Post by addisona on Feb 11, 2022 11:26:32 GMT
Michigan can waive more unemployment bills under new federal guidance
The U.S. Department of Labor issued new guidance Monday for states seeking to erase bills for people who were asked to pay their unemployment benefits back.
It comes after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Michigan UIA Director Julia Dale asked federal officials for more waivers to clear repayments. Last June, an agency error led to nearly 700,000 Michiganders being retroactively deemed ineligible for a federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program.
About 530,000 Michigan unemployment claimants have since been told they owe the money back.
“States paid benefits – in some cases – to individuals who were not entitled to receive them, although the individuals were not at fault,” the U.S. Department of Labor said in a news release.
Since March 2020, Michigan has issued more than $39 billion in unemployment with the vast majority coming from federal dollars.
Although Michigan has the authority to waive unemployment overpayments made in agency error, Michigan UIA communications manager Nick Assendelft said, waivers for the PUA program require “federal and state authorization.”
Expanded guidance allows Michigan to issue blanket waivers for:
* Claimants who responded “no” to be able and available to work and the state issued PUA or Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation
* Claimants who were eligible for payment and the state provided a higher weekly benefit rate under federal programs
* Claimants who responded “no” to being unemployed, partially unemployed or unable or unavailable to work due to approved coronavirus-related reasons but received PUA assistance from the state.
* Claimants who submitted proof of earnings that were incorrectly processed by the state resulting in a higher weekly benefit from the PUA program.
* Claimants who submitted self-employment earnings and the state overpaid after incorrectly processing the information.
www.mlive.com/public-interest/2022/02/michigan-can-waive-more-unemployment-bills-under-new-federal-guidance.html
The U.S. Department of Labor issued new guidance Monday for states seeking to erase bills for people who were asked to pay their unemployment benefits back.
It comes after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Michigan UIA Director Julia Dale asked federal officials for more waivers to clear repayments. Last June, an agency error led to nearly 700,000 Michiganders being retroactively deemed ineligible for a federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program.
About 530,000 Michigan unemployment claimants have since been told they owe the money back.
“States paid benefits – in some cases – to individuals who were not entitled to receive them, although the individuals were not at fault,” the U.S. Department of Labor said in a news release.
Since March 2020, Michigan has issued more than $39 billion in unemployment with the vast majority coming from federal dollars.
Although Michigan has the authority to waive unemployment overpayments made in agency error, Michigan UIA communications manager Nick Assendelft said, waivers for the PUA program require “federal and state authorization.”
Expanded guidance allows Michigan to issue blanket waivers for:
* Claimants who responded “no” to be able and available to work and the state issued PUA or Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation
* Claimants who were eligible for payment and the state provided a higher weekly benefit rate under federal programs
* Claimants who responded “no” to being unemployed, partially unemployed or unable or unavailable to work due to approved coronavirus-related reasons but received PUA assistance from the state.
* Claimants who submitted proof of earnings that were incorrectly processed by the state resulting in a higher weekly benefit from the PUA program.
* Claimants who submitted self-employment earnings and the state overpaid after incorrectly processing the information.
www.mlive.com/public-interest/2022/02/michigan-can-waive-more-unemployment-bills-under-new-federal-guidance.html