A Handbook for Unemployed Workers

Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity

Unemployment Insurance Agency

For Help Call Toll Free: 1-866-500-0017

For TTY Users: 1-866-366-0004

October 2021

Michigan.gov/UIA

VISIT THE UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE AGENCY (UIA) WEBSITE at Michigan.gov/UIA for forms,

fact sheets, frequently asked questions, video tutorials and more.

MICHIGAN WEB ACCOUNT MANAGER (MiWAM) - Use MiWAM to access or create your

unemployment account. MiWAM will allow you to choose your benet payment method, look at

your benet payment history, submit your claim question or problem for response by a customer

service representative, respond to UIA inquiries, and access other services. If you are a new user or

if you already have a MiWAM account, you must create a MILogin account before you can access

MiWAM. See page 8 for more information.

UIA CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE, TOLL-FREE at 1-866-500-0017, Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

If you need an Arabic or Spanish-speaking representative, wait until you hear the option in Arabic or

Spanish. For all other languages, the customer service representative will connect you to a translator for

assistance. If you are hearing impaired, TTY service is available at 1-866-366-0004 or you can schedule

an online appointment with a closed captioning option.

MICHIGAN AUTOMATED RESPONSE VOICE INTERACTIVE NETWORK (MARVIN), TOLL-FREE at

1-866-638-3993,

Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. You can call the UIA automated telephone system

every other week to claim (certify for) unemployment benet payments. Instead of calling MARVIN,

you may

also certify online anytime day or night, Monday - Saturday using MiWAM at

Michigan.gov/UIA

REPORT FRAUD, TOLL FREE at 1-866-500-0017: Call to report suspected unemployment

insurance fraud or complete a short fraud report through your MiWAM account. You may also visit

Michigan.gov/UIA and click on “Report Fraud.”

EMPLOYER FILED CLAIMS, TOLL-FREE at 1-866-500-0017, Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

FAX UIA:

Fax your responses to UIA forms or correspondence to the fax number on the form. Protests

or any other correspondence, should be faxed to 1-517-636-0427. Appeals should be faxed to 1-616-

356-0739. Include your name, Michigan Identication Number (MIN), signature, and date on all

correspondence. Keep a copy for yourself. Print and keep conrmation showing your fax was received.

VISIT A LOCAL UNEMPLOYMENT OFFICE by appointment only in your area, Monday - Friday,

8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Find a list of locations on the UIA website. A virtual meeting can be made

on the website. Schedule an appointment at Michigan.gov/UIA. For the hearing impaired, virtual

appointments can be made by utilizing the Voice to Text Closed Captioning. For your convenience,

TTY service is also available at 1-866-366-0004.

WRITE UIA: Mail your responses to UIA forms or correspondence to the address on the form. Protests

or appeals should be mailed to the Unemployment Insurance Agency at one of the addresses below.

Please Include your name, MIN, signature, and date on all correspondence. Keep a copy for yourself.

Protests only: Appeals only:

Unemployment Insurance Agency Unemployment Insurance Agency

P.O. Box 169 P.O. Box 124

Grand Rapids, MI 49501-0169 Grand Rapids, MI 49501-0124

WAYS TO CONTACT US

Michigan Works! Service Centers - Visit MichiganWorks.org or call

1-800-285-WORK (9675) for a location nearest you.

ONLINE

CALL

VISIT

IN PERSON

WRITE

Michigan.gov/UIA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

3 About Unemployment Insurance

4 The Basics

What You Must Do to Claim UI Benets

5 Benet Rights and Responsibilities

Monetary Determination

Respond to Agency Requests

5 Steps to Reemployment

Work Registration

Inform UIA of Your Work Search Activities

Reporting Your Work Search

Reporting Your Work Search When You

Return to Work

Michigan Works! Agency (MWA)

Service Centers

7 Additional Information about

Work Search

Temporary Layo

Union Halls

8 Creating Your Online Account

8 Keep Your Contact Information Updated

Go Green

9 Eligibility for Benets

Wages to Establish a Claim

Weekly Benet Amount

Number of Qualifying Weeks

Your Separation Reason May Aect

Your Eligibility for Benets

Other Items that May Aect Your

Benet Amount

11 Receiving Payments

Payment Options

Bi-weekly Certications

Personal Identication Number

How Often Do I Certify for Benets?

When to Reopen Your Claim

If You Made a Mistake Giving Information

How to Report Earnings and Other Payments

Flexible Weeks: How to Report Earnings

What Can Stop You from Getting Paid

15 Overpayments

16 Fraud

17 Identity Theft

18 Protest and Appeal Rights

Protest

Appeal

Advocacy Information

Unemployment Insurance Appeals

Commission

Circuit Court

19 Helpful Information

Crossmatch Programs

Benet Accuracy Measurement (BAM)

Preserving Benet Entitlement

Trade Act (TAA/TRA)

Employer Filed Claims (EFC)

19 Frequently Used Terms

20 Bi-Weekly Certication Questions

22 Condentiality and Disclosure Information

23 Work Search Activity Worksheet

Michigan.gov/UIA

What is Unemployment Insurance?

Unemployment Insurance (UI) is a program to provide

temporary income to workers who have lost their job

through no fault of their own, such as layos and plant

closures.

Who Pays for Unemployment Insurance?

The program is funded through unemployment taxes

paid by employers. No money is deducted from your

paycheck.

Help Us to Help You

The Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) is here to

help you through your time of unemployment. To make

sure you are paid benets in a timely manner, you need

to provide accurate information, respond to requests

for information on time, and meet all the requirements

for qualifying for benets. You are required to read and

understand the information in this handbook.

For Fastest Service

If you have questions, you may contact us through your

Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM) account or

by calling, 1-866-500-0017. MiWAM is safe, secure and

available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For telephone

or Local Oce hours of operation, visit Michigan.gov/

UIA. If you are hearing impaired, TTY service is available

at 1-866-366-0004 or a closed captioned virtual meeting

can be scheduled.

Michigan Identication Number (MIN)

Once your claim is established you will receive a MIN. For

security and privacy when contacting UIA, please use your

A Note on Fraud

Detecting and prosecuting cases involving

unemployment fraud is priority for Michigan’s UI program

to ensure funds are available to pay legitimate claims.

Claims are audited regularly to ensure benets were

properly paid according to state and federal law. If you

received improperly paid benets, you may have to repay

up to 1.5 times the amount of benets received. Your

benets will be stopped, and any remaining benets will

be lost. You may also be subject to criminal prosecution.

If prosecuted, you may be required to pay court costs and

nes, face jail time, perform community service or any

combination of these (see page 15).

Identity Theft

Identity theft occurs in many dierent types of situations,

including unemployment insurance. Identity theft is

when someone uses your personal information such as

your name, address or Social Security number to commit

fraud such as ling a fake unemployment claim (see

page 16).

If you think you may be a victim of identity theft, contact

UIA right away to report it. You can report identity theft

online at Michigan.gov/UIA. Click the “Report Identity

Theft” link or you may call the Customer Service line toll

free at 1-866-500-0017.

ABOUT

UNEMPLOYMENT

INSURANCE

MIN, not your Social Security number (SSN). Your MIN is

the number linked to your UIA records. You will nd this

number on most letters we mail or send to your MiWAM

account. If you receive a document without a MIN, please

refer to your SSN.

Michigan.gov/UIA

WHAT YOU MUST DO TO CLAIM

UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

THE BASICS

MUST DO STEPS

File a Claim (see Fact Sheet 160, Claiming Unemployment Benets

in Michigan).

Choose a payment option (see page 11).

Review your Monetary Determination (see page 5).

Service Center sta (see page 5 for must do steps).

Actively look for work (see page 6).

Certify (also known as reporting) for your benets (see page 11).

Provide updated contact information.

Respond to all information requests by the UIA either by mail or if

you choose to Go Green, respond through your MiWAM account.

When you create your MiWAM account, if you do not specify your

method of contact, it will default to Go Green.

IMPORTANT

Michigan.gov/UIA

Now that you have taken the rst step and led your

claim for unemployment benets, this handbook will

provide you with a general overview of important

things you need to know about the UI program. It is very

important that you read and understand this handbook.

Monetary Determination

After you le for benets, you will receive Form UIA 1575C,

Monetary Determination. This form includes the following:

1. If your claim has been allowed or denied based

on the wages you have earned.

2. How your Weekly Benet Amount (WBA) was

calculated.

3. The number of benet weeks you are allowed.

4. Base period employer(s) and eligible wages.

5. The separation reason for each employer.

6. Registration and work search requirements.

7. What week to begin certifying.

8. Protest rights.

A Monetary Determination with this same information is

also mailed to your current and most recent employers.

Your employer has 10 days from the mail date to respond

to the notice. If your claim is a new claim, no payment will

be released until after 10 days of the mail date on your

Monetary Determination. This may be delayed if there are

additional eligibility questions on your claim.

Respond to Agency Requests

If the Agency has questions regarding your claim, you

may receive Form UIA 1707, Request for Information.

BENEFIT RIGHTS AND

RESPONSIBILITIES

First, create your job seeker prole on Pure

Michigan Talent Connect.

Visit MiTalent.org to get started.

Second, meet with sta from your local

Michigan Works! Service Center, either virtually

or in person.

Contact Michigan Works! at 1-800-285-WORKS

(9675) or nd your local Michigan Works! Service

Center by clicking on the map at

MichiganWorks.org

MUST DO STEPS

Work Registration

STEPS TO REEMPLOYMENT

To meet the Register for Work requirement, you must

complete two steps.

The Register for Work requirement is not met until you

meet with Michigan Works! Service Center sta, who will

verify your job seeker prole and send their verication

to the Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA). You

will receive a conrmation email when the process is

completed successfully.

The two steps - creating a prole and meeting with

Michigan Works! Sta - must be completed and veried at

least one business day before you certify for the rst

time to receive weekly unemployment benets. If you fail

to meet with Michigan Works! Service Center sta, it could

prevent you from receiving your unemployment benets.

After you complete the Register for Work requirement

you won’t need to register again until one year after you

have made your initial claim for unemployment benets.

Michigan.gov/UIA

Inform UIA of Your Work Search Activities

You are required to actively seek work and report at least

one work search activity for each week during your

bi-weekly certication for benets. Your benets will

not be paid until you report your work search activity

for each week to UIA.

Reporting Your Work Search

• Enter your work search activity in your Michigan

Web Account Manager (MiWAM) account at

Michigan.gov/UIA, or

• Certify with Michigan Automated Response

Voice Interactive Network (MARVIN) by calling

1-866-638-3993, Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30

p.m. After completing the automated questions,

you must stay on the line to be connected

with an UIA agent to provide your work search

information for each week. You must provide

your work search activity for each week prior to

benets being released.

To avoid a delay in your certication processing

by holding for an agent, you can complete your

certications online through your MiWAM account.

The record of activities must include at least the following

infomation:

• Date of Contact. The date of your work search

activity must fall within the week ending date

(Sunday through Saturday) for each week you

claim benets.

• Activity. Enter the work search activity for the

week you are claiming benets. One is required,

but additional can be entered.

• Name of Employer/Organization/Search

Engine. Write the name, if known, or the online

job search site, or employment service or agency

that was contacted. If the search was done online

and the employer was not specied, enter the

name of the search engine, employment service

or employment agency. Enter the Michigan

BENEFIT RIGHTS AND

RESPONSIBILITIES

CONT’D

Works! Agency Service Center that you used for

your work search activity.

• Employer Address/Online Location. Enter the

location where work was sought, address or

online website address. If the contact was made

by telephone or fax, enter the phone

number used.

•

Method of Contact. Enter how contact was made

(e.g., online, email, in person, phone, mail, fax, etc.).

You may use the Work Search Activity Worksheet, located in

the back of this booklet, to track your work search activities.

To avoid a delay in receiving benets, your certications

can be completed online through your MiWAM account.

Work search activities include, but are not limited to:

• Submitting applications.

• Contacting employers.

• Checking resources at employment oces.

• Checking job listings at Michigan Works! or

MiTalent Connect.

• Attending job fairs or employment workshops.

The following are not considered work search activities:

• Checking back with a temporary agency for

more work.

• Using your current part-time employer as a

work contact.

• Seeking or working in self-employment.

Reporting Your Work Search When

You Return to Work

It is important to submit your work search for the weeks

you were laid o even after you returned to work.

Michigan.gov/UIA

IMPORTANT

Your work search is subject to audit and verication.

Keep a detailed copy for your records in case you are

selected for an audit. UIA may verify your work search

at any time.

Failing to submit timely and accurate work search

forms may prevent payment of your UI benets.

After collecting 50 percent of your entitled weeks,

you must apply for and accept any work that is

suitable.

It is important to keep your address up-to-date with

UIA, so we can contact you if there is a question

about your payment.

Michigan Works! Agency Service Centers

Visit your local Michigan Works! Agency (MWA) Service

Center to create or update your resume, sharpen your

interview skills and more. Go to MichiganWorks.org

or call 1-800-285-WORK (9675) for the service center

nearest you. You may also be selected to participate

in individualized reemployment services to help you

become employed again. Reemployment services may

include:

• Job search assistance.

• Individualized assessment.

• Job placement services.

• Job search workshops.

• Counseling.

• Job clubs.

• Skills or aptitude testing.

• Resume writing assistance.

If you are selected and fail to participate in a RESEA

appointment, your eligibility may be aected.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT

WORK SEARCH

Temporary Layo

When you led your new claim or reopened your claim,

you were asked about your return-to-work-date. If

you are expected to return to full-time work with your

employer within 45 days from your claim le or reopened

date, your employer can request that you be waived from

the work registration and work search requirements.

Review your Monetary Determination to see if you have

received a waiver. A waiver will also show you the date

you must register by if you do not return to work as

originally expected.

If you are on a temporary layo from a full-time job

(between 45 and 120 days from your last day worked),

you may not have to register for work with an MWA to

receive unemployment benets, however, you may be

required to seek work (see page 6, Work Search in this

booklet for additional information). Review your Monetary

Determination for instructions and nd out if this waiver

applies. In these circumstances, you are still required to

actively look for work.

Union Halls

If you get your job assignment through a union hiring

hall, you do not have to register for work. If you only seek

work through a union hall, you must follow union hiring

hall procedures for checking in for work and report your

weekly activity when you certify.

Michigan.gov/UIA

Manage your unemployment account online using

the Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM). With

MiWAM you can:

• Certify for benets bi-weekly.

• Manage your account 24 hours a day,

7 days a week.

• Change your contact information.

• Respond faster to questions from UIA.

• Submit work search information.

• Submit protests and appeals.

For your convenience you can access both your MiWAM

unemployment account and your Pure Michigan Talent

Connect jobseeker account with the same User ID and

password by creating a MILogin account. MILogin, is a

single sign on system that will allow you to review your

unemployment benet information and see job listings

all on one screen. The Talent Dashboard will show you

your benet status, job opportunities based on your

PMTC prole, and even provides a to-do list so you don’t

miss important deadlines.

Before you can create your MiWAM account, you must

create a MILogin account. If you have already created

a MILogin account through another State of Michigan

department, log in through your existing MILogin

account and link your MiWAM account. Visit Michigan.

gov/UIA. Click on MiWAM – for Workers to begin the sign

up process. Once you have completed the MILogin sign

up process, you will be taken to the MiWAM screen.

For information on how to use MiWAM, see the MiWAM

toolkit which can be found at Michigan.gov/UIA.

Keep your contact information up-to-date so that we can

notify you of any issues related to your claim or benet

payments.

Go Green

If you choose to ‘Go Green’, you will no longer receive

correspondence by regular mail. Instead it will be sent to

your MiWAM account. If you do not specify your method

of contact when you create your MiWAM account, it will

default to Go Green. You should make it a habit to check

your MiWAM account regularly so that you can respond

to requested information on time. You can change your

Go Green status at any time by logging into your MiWAM

account and selecting “Set Go Green Preference”.

If you have questions you may contact us through your

MiWAM account or by calling the Customer Service line

toll free at 1-866-500-0017.

CREATING YOUR

ONLINE ACCOUNT

KEEP YOUR CONTACT

INFORMATION UPDATED

Michigan.gov/UIA

QTR 1 QTR 2 QTR 3 QTR 4

ELIGIBILITY FOR

BENEFITS

To be eligible for unemployment benets you must be:

• Available for Work. You are willing to accept any

full-time work that is suitable, any day of the week

and on any shift.

• Able to Work. You are physically and mentally able

to do full-time work that you have performed in

the past or have been trained for.

• Seeking Work. You are actively looking for full-time

work (see Steps to Reemployment on page 5).

Wages to Establish a Claim

In every year there are four calendar quarters. They are:

To determine if you have enough wages to qualify for

benets, UIA rst looks at what is called your Standard

Base Period. This is a period of four calendar quarters. We

look at the wages you were paid in the rst four of the

last ve completed quarters.

• You must have at least one quarter in which you

earned a minimum of $3,744.00.

• You must have wages in at least two calendar

quarters in the base period.

Jan Apr Jul Oct

Feb May Aug Nov

Mar Jun Sep Dec

If you do not meet the wage requirements using the

Standard Base Period, you may be able to use the

Alternate Base Period. UIA automatically looks at your

wages paid in the four most recently completed

calendar quarters.

QTR 1 QTR 2 QTR 3 QTR 4

ALTERNATE BASE PERIOD

FILE

QTR

Must have earned

at least $3,744

QTR 1 2019

QTR 4 2017

• Your total base period wages must equal 1.5 times

your highest quarter wages.

STANDARD BASE PERIOD

FILE

QTR

LAG

QTR

Must have earned

at least $3,744

QTR 3 2018

QTR 2 2018

QTR 1 2018

QTR 4 2017

QTR 1 2019

QTR 4 2018

(First four quarters)

(Four most recent quarters)

QTR 4 2018

QTR 3 2018

QTR 2 2018

QTR 1 2018

Michigan.gov/UIA

If you don’t meet the wage requirements in either the

Standard Base Period or the Alternate Base Period, you

may still be able to qualify for benets using the Alternate

Earnings Qualifer. This means:

• You must have wages in at least two calendar

quarters in the base period.

• In the calendar quarter in which you had the

highest wages, your wages were at least 20 times

the State Average Weekly Wage.

Weekly Benet Amount

Your Weekly Benet Amount (WBA) is determined

by your quarterly wages. The amount you receive in

unemployment benets is calculated by multiplying

the highest amount of wages paid to you in any base

period quarter by 4.1 percent. The maximum benet

payment you can receive is $362. See your Monetary

Determination for calculations using your information.

Number of Qualifying Weeks

Your number of weeks allowed is determined by

multiplying your total base period wages by 43 percent,

dividing by your WBA and rounding down to the nearest

half week. The maximum number of benets is 20 and

the minimum number of weeks is 14. See your Monetary

Determination, for calculations using your information.

Your Separation Reason May Aect

Your Eligibility for Benets

To qualify for benets, you must have lost your job

through no fault of your own.

You have the right to leave a job for any reason at any

time, but the reason for the separation will determine if

and when you will receive benets. If you are red from

your job, it is important to specify the reason. You

will be sent fact nding questions and it is important to

include as much detailed information as possible. Once

we receive all information from you and your employer,

you will be sent Form UIA 1302, Notice of Determination,

showing whether or not you are eligible.

Other Items that May Aect

Your Benet Amount

Dependents. This includes any family member who

received more than half of his/her support from you for at

least 90 days before layo. You can receive an additional

$6.00 for each dependent, up to ve dependents.

Examples include: your spouse, children, step-children,

disabled children, etc. (see Fact Sheet #158, What is a

Dependent?).

Taxes. Your UI benets are taxable by the federal and

State of Michigan governments. You may choose to have

both taxes withheld from your weekly payment, but you

cannot choose only one.

The federal income tax deduction is 10% of the taxable

portion and the State of Michigan income tax deduction

is 4.25%. The taxable portion is after pension, earnings,

fraud penalties, overpayment recoupment, child support,

and other exemptions are deducted from your weekly

benet payment.

By the end of January of each year, you will be mailed

Form 1099-G, Certain Government Payments, which

reports benets paid to you the previous calendar year.

You will need this form to report your income for both

the federal and state income tax purposes.

Friend of the Court. Court ordered child support

payments can reduce unemployment insurance benets

by up to 65%.

Earnings. Work earned income.

Benet Overpayment. Occurs when you receive

unemployment benets that you were not entitled to

receive.

Restitution. Repayment of unemployment benets that

were paid but you were not entitled to receive.

ELIGIBILITY

FOR BENEFITS

CONT’D

Michigan.gov/UIA

Payment Options

You will receive your unemployment insurance benet

payments electronically. You must select a payment method

once you have reviewed the disclosure information. These

options are:

• Direct Deposit into your checking or savings

account. You will need your account number

and routing number for this option.

• Debit Card issued by U.S. Bank.

Questions on page 20). If certifying using MARVIN, your

certication day and time are determined based on using

the last two digits of your Social Security number (SSN).

Find the last two digits of your SSN in the chart below and

certify during the corresponding day and time of the day.

RECEIVING

PAYMENTS

You may change your selection through your MiWAM account

or by calling the Customer Service line. The payment method

will default to debit card if no option is chosen (see Fact Sheet

#119, Electronic Payment Options).

Bi-Weekly Certications

You must certify bi-weekly to receive benets. If you

certify online, you can certify anytime during your

certication week. If you certify using MARVIN, you must

certify on your scheduled certication day and time.

You must certify your eligibility every two weeks to receive

payments. Your certication week begins on Sunday and ends

on Saturday of each week. The preferred method of certifying

is online through your MiWAM account, although certifying

by phone is also available (see Bi-Weekly Certication

The ReliaCard

issued by U.S. Bank

National Association

pursuant to a license

from Visa U.S.A. Inc.

Member FDIC.

CALL IN SCHEDULE FOR CERTIFYING BY PHONE

LAST 2 DIGITS

OF SSN

DAY OF

THE WEEK

EASTERN TIME

00-15 Mon

8:00 AM – 12:30 PM

16-33 Mon

12:30 PM – 4:30 PM

34-48 Tue

8:00 AM – 12:30 PM

49-66 Tue

12:30 PM – 4:30 PM

67-81 Wed

8:00 AM – 12:30 PM

82-99 Wed

12:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Make-up Thu

8:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Make-up Fri

8:00 AM – 4:30 PM

If you are unable to certify on your scheduled day and

time, you may certify on either Thursday or Friday.

Thursdays and Fridays are make-up days.

You can certify:

• Online. Visit Michigan.gov/UIA and log into your

MiWAM account. Certication must be completed

by 11:59 p.m. the Saturday of your scheduled

reporting week.

• By phone (also known as MARVIN). Call

1-866-638-3993 Monday - Friday,

8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Michigan.gov/UIA

How Often Do I Certify for My Benets?

Look at the Bi-Weekly Certications section of your

Monetary Determination or in your MiWAM account

under Account Alerts on the claim to nd your rst

reporting week. Certify every other week (bi-weekly) to

continue to claim benets after your initial reporting week.

If you do not certify during your reporting week, you

are late. You must inform UIA of the reason you are late

reporting for those weeks by responding to questions

about your eligibility. A determination will be issued

letting you know which weeks, if any, can be paid. If you

do not have good cause for reporting late, you will not be

paid for the weeks for which you are reporting through

the Saturday before your next reporting week.

For Example: A claim is led on Tuesday, July 2 and

has an eective date of Sunday, June 30. A Monetary

Determination is mailed on Friday, July 5. Your rst

bi-weekly certication should be completed between

Monday, July 15 and Saturday, July 20. Even if you le

the certication on Monday, payment cannot be issued

until after Monday, July 15 (10 days from the Monetary

Determination mail date).

S M T W T F S

1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

28 29 30 31

JULY

IMPORTANT

Your PIN is YOUR SECRET identication number and

you are responsible for any certication using your

PIN. DO NOT GIVE OUT YOUR PIN TO ANYONE!

Personal Identication Number

If you choose to certify by phone, you will need to set up

a secret four-digit Personal Identication Number (PIN).

Your PIN serves as your electronic signature for claiming

unemployment benets. You do not need a PIN to claim

weeks of unemployment or to get information about

your claim if you use MiWAM.

When selecting your PIN, be sure to choose numbers

that will be easy for you to remember. Your PIN cannot

include more than two identical digits in a row, and your

PIN cannot be sequential numbers, such as ‘1234’ or ‘9876’.

If you forget your PIN, need to reset your PIN, or if you

believe someone else knows your PIN, you may reset it by

verifying your identity. Visit

Michigan.gov/UIA

for more

information.

RECEIVING

PAYMENTS

CONT’D

For Example: You are scheduled to report by

October 17 for the weeks ending October 3 and October

10. You do not report until October 26 without

good cause.

You will not be paid for the weeks ending October 3,

October 10, and October 17 if you do not have good

cause for the late certication.

Your initial payment will not be released until 10 days

from the mail date on the Monetary Determination. This

period serves as a protest period for the employer(s) on

the claim. If you are eligible and qualied for benets

and you have led your bi-weekly certications, your rst

payment will be automatically issued.

Michigan.gov/UIA

When to Reopen Your Claim

Each time you return to work after ling your original

claim and are separated from that employer, if within the

same benet year, you must le an additional claim.

There are certain circumstances under which your claim

will close. This includes:

• If you did not certify for benets within your two

scheduled reporting weeks.

• If you waived three weeks of benets in a row.

• If you stopped certifying for benets because you

returned to work or another reason.

If any of these apply and you later need to resume ling

for unemployment benets, you cannot just contact

MiWAM or MARVIN for benet payments.

You must reopen your claim using MiWAM or by calling

1-866-500-0017. File during the rst week for which you

are claiming benets.

How to Report Earnings and Other

Payments

You may work part-time and collect a partial

unemployment benet payment. The unemployment

week begins on Sunday and ends on Saturday even

though your employer may have a dierent pay schedule.

Be sure to report the total gross earnings for work you

performed in the week you are claiming. The total gross

earnings are earnings before any deductions. The total

gross earnings must be reported even if you have not

received your paycheck for that week.

You must report all of your earnings including

payments of:

• Pension/retirement.

• Holiday pay.

• Vacation pay.

• Severance pay.

Failure to correctly report your earnings could result in

repayment of up to 1.5 times the amount of benets

received. Benets will be stopped, and any remaining

benets will be lost. You may also be subject to criminal

prosecution. If prosecuted, you may be required to pay

court costs and nes, face jail time, perform community

service or any combination of these.

You are only entitled to benets for the week(s) you were

unemployed. Reporting for additional weeks of benets

could result in repayment of benets in addition to

penalties and interest.

Flexible Weeks: How to Report Earnings

Flexible week benets are benets paid for a seven-

day period of unemployment that does not begin on a

Sunday. This happens only when you earn as much as,

or more than 1.5 times your Weekly Benet Amount in

each of two consecutive calendar weeks, but within those

two weeks, there is a period of seven consecutive days or

more in which you had not performed any work and had

no earnings.

If You Made a Mistake Giving Information

If you made a mistake giving information online or over

the phone and have already been issued your payment,

immediately call the Customer Service line at 1-866-500-

0017. By contacting us immediately you can prevent a

nding of fraud, though you may have to pay back any

benets you received but to which you were not entitled.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

18665000017

Michigan.gov/UIA

Neither MiWAM nor MARVIN can be used to claim a

exible week. If you want to claim a exible week,

contact Customer Service.

What Can Stop You from Getting Paid?

The most common reason someone may not receive

unemployment benets has to do with the reason they

were separated from their job. If you separate from your

last employer, or other employers on your claim, we

will gather information from you and your employers.

We will make a determination after evaluating the

information and applying the state law. You will receive

the determination by mail or delivered to your MiWAM

account.

If you are disqualied, you may lose some or all of your

benets. Some examples of disqualication are:

• Quitting voluntarily without good cause due to

the fault of the employer.

• Being red for misconduct connected with

the work (example: violation of the company’s

attendance policy or intentional poor job

performance).

• Being red for intoxication while at work.

• Being red for absence due to conviction and

imprisonment.

• Being red for assault and battery connected

with work.

RECEIVING

PAYMENTS

CONT’D

• Being red for theft.

• Willful destruction of property in connection

with work.

• Being red for testing positive for illegal drugs on

a drug test.

• Involvement in a labor dispute.

• Failing to report to work for three consecutive

days without notifying the employer (three days,

no call/no show).

• Failing to accept an oer of suitable work.

• Failing to notify a temporary help rm within

seven days that a work assignment has ended.

Michigan.gov/UIA

An overpayment occurs when you receive

unemployment benets that you are not entitled to.

This could occur if you made a mistake when certifying

for benets, if you were not able or available to work,

or you knowingly gave false or misleading information

when ling a claim.

If you are overpaid unemployment benets, you will

receive a letter notifying you of the overpayment

and how to start the repayment process. If you have

been overpaid benets and are currently employed,

contact the UI Benet Overpayment Collection Unit at

1-866-500-0017 to arrange repayment terms.

If you are still receiving unemployment benets while

you have an overpayment, 50 percent (or 100 percent

if fraud was involved) of your weekly unemployment

benets will be taken for repayment (this is called

recoupment).

Interest on overpayments is 1 percent per month. Interest

accrues daily and will continue to accrue until the total

amount due is paid.

OVERPAYMENTS

Failure to repay benets improperly received can

also result in:

Garnishment of your wages.

Your federal and State of Michigan income

tax refunds can be taken to pay the debt.

Lottery winnings you claim in excess of

$1,000 may be intercepted.

Your claim being referred for criminal

prosecution as a felony.

You may not be able to receive future

benet payments.

IMPORTANT

Michigan.gov/UIA

Detecting and prosecuting cases involving

unemployment fraud is a priority for Michigan’s UI

program. Claims are audited regularly to ensure benets

were properly paid according to state and federal law. It

is against state law to intentionally make false statements

or conceal material information to gain or avoid the

payment of benets. You may have to repay up to 1.5

times the amount of benets received. Benets will be

stopped, and any remaining benets will be lost. You may

also be subject to criminal prosecution. If prosecuted,

you may be required to pay court costs and nes, face jail

time, perform community service or any combination of

these.

Some examples of intentional misrepresentation (fraud)

include:

• You nd a part-time job and begin working while

still collecting benets but do not report your

gross earnings.

• You are employed full time and do not report it

to UIA.

• You provided false information about your work

search eorts.

• You were ill or injured or on vacation and did not

report that you were unable or unavailable to

work.

• You did not report other types of pay to UIA such

as vacation, holiday or severance pay.

• You had someone else complete your bi-weekly

certications.

• You had someone else le your claim.

UIA can review a payment up to three years after it has

been determined that the payment was the result of

fraud. It is important to keep your address updated with

UIA, so we can contact you to resolve the issue if there is

a question about your payment.

FRAUD

Report suspected fraud online at

Michigan.gov/UIA and click on Report

Fraud Now; by telephone at

1-866-500-0017, or log into your MiWAM

account and click on Report Fraud.

IMPORTANT

Michigan.gov/UIA

Identity theft occurs in many dierent types of situations,

including unemployment insurance. Identity theft is

when someone uses your personal information such as

your name, address or Social Security number to commit

fraud such as ling a fake unemployment claim.

Some signs of identity theft are:

• You attempt to le an unemployment claim, but

one already exists for you.

• You receive an IRS statement of benets collected

from Unemployment Insurance.

• You were notied by your employer that a

claim for benets was led while you were still

employed.

• You receive a monetary determination from UIA

and the name on the form is not yours.

If you think you may be a victim of identity theft, contact

us right away to report it. You can report identity theft

online at Michigan.gov/UIA. Click the “Report Identity

Theft” link or call the Customer Service line.

IDENTITY THEFT

Ways to protect yourself from becoming a victim

of identity theft:

Guard your Social Security number. Give

out the number only when absolutely

necessary.

Shred receipts, credit oers, account

statements and expired cards to prevent

“dumpster divers” from getting your

personal information.

Review your credit report at least once

a year to make sure it doesn’t include

accounts that you have not opened.

When contacting UIA, use your MIN

number, not your Social Security number.

Your MIN is linked to your UI records.

IMPORTANT

Michigan.gov/UIA

If you are found to be disqualied or ineligible, and you

disagree with the decision, you have the right to protest a

determination or appeal a redetermination.

Protest

A Determination is the rst level of UIA decision making. If

the Determination is not in your favor, you have the right

to protest. A protest must be received within 30 days from

the mail date on the Determination. When protesting late,

you should include an explanation of why the protest is

late. The address and fax number for your protest will be

included on the Determination.

Appeal

A Redetermination is issued after a protest is received by

UIA. If the Redetermination is not in your favor, you have

the right to appeal. The address and fax number for your

appeal will be included on the Redetermination. When

appealing late, you should include an explanation of why

the request for appeal is late.

Appeals are handled by the Michigan Oce of Administrative

Hearings and Rules (MOAHR). You will receive a Notice

of Hearing by mail. MOAHR is not a part of UIA, so all

documentation needs to be submitted to the oce listed on

your Notice of Hearing. After receiving the notice, you will

be scheduled for a hearing with an administrative law judge

(ALJ). Other interested parties, representatives from UIA and

your employer will also receive a notice. Hearings may occur by

phone or in person. See your Notice of Hearing for more details.

Advocacy Information

After you appeal your redetermination to the MOAHR, an

advocate may be able to assist you at the hearing. This

service is free to unemployed workers and employers.

However, if the administrative law judge nds that you

have committed fraud you must pay the cost of the

advocacy services. If you would like the assistance of an

advocate, once you have received your Notice of Hearing,

call the Advocacy Program at 1-800-638-3994. Some

restrictions in service may apply.

Unemployment Insurance Appeals

Commission

Once an ALJ has issued a decision, you will receive it by

mail. If the decision is not in your favor, you have the

right to appeal to the Unemployment Insurance Appeals

Commission (UIAC). This appeal is required to be led

in writing and can be received by mail or fax. See your

decision issued by the ALJ for the correct address and fax

number for your appeal. An appeal of the ALJ’s decision

must be received by UIAC within 30 days from the mail

date of the decision.

Circuit Court

You can appeal a decision from the UIAC to circuit court.

However, ling at circuit court does require ling fees. Any

costs or fees associated with appealing to the circuit court

are then paid by the person requesting the appeal. To be

on time, any appeal to a circuit court must be received

within 30 days from the mail date on the UIAC decision.

PROTEST AND

APPEAL RIGHTS

IMPORTANT

While your protest or appeal is ongoing, continue to

certify on time using MiWAM or MARVIN during your

reporting week(s) until you return to full-time work. This

will protect your right to receive benets if the issue on

your claim is settled in your favor. If you win your case,

you will only be paid for the weeks you certied on time.

Michigan.gov/UIA

HELPFUL INFORMATION

Crossmatch Programs

Any information you provide when applying or certifying

for benets will be veried through computer matching

programs. We conduct crossmatches to prevent and

detect identity theft, improper payments, and fraud. These

programs look for a variety of factors, including:

• Unemployed workers using fraudulent Social Security

numbers and/or driver license numbers.

• Workers collecting unemployment benets and

working at the same time without reporting

these earnings.

• Working in another state and collecting Michigan

unemployment benets without reporting

these earnings.

• Attempting to le for unemployment benets while

in jail.

You may be contacted if your claim is selected during the

crossmatch process. Failure to respond may result in you

being considered ineligible for benets, so it is important

that you keep your contact information up to date.

Benet Accuracy Measurement

Program (BAM)

The Benet Accuracy Measurement program (BAM) is used

to determine the integrity, quality and accuracy of UIA

decisions and payments in Michigan. Your claim may be

randomly selected to be audited as part of this program. If

your claim is reviewed, you will be contacted for an in-depth

interview. We will ask for work history and work search

contacts for a specic week. In most cases, the review will

conrm that your claim was processed correctly. However,

if you were improperly paid, adjustments will be made and

penalties may be assessed if the overpayment was the result

of fraud.

Preserving Benet Entitlement

If you become totally disabled while receiving unemployment

benets, you may be able to preserve or “freeze” unused

benets until you are able to work again and become

unemployed. To preserve your benet entitlement, submit

a written request within 90 days after your disability begins.

If your medical condition prevents you from submitting

the request on time, you may submit your written request

within 90 days after you become able to le. A person can

request a preservation of benet entitlement if they have

been unable to work for up to 3 years.

Trade Act (TAA/TRA)

Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) is available to workers

who lose their jobs or whose hours of work and wages

are reduced as a result of trade with other countries.

TAA includes a variety of benets and services to help

unemployed workers nd a new job. Workers may be

eligible for training, reemployment services and money

to move to a new location for a job. Assistance may also

include Trade Readjustment Allowances (TRA) which

provide a weekly income if your benets have run out and

you are still unemployed.

Contact the TRA Unit at 1-866-500-0017 for more

information or visit the UIA Website at Michigan.gov/UIA to

view or download Publication UIA 1628Y – Apply for Trade

Adjustment Assistance (TAA).

Employer Filed Claims (EFC)

With Employer Filed Claims, employers submit claims for

laid-o workers electronically. Even though your employer

has led a claim for you, you must still certify every two

weeks through MiWAM or by phone with MARVIN. If you

are unemployed for any reason other than lack of work,

you must le your own claim during your rst week of

unemployment. You must also le your own claim if your

employer does not participate in EFC.

For questions or concerns about EFC claims – call

1-866-500-0017; TTY call 1-866-366-0004 or schedule a

virtual appointment with the option of closed captioning.

FREQUENTLY USED TERMS

ALJ Administrative Law Judge

BAM Benet Accuracy Measurement Program

EFC Employer Filed Claim

MARVIN Michigan’s Automated Response Voice

Interactive Network

MIWAM Michigan Web Account Manager

MIN Michigan Identication Number

MWA Michigan Works! Agency Service Center

PIN Personal Identication Number

TRA Trade Readjustment Allowance

WBA Weekly Benet Amount

UI Unemployment Insurance

Michigan.gov/UIA

Alternate Base Period. The newest four quarters in an 18 month

time period from your last date of work.

Standard Base Period. The oldest four quarters in an 18 month

time period before your last date of work.

Benet Year Beginning Date (BYB). The rst date of a new

claim, which is, normally the rst Sunday of the week in which an

application for benets is led.

Benet Year Ending Date (BYE). The last date of the claim in the

benet year which falls at the end of 52 weeks after the BYB date

which is normally a Saturday.

Benets. The payments that you may be eligible to receive for

each week.

Benet Week. A seven day period that the client is requesting

payment

Calendar Quarter. A quarter is a three-month period in a

calendar year. Example: January, February, March are considered

the rst quarter of a year.

FREQUENTLY USED TERMS CONT’D

Certifying. In order to receive benets you must contact UIA and

complete a series of questions. This is done either by using your

MiWAM account or calling MARVIN every two weeks.

Determination. A decision made by UIA involving issues that may

aect whether you receive benets or not. For example: you were

red or quit or your ability or availability to work is in question.

Gross Earnings. The total amount of wages/earnings that you

have made with an employer prior to any deductions.

Monetary Determination. An explanation of whether your

claim is allowed or denied based on earnings received from

the employer(s).

Suitable Work. A job that you are physically able to perform

and have experience or education in. It is within a reasonable

distance for commuting from home and pays the

prevailing wage.

Waived Week. A week of benets that you do not wish

to be paid.

BIWEEKLY CERTIFICATION QUESTIONS

MARVIN includes questions for the online and telephone

certication process. The questions are:

1. Has your address changed since your last

certication?

• If you are completing the certication through

MiWAM, you will have the option to update

your address at the time you are reporting.

• If you are completing the certication on the

phone, you will need to call Customer Service

at 1-866-500-0017 to change your address or

complete Form UIA 1925- Request for Name

and/or Address Change.

2. Are you claiming the week beginning Sunday, (date)

through Saturday, (date)?

• If you worked full time this week or do not wish

to claim this week for any reason, answer NO.

• This response will be recorded as a waived

week of benets.

• If you answer ‘No’ for more than two

consecutive weeks your claim will become

inactive. To claim future benets, you must le

to reopen your claim.

3. Were you available to accept full-time work every

day between Sunday, (date) and Saturday, (date)?

• Answer “Yes” if you were ready and willing to

accept full-time work on EVERY day between

the Sunday date and Saturday date on this

certication.

4. Were you physically and mentally able to perform

full-time work for any employer from Sunday, (date)

through Saturday (date)?

• Answer “Yes” if you were physically and mentally

able to perform job duties on EVERY day

between the Sunday date and Saturday date on

this certication.

5. Did you look for work during the week Sunday,

(date) through Saturday, (date)?

• To be eligible for unemployment benets, you

must actively look for work during each week

you claim benets and you must report at least

one job search contact that you made during

each week you claim benets, unless you have

been given a waiver from seeking work.

• You may look for work using any method you

wish. Examples include but are not limited

to internet, newspaper, in person, fax, etc.

However, you are required to make contact

with these companies. Examples of contact

include applications, resumes, interviews, etc.

Simply looking online or in a newspaper is not

considered a job contact.

Michigan.gov/UIA

• When completing your certications through

your MiWAM account, you can enter your job

searches at the time you are completing the

online certication questions.

• MARVIN users must hold for an agent in order

to provide their work search activity.

6. Did you quit any job between Sunday, (date) through

Saturday, (date)?

• Choose “Yes” only if you quit any job during this

certication week.

7. Did you refuse any job(s) or oer(s) of work between

Sunday, (date) through Saturday, (date)?

8. Were you red from any job between Sunday, (date)

through Saturday, (date)?

• Choose “Yes” only if you were red from any job

during this certication week.

9. Did you BEGIN attending school or training classes

between Sunday, (date) through Saturday, (date)?

10. Did you do any type of work between Sunday, (date)

through Saturday, (date)?

• Answer “Yes” if you worked on any date between

the Sunday date and the Saturday date of this

certication.

11. Did you have any earnings, even if you have

not been paid, between Sunday, (date) through

Saturday, (date)?

• If you worked on any day during this week you

MUST answer “Yes” to this question. This question

is not asking if you have received pay for those

hours worked yet.

• You must report your gross earnings each week.

12. Did you BEGIN receiving a pension between Sunday,

(date) through Saturday, (date)?

13. Did you receive vacation pay between Sunday, (date)

through Saturday, (date)?

14. Did you receive, or will you receive holiday pay for

a holiday that occurred between Sunday, (date)

through Saturday, (date)?

15. Did you receive severance pay between Sunday,

(date) through Saturday, (date)?

• Answer “Yes” if you received separation pay,

severance pay, wage continuation, payment

in lieu of notice, or termination pay between

the Sunday date and Saturday date on this

certication.

16. Did you receive bonus pay between Sunday, (date)

through Saturday, (date)?

BIWEEKLY CERTIFICATION QUESTIONS CONT’D

• Answer “Yes” if you received bonus pay between

the Sunday date and Saturday date on this

certication.

17. Did you return to full time work on or after Sunday,

(date) and on or before Saturday, (date)?

For accuracy, please review your MiWAM responses. If you

called MARVIN, your answers will be repeated. You will be

required to certify that all the information you provided is

true and correct by agreeing to the following:

I understand that the answers I give may aect my benet

payments. I certify that I am the individual listed on this claim.

Answering questions or certifying for benets for anyone

other than yourself is considered fraud and is punishable by

law. I understand that making false statements, concealing

information or misrepresenting facts is considered fraud. I

understand that if I give false information to receive benets,

I will have to repay benets, my claim may be stopped, I may

be required to pay additional fees, and could serve time in

prison. I understand the penalties for committing fraud and

certify that the answers I have given for the week mm-dd-

yyyy through mm-dd-yyyy are true and correct.

It is considered fraud if you make a false statement or conceal

material information to obtain benets you are not entitled

to receive. If you are found to have committed fraud, your

current benets will be stopped, and you will not be eligible

for future benets. You will also be required to repay the

benets you have already received and assessed fraud

penalties of up to 1.5 times the amount you received. You will

also be subject to criminal prosecution. If prosecuted, you

may be required to pay court costs and nes, face jail time,

perform community service or any combination of these.

Michigan.gov/UIA

CONFIDENTIALITY AND DISCLOSURE INFORMATION

The information you provide UIA, including your Social

Security number, is condential and is only disclosed

in accordance with the law. This includes information

provided on all claim documents, forms, and information

submitted by you or the involved employer(s). If allowed

by law, your information may be requested and used for

other governmental purposes, including, but not limited to,

verication of eligibility under other government programs.

Your information could also be provided upon request for

statistical, research and unemployment insurance purposes.

All employers must report the names, Social Security

numbers and wages of all their employees. This wage

information is required by law and may be provided to other

governmental agencies to verify eligibility.

Some reasons that your information may be requested are:

• Department of Health and Human Services

General Assistance.

• Medicaid.

• Bridge cards.

• Other public assistance programs.

• Friend of the Court.

• Michigan Department of Treasury.

• The Internal Revenue Service.

• Law enforcement agencies in connection with

a criminal investigation.

• Colleges and universities for research purposes.

Your information is condential by law so this means your

spouse, child or other chosen individual will not be able to

discuss your claim with any UIA sta member without a

signed authorization from you.

Work Search Activity Worksheet

This is not an official document required by the Unemployment Insurance Agency

Keep this document for your records

You must actively seek work and report at least one weekly work search activity per week during your bi-weekly certification for

benefits. Benefits will not be released until work search activity is reported. Use this document to help track your work search

activities.

Example:

Week ending date ___7/11/2020_________ (Enter a Saturday date)

Date of

contact

Activity*

Organization/employer/

search engine

Address/website URL/phone /fax

Method of contact

7/6/2020

Application completed

ABC company

ABCco.@gmail.com

online

7/8/2020

Resume writing workshop

Michigan Works

Saginaw MI

in person

Complete this chart to track you work search activities:

week ending date __________ (Enter a Saturday)

Date of

contact

Activity *

Organization/employer/

search engine

Address/website URL/phone /fax

Method of contact

week ending date ____________ (Enter a Saturday)

Date of

contact

Activity *

Organization/employer/

search engine

Address/website URL/phone /fax

Method of contact

*Work search activities may include the following: Submitting applications, contacting employers, checking resources at employment offices, checking job listings at

Michigan Works! Service Centers, and attending job fairs or employment workshops

DO NOT SEND THIS WORKSHEET TO UIA TO DOCUMENT YOUR WORK SEARCH ACTIVITIES.

This document is a worksheet and not an official document required by the UIA. Use of this worksheet is optional.

UIA 1901

(Rev. 10-21)

READ THIS IMPORTANT INFORMATION

KEEP THIS BOOKLET FOR ONE YEAR

State of Michigan

Unemployment Insurance Agency

9023 Joseph Campau

Hamtramck, MI 48212

Michigan.gov/UIA

UIA is an equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids, services and other reasonable

accommodations are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.

Gretchen Whitmer, Governor

State of Michigan