This is the second part of our guide on Michigan EUC benefits. As we discussed in the previous article, many of our readers have enquired about the process of applying for EUC benefits. There are significant differences with the general system used to apply for Michigan State UI benefits which are important to understand.

First, the process for applying for EUC benefits begins with a written form which will be sent to you when you are close to ending your UI benefits. If you have less than 2 weeks left of your Michigan State unemployment benefits and still have not received a form informing you of your eligibility for EUC benefits and you feel (after reading this article) that you still qualify, contact one of the Michigan Employment Insurance Agency’s Problem Resolution Offices. We include below the contact details for Michigan’s UIA Problem Resolution Offices with Mapquest directions.

Problem Resolution Offices

Once you receive your form by mail you must fill it in and send it back to the address specified in the letter.

Requirements

- You must be unemployed. This may sound obvious, but some workers who have seen their hours reduced may apply for UI benefits without qualifying for EUC benefits. If in doubt, contact one of the PRO offices above.

- You must register with www.MichWorks.org.

- You must update your résumé with Michworks.

- You must make weekly benefit claims either online or overt the phone using MARVIN, Michigan’s automatic claim filing system. The process for this is similar to when you received UI benefits. Our next article will provide extra information on how you should file for EUC benefits using MARVIN. The toll free number you need to use is 1.866.638.3993 or you can click here to file online.

- You must be fit and willing to accept any employment you are qualified for.

If you meet these requirements your application for EUC benefits should be accepted. Again, if you have any issues with your application you can ask for assistance at one of the eight PRO offices in Michigan.

Emergency Unemployment Compensation benefits are available to long-term unemployed workers in Michigan who do not find work after their initial state unemployment benefits (usually 26 weeks) expires. If you are in this situation you might wonder what you should do to apply for EUC benefits. We often receive this question, or a similar variation, from our readers. Take, for example, Mrs. Richardson’s query:

I received a letter from UIA two weeks ago stating that i was close to the ending of my benefit weeks and that i may qualify for an EXTENSION or EUC. I applied on line but never received an determination letter. A week later i received the same letter but has not received my determination. i do have my confirmation number.

What should Mrs. Richardson do? This article and the next will provide detailed directions you can follow to apply and qualify for EUC benefits in Michigan.

The Program

In Michigan (this varies somewhat from one state to another) the EUC program provides up to 53 weeks of Emergency Unemployment Compensation. These payments will be similar to your initial unemployment insurance benefits with the Michigan Insurance Agency.Note these benefits are paid by the Federal government not by your employer employment insurance.

The program is divided into four tiers of 20 weeks, 14 weeks, 13 weeks and 6 weeks, respectively. Only states with high unemployment rates, such as Michigan, qualify for all four tiers.

How to Apply?

Unlike regular Michigan UI benefits, you do not apply for EUC online. The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency will send you a notification by mail if you qualify for EUC benefits when they are close to exhausting their UI benefits.

You should fill in this application as soon as possible and return it to the address specified in the instructions. How soon you receive your EUC benefits will depend on if and when the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency has this information, so please do not procrastinate. Fill in and send back this form as soon as possible.

In our next article we will provide a complete list of requirements for the EUC program. However, we would like to highlight two requirements many applicants fail to meet and that could jeopardize the chances of your application being accepted.

1) You must be registered with Michworks.org, the Michigan State work search website and your resume must be up-to-date. 

2) You must continue to file for your weekly EUC benefits over the phone, by using Michigan’s MARVIN system or online.

Our next article will provide a complete list of program requirements and contact details for the main unemployment insurance offices in Michigan.

Waiting for the Michigan UIA to assess your unemployment insurance claim can be stressful. Not understanding what the UIA’s determination means once you receive it, is plain frustrating. This series of articles looks into this important form and provides information on what each section means for you. This is the second article on this form and focuses on the meaning of separating employer, base period, alternate base period and the reasons your application could be denied.

Last Employer or Separating Employer: This is the last employer you worked with before claiming for unemployment. This is an important section because many of the reasons your claim can be denied are based on who your separating employer is and the reasons he or she “let you go”.

Separating Reasons: This is the reason you (or your employer) provided for your separation. As you can imagine getting this right is crucial. If the reason for separation is you quitting the job voluntarily or gross negligence, you may not qualify for unemployment. In fact, any reason besides “lack of work” could cause you trouble.

Also, if your separating employer happens to be a family member, or if you are one of the owners of the company, you may only qualify for a reduced period of benefits (generally 7 weeks).

Last Employment Total Wages: This section gives you the total income you received from your last employer. This can determine your eligibility for UI. For example, in some cases you may be required to earn 5 times your weekly benefit amount with your last employer before you can continue receiving benefits.

Base Period Income: This is the amount of money you earned during the first four quarters of the last five. This amount is used to assess your eligibility and determine how many benefit weeks you qualify for. The four quarters in a year are: January to March, April to June, July to September and October to December. If you filed your claim in November your base period would start in June of the same year to July of the previous year.

Alternate Base Period: The Michigan UIA laws allow you to use an alternate base period including the last four quarters, if you do not qualify for UI with the income of a regular base period.

Date Protest Due: You are entitled to appeal against the UIA’s decision. However, for the appeal to be considered you must file it within 30 days of receiving the form. If you are close to the deadline date, fax it.

Your monetary determination form will tell you if your qualify for Michigan Unemployment Insurance Benefits and if you do, how much your will receive. It also explains why a claim is rejected and provides a overview of your income for your last base period. Not sure what a base period is? Don’t worry. This article will provide detailed instructions so you can understand everything you need to know about your monetary determination form.

Benefit Year Begins / Ends Section: This is the first section of your form. It simply provides the date you applied for unemployment benefits (your start date) and the last date you can claim for benefits under this claim (end date). This period is 52 weeks long.

High Quarter: This section details what the Michigan UIA has on record for your claim’s high quarter income . Your high quarter is the quarter (three-month period starting with January-March and ending with October-December) when you earned the highest income. This is important because your weekly benefit amount is determined by what your high quarter income is. Check this amount is correct before filing this form.

Reference Codes: This section explains why your claim is being reviewed, has been cancelled or important information on how you can improve the terms of your claim. For instance, code 6 means you qualify for higher benefits in another state and you should apply for an interstate claim.

Dependents: This section notes how many dependents you claimed for when filing for UIA benefits. The more dependents you have, the higher your WBA will be. To be precise you get $6 per dependent per week. Remember you cannot claim for more than five. However, if the number is wrong contact the UIA immediately and explain what the problem is.

Weekly Benefit Amount: This is probably the first section you looked for when reviewing your form. It includes how much you will receive every week in benefits. To check it is correct, multiply your high quarter income by 0.041, add six dollars for each dependent and round down to the next dollar.

Number of Weeks: This section provides you with the maximum number of weeks you can claim for under your current UIA claim. You can calculate this by yourself by multiplying your total base period wages by 0.43 and dividing by your weekly benefit amount.

Continue reading our second article in this series for more instructions on how to understand your UIA 1575 Form.

The United States in general, and the state of Michigan in particular, are experiencing a period of unprecedentedly high unemployment rates. This caused the federal government to introduce the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Program and the Extended Benefits. As more and more workers are forced to apply for this program, more questions about the process and eligibility requirements of the system are being asked. We receive queries from many of our readers on Michigan’s EUC benefits. We include a sample of these questions and their answers below.

What is the federal law behind the EUC program?

That would be public law 110-252. This law allows a minimum of 13 weeks of extended unemployment benefits to all states. However, states with a high unemployment rate can qualify for up to 53 weeks.

Who is Eligible?

To qualify for EUC benefits you must be unemployed due to no fault of your own and meet the requirements of Michigan’s UI state benefits system. You must have exhausted your UI benefits and still be fit and willing to work.

How much will I get?

You will receive the same weekly benefit amount you received when you were under the Michigan UI program. The current maximum weekly benefit amount is $362.

Do I still need to report my bi-weekly claims?

Yes you do. You choose whether to do this online, over the phone or by mail. Phone or online are the preferred methods. Mail claims are only allowed due to special circumstances.

When will the program end?

The last extension of the EUC program set the last week you can claim for EUC benefits till June 9, 2012. However, you will not be able to establish a tier 1 claim after December 31, 2011. Nevertheless, if you are already registered with the EUC program you can continue receiving payments (as long as you qualify) up until the last week of the program.

Who pays for EUC benefits?

All the costs of this program are covered by the Federal government. This means employers are not required to pay for this through their unemployment insurance and will not receive monetary determinations for applications to EUC benefits.

When should I apply?

Wait for the application to be sent by mail. You will receive a form when you are soon to run out of benefits, if you qualify for the program. If you have any question or problem call 1.866.500.0017.

MARVIN

This system allows you to fill in the claim form by using a phone. However, not any phone will work. You phone must be a touch tone or a push button phone. Note that in some phone’s you must push a switch to “tone” for it to work. Old phones that do not have a tone option will not work.

This system allows Michigan’s UIA to deal with up to 800 calls at any given moment, a huge improvement to the agency’s previous call capacity. MARVIN also has the added benefits of never getting tired, it never makes a mistake (unless its programmers do) and doesn’t complain about working on weekends.

MARVIN can also be used to get information on your benefit payments. For instance, if you wish to know how much your last weekly benefit amount was and when the payment was made, you can find this information by calling MARVIN’s toll free number.

The toll free number for MARVIN is 1.866.638.3993. You can also use MARVIN’s online version by clicking on this link.

How Does It Work?

Once your application for UI, EUC or EB benefits has been approved you are required to use MARVIN to file for weekly benefits. After making your initial claim, you will need to report your claim to MARVIN every two weeks.

The date and time you should file your claim will depend on your social security’s last two digits. Below we include a table with the schedule.

To illustrate, if your SSN ends in 81, you should call MARVIN on Wednesdays at 12:00 to 1:00 PM. However, if you apply online you can apply at any time on any day.

What If I Have Some Problems Using MARVIN?

If you have any problems with the system you can call 1.866.500.0017 and press option 3. This number is active from 8.00 am to 6:00 pm on any weekday. You can also ask for help online by using the Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency’s Virtual Problem Resolution Center at the UIA’s website.

When you think of unemployment benefits, you automatically think about the financial assistance provided every week through the Michigan UI program. However, this is only one of the services available to Michigan unemployed workers. This article will focus on some of the most useful and generous services unemployed workers can apply for. We also provide contact details and information on how to apply for each of these programs.

General Services Aid

This includes the main programs people associate with unemployment services. These include Cash Assistance for low-income and needy families, medical services, food assistance and emergency services. These programs are all sponsored by the Department of Human Services and you can find out more information by visiting their official website (click here).

If you are interested in the Food Stamps program you can contact directly by calling 1-800-481-4989.

Health and Insurance Aid

One of the biggest perks of being employed (besides getting a wage) is to be part of a health insurance program. Self-employed and unemployed workers generally have to pay much higher premiums than workers who are part of a medical program. The State of Michigan offers unemployed workers health programs such as Medicaid Help Line (1-800-642-3195), Free Clinics (1-888-877-6769 or www.FCOMI.org) and the Michigan Prescription Drug Discount Card.

Job Assistance

Need help finding a job? Two of Michigan’s UIA biggest departments: Michigan Works! and Talent Bank Help Line are designed to help you find a new job.

Foreclosure Protection

Often losing your work can affect your ability to meet your mortgage payments, which can lead to foreclosure. The Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) provides counseling and practical assistance to avoid this. This program helps homeowners who have lost their job organize their finances and join government sponsored programs designed to provide temporary assistance to cover mortgage payments while searching for work.

Utility Budget Help

Are you struggling to pay your utility bills? Is there a possibility your service might get cut off? If this is a problem you are going through, you should contact the Consumers Energy (1-800-477-5050), the DTE Energy (1-800-477-4747) or SEMCO Energy (1-800-624-2019) and ask for assistance. They can provide emergency assistance so your heating, water and electricity services are not disconnected.

These are only a small sample of the social programs available to unemployed and underemployed workers in Michigan. If you have any questions on the programs offered by Michigan UIA, please leave a comment below and our team of researchers will be happy to reply any question you may have.

UIA benefits provide unemployed workers with the income they need while searching for a job.

The total weeks of unemployment benefits of a state is determined by the state Unemployment Insurance Agency and the state’s unemployment rate. This article will look into the different unemployment compensation programs available in Michigan, the maximum number of weeks you are entitled to and what is the the time limit to apply for each program.

Michigan Unemployment Insurance Compensation.

Michigan offers up to 26 weeks of unemployment benefits to unemployed workers who are able and willing to search for a job and have earned a minimum of $4,307 in their previous base year ($2,871 must have been earned in one of the previous four quarters). Of course the size of your unemployment benefits paycheck will depend on how much you earned in your base period.

Federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation, EUC Program.

The federal EUC program provides up to 53 weeks of unemployment benefits to unemployed workers who exhaust their standard Michigan UIA benefits. The program is divided into four tiers. Tiers III and IV are reserved for states, like Michigan, which unemployment rates. The amount you receive in your EUC checks drops with every tier you claim for. Tier I provides 80 percent of your basic UIA check, tier II 54 percent, tier III 50 percent and tier IV 24 percent. States with an unemployment rate higher than 6 percent qualify for tier III, while only states with a rate of 8.5 percent or higher qualify for tier IV.

Thanks to the fourth extension of the EUC program signed by President Obama on December 22, 2010, unemployed workers have up to January 3, 2012 before the EUC program phases out. In practical terms, this means unemployed workers applying for tier 1 have up to December 31st, 2011 to file for benefit weeks, while applicants of tiers II, III and IV have up to January 7, 2012.

Extended Benefits Program

When a state hits high unemployment rates for an extended period of time they can qualify for extended benefits programs. On January 10th, 2009 Michigan surpassed the 5 percent mark, a 42 percent increase from the unemployment rate of 2007. The week ending January 31st, 2009 was the first week Michigan unemployed workers were eligible for EB. The current extended benefits schedule will exhaust on December 25, 2010. You must have exhausted your EUC by this date to qualify for y0ur extra 20 weeks of EB. This brings the maximum weeks available to long term unemployed workers to 99.

Once you start receiving you state unemployment benefits you can roll from one program to another as long as you still meet the basic requirements of each program and are within the programs operating periods.

Learn what the terms in your unemployment benefits application mean.

Although Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency strives to make things as simple as possible for unemployed workers, there are still many terms in forms and booklets you may have never heard off before and struggle to understand. This article will look at some of  the jargon found in Unemployment Insurance Agency publications.

Monetary Determination.

This is a document prepared by Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency  and sent to you to explain the status of your claim. If you qualify for  a claim it will specify how many weeks you are entitled to and how much money you will receive.

Benefits Year Beginning.

This is the date y0ur claim starts. You have 52 weeks, a whole year, to claim the 26 weeks you are entitled to. This 52-week period is your benefits year. Benefit weeks y0u don’t claim in your benefits year cannot be passed on to the next year.

Benefits Year Ending Date.

The date your benefits year finishes. After this date you can no longer reopen a claim on your 26 weeks of benefits. Of course, you may qualify for a new benefits year (with its 26 weeks) after the ending date of your current benefits year.

Base Period.

This is a key term if you want to understand how your benefits are worked out. It is a period of four calendar quarters (three-month periods) where the wages you were paid by your employer or employers are used to calculate your claim for unemployment compensation. The first base period quarter are as follows: Quarter 1 (January 1st to March 31st), Quarter 2 (April 1st to June 30th), Quarter 3 (July 1st to September 30th) and Quarter 4 (October 1st to December 31st). However your base year will be worked out from the last four quarters from the date you apply so quarter 1 does not have to start in January necessarily.

High Quarter Wages.

This is the quarter of your base period where you earned the most money. This the quarter used by Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency to calculate your unemployment benefits.

Reference Codes.

When y0u read your monetary determination (meaning of that term is explained above) you will see a load of reference codes. These codes provide you with important information on your claim. The meaning of these codes is explained on the back of your determination.

Number of Dependents.

This is the number of people that depend on you financially. That is, the people that live off your wage, or unemployment benefits. You cannot claim for more than five dependents. However, make sure you include everyone who you care for with your income because you cannot change the number of dependents during a benefit year.

One of the primary services run through all the agencies is the automated labor exchange service called Michigan’s Talent Bank. Depending on the needs of a local area you will find adult, youth and dislocated workers programs. The service centers provide various welfare reform programs in addition to their unemployment office services.

For a guide to the full listing of benefits available as well as the address and phone number of whichever Michigan Works! Agency unemployment office nearest your location, set your browser to http://www.michiganworks.org/page.cfm/14/ and download the PDF (portable document file) guide to over a hundred locations throughout the State.

Through the development of the Michigan Works! Association, the State has centralized both the public and private sectors of government and business so that a more effective and smooth program is available to the citizens of Michigan. Replacing older and more cumbersome unemployment office systems in 1987, Michigan Works! has been recognized as the most innovative plan of its type in the nation.

Coupling the basic relief provided by an unemployment office with many career advancement services and education, Michigan Works! helps make the workers of Michigan even more valuable in their next job. If you are currently employed, you may find that by checking with Michigan Works!, you can prepare yourself for an even better job or career in the future.