claims should avoid doing so on Monday and instead certify later in the week during off-peak hours,” said UIA Director Steve Gray. · Last names beginning with letters A-L: file claims on Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays. · Last names beginning with letters M-Z: file claims on Sundays, Tuesdays, or Thursdays.