More than 2.5 million people in Michigan have applied for unemployment benefits since March, and while most have received some payment, many people are still struggling to navigate Michigan's unemployment system.
The Unemployment Insurance Agency says that 98% of claimants have been paid at least once, but there are still 25,566 people who have not been paid due to ID verification and nearly 14,000 who have not been paid due to other non-monetary issues.
Karen Todd works in the legislative offices of state Sen. John Bizon, R-Battle Creek, and has been working to help people with their unemployment claims.
"We're still getting calls of people asking, 'Can you help me? I haven't gotten any payments since April," she said. "What we're seeing now is that many people are being paid currently, their benefits, but they're missing several weeks in May, June, July."
Todd said that although there is sometimes confusion about how to navigate the process of making a claim, a lot of challenges are still due to backlog in the Unemployment Insurance Agency's system.
"People haven't been able to get ahold of anyone on the phone or the chat line, so they call the legislative offices, and they are at their wit's end," she said. "The UIA system that was never designed for millions of people to buy in to and sign up for, you just have a big crash. So we're working through it."
The Unemployment Insurance Agency is making headway, though. Todd recommends that people who are struggling to make their claims should continue trying to call the agency first.
"The lines have opened up, and we have seen that people have been able to get through, so keep trying to call," she said.
If that doesn't work, people should contact one of their state representatives and ask them to submit an inquiry to the Unemployment Insurance Agency.
"That will open up a case, and the agency will eventually contact the constituent about their issue," Todd said.
When people contact a legislative office about an unemployment issue, Todd said their information is put into a system that is connected to the Unemployment Insurance Agency's system.
"The idea is for the dedicated UIA team to the legislative offices, for them to take that information and contact the consistent, resolve their issue, and then they're out the door," she said.
Right now, there is still a significant backlog, but legislative offices have been able to push through claims that are older than 10 to 12 weeks.
"If they have benefits that are owed to them, they will receive them, no matter how late it comes, they will receive them," Todd said.
People can call or email their state representatives to ask them to open an inquiry. The information people need to be prepared to share is their name, their address, a phone number they can be reached at, their claim number and a short description of the problem they're having.
If the request is emailed, Todd said Bizon's office will respond letting people know when the inquiry has been made.
Rep. Jim Haadsma's office also has been working to assist people with their unemployment claims. Constituents can find an unemployment assistance form on the Battle Creek Democrat's website. Other Democratic representatives in the Michigan House also have this form available on their website.
“Far too many across our state, at no fault of their own, are still struggling to make ends meet due to this pandemic," Haadsma said in a press release about unemployment benefits. "It is absolutely critical that we continue doing all we can to ensure they have what they need to provide for their families while we continue to fight COVID-19 and find ways to slowly and safely recover economically."
The Michigan House of Representatives passed a Senate bill on Sept. 1 that provides Michigan residents receiving unemployment benefits an additional $300 per week using funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The $300 benefit was made available through an executive order signed by President Donald Trump. The $600 federal benefit for unemployment expired in Michigan on July 25.
Michigan will begin processing the $300 federal jobless benefit next week, according to the Unemployment Insurance Agency. The benefit is retroactive to Aug. 1 and will initially last for three weeks.
The Unemployment Insurance Agency estimates about 910,000 Michigan residents would receive at least $300 per week in supplemental benefits through the program.
Albion resident Virgil Taylor said he's been filing for unemployment benefits for the past three months. He previously worked event security in California, but COVID-19 eliminated the job market, so Taylor moved back to Albion and was recently at a job fair at FireKeepers Casino.
Taylor hasn't had any trouble with the unemployment system, but applying for the benefits has been stressful.
"It's something. It's better than nothing," Taylor said. "Just looking for steady employment where I can have some benefits and I won't be stressing as much."
Like Taylor, many people in Michigan are returning to work or re-entering the job market after being on unemployment.
New jobless claims in Michigan has been slowly and steadily declining, but the number of new claims is still significantly above pre-pandemic levels.
New claims in Michigan dropped to 15,108 in the week ending Aug. 29, down from 19,997 the previous week, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday. Last year around this time, there were about 4,000 new unemployment claims in the state.
Contact Elena Durnbaugh at (269) 243-5938 or edurnbaugh@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ElenaDurnbaugh.
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Unemployment claim problems? Michigan legislators are helping people through the system - Battle Creek Enquirer
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