AUGUST 1, 2008 – Michigan's Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) paid out more than $19 million in newly approved federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) for last week – the first full week in which the agency began issuing payments.

"Through last week, UIA had received about 77,500 applications for the EUC program," Keith W. Cooley, director of the Department Labor & Economic Growth, said.  "From those applications, the agency had processed 62,700 and ruled that 55,700 qualified for the federal benefits.  Another 14,800 applications were awaiting processing."

The EUC program offers up 13 weeks of federally-funded unemployment benefits to jobless workers who have exhausted all of their state unemployment benefits.

"These benefits are coming at a time when some of our long-term unemployed workers are in real need of financial assistance," Cooley said, "and will help them in coping with the growing costs for food, shelter and gasoline as they continue to seek new employment."

Cooley recognized Governor Jennifer M. Granholm's quick action in signing the agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor allowing Michigan to participate in the program.

"Once the agreement was signed, the Unemployment Insurance Agency was able to quickly move to identify, mail out and process applications for the EUC program," he said.

The first week for which EUC benefits are payable is the week of July 7, and by July 14, UIA had identified and mailed EUC applications to 212,000 potentially eligible workers in the state.  The payments issued last week generally covered the weeks of July 7 and July 14.

UIA Director Stephen Geskey noted that not all of those who were mailed EUC applications have completed and returned them to the agency.  "In many cases, we believe the workers have found new employment and are now working," he said, "and in other cases, the workers may have moved and not given us their new addresses."

Workers asking about their potential eligibility for EUC benefits have been calling agency phone lines for about the past two weeks, making it extremely difficult for callers to get through on the agency's toll-free claims line.  July is also one of the peak periods for unemployment claims because of temporary seasonal shutdowns in the auto industry.  Geskey urged those trying to reach the agency to be patient but persistent in calling the agency's claims line (1-866-500-0017), which is open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays.

Read more Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth press releases.