State Agency Apologizes, Sets Up Hotline for those Accused of Unemployment Fraud

(Unemployment Insurance Agency, Jan. 30, 2017)

LANSING, MI – People accused of unemployment fraud between 2013 and 2015 and have questions about their cases can now call a new hotline created by the Talent Investment Agency, Director Wanda M. Stokes announced today.

The hotline number is 800-638-6372 and is operational between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. The Unemployment Insurance Agency is part of the Talent Investment Agency.

Stokes said the UIA is committed to reviewing all of the approximately 50,000 cases of potential fraud that were determined by the agency during the period of October 2013 to August 2015, including cases that were determined by a computer and those that included some staff involvement.

“We want people to know there is someone who can help with questions about whether their claim has been reviewed because they deserve answers,” Stokes said. “People are understandably angry, and they should be. I feel horrible about this situation. I apologize that this happened and I’m making sure that this is corrected.”

The agency already has reviewed about 22,000 cases where a computer identified potential fraud in unemployment insurance claims. The agency now is reviewing about 28,000 additional cases, which were initially identified by computer as potential fraud cases and received some review by a staff member.

As some people have multiple unemployment claims, the total number of people affected is smaller than the number of cases. Together, the cases represent about 40,000 people.

Stokes said that many of the cases involve people who received benefits to which they were not entitled and that money must be recouped. But she said the agency will work to return any unjust penalties that were assessed when appropriate.

The agency expects to have the remaining 28,000 cases reviewed within six months.

Information about the process and how people can receive information about their cases will be posted on the Talent Investment Agency’s website, www.michigan.gov/tia.

Stokes discusses the fraud determinations and the process moving forward in this video.

About The Talent Investment Agency (TIA)

TIA joins the efforts of the Workforce Development Agency and the Unemployment Insurance Agency to integrate new workers into the economy and help those workers that have been in or out of the workforce transition into new jobs. TIA coordinates programs related to job preparedness, career-based education, worker training, employment assistance and unemployment insurance.