UIA Local Office in Grand Rapids relocates temporarily during renovations

Staff moves to nearby DHHS location for in-person appointments

The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency’s (UIA) Grand Rapids Local Office will close temporarily beginning Monday, March 3, 2025, for additional renovations lasting about a month.

During renovations at the Local Office at 3391 Plainfield NE, Ste. A, UIA staff will serve claimants in person at a temporary office co-located with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). That location is at 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Street SE, Grand Rapids.

The public areas of the UIA Local Office were remodeled last summer to create a welcoming atmosphere for Michiganders who schedule face-to-face appointments with questions about their jobless claims.

Anyone needing help with their claim during the month-long office closure can schedule in-person appointments at the temporary location by clicking on the Schedule an Appointment link at Michigan.gov/UIA. Appointments can be scheduled up to 14 days in advance.

Workers who have already scheduled appointments will receive text reminders with the address of the temporary UIA office location.

The closures will not affect phone or virtual appointments, which can be scheduled online. Claimants can also get answers by using the Chat With An Agent feature through the Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM), the Ask Ava chatbot at Michigan.gov/UIA, or by calling the Customer Service hotline at 1-866-500-0017 Monday through Friday.

Four Local Offices have undergone renovations to improve security and customer access. Work at Grand Rapids, Sterling Heights, Saginaw, and Lansing locations have been completed. Renovations are also planned in Detroit.

Helpful resources for workers

The Local Office renovations are just one of the many modernization changes aimed at helping workers navigate the application process. Other innovations include:

• The UIA Claimant Roadmap, a six-step, user-friendly guide to applying for and understanding benefits. It can be found at Michigan.gov/UIAClaimantRoadmap.
• Online Coaching Sessions, which are web-based group sessions led by UIA staff on topics such as filing a first-time claim, understanding a Monetary Determination letter, the protest and appeals process, and seeking work and registration requirements. The First-time Filer Coaching Session is also available in Spanish.
• The UIA Economic Dashboard, which tracks local and statewide trends in unemployment insurance. Find it at Michigan.gov/UIAEconomicDashboard.
• Planning and design are under way for a new computer system that will be easy to use, speed claims processing, and build on the agency’s aggressive anti-fraud tactics. It will replace the decade-old MiWAM computer system used by workers to apply for benefits and employers to pay unemployment insurance taxes.
• UIA Community Connect program liaisons across Michigan who provide hands-on help for workers navigating the unemployment insurance application process.
• The Employer Help Center, found at Michigan.gov/UIAEmployerHelpCenter. The plain language resource provides employers information about unemployment tax and claim issues and UIA programs.

Transforming the UIA

The new resources are part of the UIA’s focus on improving customer service and creating a national model for fast, fair, and fraud-free service. Among the reforms are:

• The UIA Modernization Workgroup, consisting of labor, business and jobless advocates to advise the UIA on significant improvements in how it can better serve Michigan workers and employers.
• A Legal Advisor and creating the Legal and Compliance Bureau to leverage collaborative anti-fraud practices to pursue bad actors, in collaboration with the Michigan Attorney General’s office, and local, state and federal law enforcement. To date, 166 people have been charged, 125 convicted, and 106 sentenced.
• Perfect scores for the fifth year in a row from the USDOL, meeting the reasonable assurance of quality benchmark for employer audits in 2020-24.
• New experts have been added the Advocacy Program to provide free legal advice to workers and employers who appeal UIA determinations.
• Staff and resources have been reassigned to address the largest categories of claims contributing to the agency’s case backlogs.
• The UI Trust Fund is more than $2.8 billion (and growing), prompting a reduction in the taxable wage base for employers. Employer taxes are deposited in the Trust Fund, out of which weekly benefits are paid to workers.
• Overpayment collections have been halted on claims filed since March 1, 2020, while the agency addresses pending protests and appeals.
• Employees and contractors must follow strict ethics and security clearance policies.

Need help with a claim or have questions?

Meet with an agent: Schedule an in-person, phone, or virtual meeting up to 14 days in advance at Michigan.gov/UIA.

Chat with an agent: Available through MiWAM Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Call Customer Service: 1-866-500-0017, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Ask Ava: UIA’s chatbot at Michigan.gov/UIA can answer many questions.

Find answers: FAQs, videos, toolkits, and other resources can be found at Michigan.gov/UIA. A library of helpful instructional videos can be viewed on YouTube.