By Mike Kruzman / news@whmi.com


Livingston County residents who may have been overpaid unemployment benefits during the pandemic will have that mistake waived.

The Unemployment Insurance Agency has begun notifying claimants who no longer qualify for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits of the overpayment waivers. In June, claimants were asked to requalify for PUA by providing necessary information to remain eligible for the federal program. Four eligibility reasons that were options at the beginning of the pandemic were later found to be non-qualifying by the U.S. Department of Labor.

After those notifications were sent out, Governor Gretchen Whitmer supported Michigan’s use of waivers from the Department of Labor. She said, in a release, “No one who followed the rules and received benefits through no fault of their own should have to pay back money to the federal government.”

The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity reports that of the 690,000 state residents that were asked to re-qualify, approximately 241,000 responded.

Waivers will be granted to the initial group of non-responses, many of whom may no longer qualify for collecting benefits. For those that did respond, their cases are being reviewed to determine if they have a valid COVID-19-related reason which may allow them to continue receiving benefits. Affected claimants will receive notification in their MiWAM account, or by mail.