New date set for final hearing in pandemic-era class action against UIA

A judge presiding over a class action lawsuit against the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) has delayed by one month a final hearing to approve a proposed $55 million settlement agreement.

The new hearing in Saunders v Unemployment Ins. Agency et al. before Chief Judge Brock Swartzle of the Michigan Court of Claims is scheduled for 1 p.m. April 24, 2025, at the Michigan Court of Appeals courtroom in the Hall of Justice at 925 W. Ottawa, in Lansing. Members of the class action lawsuit can attend the hearing and anyone who opposes the final settlement will be allowed to address the judge about their concerns.

The preliminary settlement between UIA and affected parties affects more than 23,000 Michiganders who say they were wrongly asked by the agency to repay pandemic-era unemployment benefits before determining whether a claimants’ protests or appeals were submitted on time or at all. Under the preliminary settlement, the average award per lawsuit member is just over $1,400.

The deadline to join the lawsuit was Dec. 20, 2024, and the independent claims administrator is no longer accepting new participants. Questions about the preliminary settlement should be directed to the claims administrator by calling 1-866-499-4565 or emailing info@bwclassactions.com. A website has at bwclassactions.com has more information.

As part of the litigation process, Judge Swartzle ordered UIA to stop collecting all established overpayments on unemployment benefits claims -- even those not related to the class action lawsuit – that were filed since March 1, 2020. The judge will decide when to order claimants to pay back money to UIA.

Under the preliminary settlement agreement, UIA does not admit liability in the case. Workers who joined the settlement agree to release all claims against the UIA or can opt out.

Creating solutions for Michigan’s workers

The settlement addresses one of the issues that emerged on a wave of claims filed under federal programs during the COVID-19 national public health crisis. UIA has created a number of innovative solutions and helpful tools to guide workers along their unemployment journey. Among those tools are:

• The UIA Claimant Roadmap, a six-step guide to applying for and understanding benefits. The roadmap is an easy-to-follow, user-friendly resource that 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 session is also available in Spanish.
• A comprehensive website of resources for federal workers who have recently been terminated from their jobs. Michigan.gov/FederalWorkerHelp has guidance for filing for unemployment benefits, searching for a new job, or accessing community aid programs.
• An expanded 14-day window to schedule in-person, phone, or virtual appointment times at Michigan.gov/UIA.
• The UIA Community Connect program to provide hands-on help for workers navigating the unemployment insurance application process. Staff across the state also connect workers and employers to UIA’s outreach and education resources.
• Renovations at UIA Local Offices in Grand Rapids, Lansing, Saginaw, and Sterling Heights to create an improved user experience and make security upgrades.
• The addition of six more advocates to the Advocacy Program to provide free legal help to workers and employers with appeals of UIA redeterminations.

Modernizing, transforming the UIA

The new and expanded tools are part of a broad transformation of UIA into a national model for fast, fair, and fraud-free service. Other changes include: 

• The UIA Economic Dashboard, a deep dive into underlying trends in unemployment insurance in Michigan. Data provides a rich understanding of the impacts of unemployment across industries, occupations, and communities, and provides insights into which sectors are experiencing layoffs, claimant demographics, and the regions most affected. Access the dashboard at Michigan.gov/UIAEconomicDashboard.
• A coalition of thought leaders from the labor, business, and jobless advocate communities as part of the UIA Modernization Workgroup to provide insight on significant improvements in how the agency can better serve Michigan workers and employers.
• The Employer Help Center, a plain language guide answers employers’ questions on unemployment tax and claim issues and UIA programs. The innovative Help Center can be found at Michigan.gov/UIAEmployerHelpCenter.
• A redesigned Michigan.gov/UIA website to be optimized for reading on mobile phones or tablets. The website offers answers to frequently asked questions, resources and toolkits. You can also browse UIA’s library of helpful instructional videos on YouTube.
• A Legal and Compliance Bureau to leverage collaborative anti-fraud practices to pursue bad actors who steal taxpayer money.
• Extension through June 2025 for nearly 80 limited-term employees in the Fraud and Investigations Division.
• New ethics and security clearance policies for employees and contractors.
• Partnerships with the Michigan Department of Attorney General, and local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to stop fraud. Since March 2020, 166 criminals have been charged with unemployment fraud, 125 convicted, and 107 sentenced to prison and ordered to pay restitution.
• Perfect scores for the five years in a row from the USDOL for employer audits in 2019-23, meeting the reasonable assurance of quality benchmark.
• A robust UI Trust Fund that totals more than $2.8 billion (and growing). Weekly benefits are paid to workers from the Trust Fund, which is supported by taxes on employers.

Need help with a claim or have questions?

Meet with an agent: Schedule an in-person, phone, or virtual appointment at Michigan.gov/UIA.

Chat with an agent: Log into your MiWAM account during normal business hours.

Call Customer Service: 1-866-500-0017 during normal business hours.

Ask Ava: Our chatbot at Michigan.gov/UIA can answer many general questions.

Find answers: View FAQs, videos, toolkits, and other resources at Michigan.gov/UIA.