Update on Michigan Unemployment

Update on Michigan Unemployment Insurance

Online Claim Filing Kit for Unemployment Insurance
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/uia/OnlineClaimFilingKit_278831_7.pdf

In a letter to President Albert Garrett, dated 06-23-2009, Stephen M. Geskey, Director of the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency, offered the following report:

For many months, the Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) has been gearing up for these difficult times. The purpose of this letter is to provide an update on many of our most significant improvements and initiatives. In the past several months, the UIA has:

	Hired over 400 new employees to help unemployed workers and opened a new call center in Lansing, Michigan
	Opened a temporary Problem Resolution Office (PRO) in Detroit (Cadillac Place) in December 2008 andf opened another temporary PRO in Pontiac (Phoenix Center)
	Enhanced our telephone capabilities such that the UIA can now take telephone filed claims 24 hours a day, six days a week (automated only and excludes the first Saturday of the month and all Sundays)
	Improved Telephone MARVIN's capacity by about 40% since January 2009 and boosted capacity by another 15% in June 2009
	Launched MARVIN Online and enhanced its technological capacity by adding another server before its capacity was reached
	Launched UI Tube, which includes on-line and on-demand tutorials for both workers and employers. For workers, tutorials range from how to file an internet filed claim, how to use the claim portal and MARVIN Online to appealing a case to an Administrative Law Judge. Already, we have about 15 worker tutorials posted and will add new tutorials as topics emerge. The website address is: http://www.michigan.gov/uia/0,1607,7-118--213931--,00.html
	Developed an On-line Filing Kit designed to make the unemployment claims process even more efficient and convenient. For your convenience, I have enclosed both a hard copy and the link to our website: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/uia/OnlineClaimFilingKit_278831_7.pdf

Although I hope it goes without stating, but please freely share and distribute this information and web links to your locals and members as deemed appropriate. I hope that the above update is as useful as it is informative.

Very truly yours,

/s/

Stephen M. Geskey

Director

In an additional letter to President Albert Garrett, dated 06-24-2009, Stephen M. Geskey, Director of the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency, offered the following information:

The Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) has received questions concerning the interplay between offers of work - and the general corresponding duty to accept such offers - and the payment of "Extended Benefits" (EB) under the Federal-State extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970.

Under the EB Program, a workers whose chances of securing work in the immediate future are "not good" is required to accept any work within his or her capabilities, with certain restrictions. One of the restrictions is that if accepting offered work would cause the worker to resign from a union, or would cause a worker to face expulsion from the union, then the worker would not be disqualified from Extended Benefits for refusing such work.

There is a similar provision in the Michigan Employment Security Act with regard to a worker refusing an offer of work while receiving regular state unemployment benefits. Therefore, regardless of the type of unemployment benefits being paid to a worker, he or she would not be disqualified under those circumstances from continuing to draw the benefits.

Action has been taken to ensure that UIA staff is aware of these provisions of state and federal law. I am writing to you as well, because this issue may be of interest to you and your members, as the UIA has already received questions on this issue.

Sincerely,

/s/

Stephen M. Geskey

Director