UNEMPLOYED WORKERS CAN CLAIM BENEFITS THROUGHOUT PRESIDENTS' DAY HOLIDAY

Contact: Melanie Brown 313-456-2939

Agency: Licensing and Regulatory Affairs

FEBRUARY 18, 2011 - Michigan's Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) will be closed to observe the Presidents' Day national holiday on Monday, February 21.

Though the agency will be closed, workers can still contact the Michigan Automated Response Voice Interactive Network (MARVIN) system to claim their unemployment benefits and can do so by telephone or online.

"We know how important it is for residents who claim unemployment benefits to have access to the services they need, even during the holidays," said Stephen Geskey, UIA Director.

"The MARVIN system helps UIA be ‘on call and online' ready to assist Michigan residents so they don't have to worry about the status of their claim and can instead continue to focus on seeking new employment opportunities, assured their claims have been efficiently handled," Geskey stated.

MARVIN is available online to those with free online web accounts at www.michigan.gov/uia and is available to users anytime during their reporting week from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Monday through Friday, and from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM on most Saturdays.

Bi-weekly certification through MARVIN Online is just one of many services available to users through the Claim Web Account Manager (CWAM), UIA's online portal that gives users direct access to their account. Using CWAM, claimants can access account information, obtain 1099 tax statements and even get answers to questions using the Virtual Problem Resolution (ViPR) team - where claimants can send an online inquiry and receive the reply directly by email.

Individuals who contact MARVIN by telephone must do so during specific times according to a Monday through Wednesday schedule based on the last two digits of their Social Security numbers or anytime on Thursday or Friday between 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM and on most Saturdays between 7:00 AM and 3:00 PM. MARVIN can be reached toll-free at 1-866-638-3993.

Because of the upcoming holiday, there may be a one or two day delay before the benefits are either directly deposited into the bank accounts or loaded onto the debit cards of unemployed workers. The Presidents' Day holiday is observed by Michigan state government and most financial institutions.

For more information about LARA, please visit www.michigan.gov/lara. Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/michiganLARA, "Like" us on Facebook or find us on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/michiganLARA