Barring immediate action from Congress, Livingston County workers on unemployment will be losing the $600 bonus.


The Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) provided updated information to workers on the expiration of the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (PUC) program which passed as part of the federal CARES Act in March. Unless Congress acts, the PUC program will end on Saturday, as states do not have the ability to extend the program. A release from the State Emergency Operations Center states that they are still unclear on whether Congress will act to extend, reduce, or eliminate the program which has given claimants an extra $600 of benefits since the week ending April 4th. Those eligible for unemployment will continue to receive benefits of up to $362 as it was before the outbreak. UIA Director Steve Gray said they know the ending of these additional benefits will cause many to worry about their future, but that they remain committed to providing emergency financial assistance to Michigan workers whose jobs were affected by COVID-19. Gray encourages those impacted to utilize other resources the State of Michigan has to offer. Since March 15, over 2.1 million potentially eligible claimants with certification have applied for state and federal benefits, with the UIA saying that 97.6% of those have been paid at least once. These 2 million Michigan workers have received $19-billion in benefits.