The heading on Michigan Works Talent Bank is “Job Seekers: Your Job Search Starts Here”. That is certainly true. Searching for a job is a full time job, especially in a competitive employment market like that of Michigan. Fortunately for job seekers like you, the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency is providing unemployed workers with useful tools to improve your chances of finding a job. This article will look at some of the new feature that appear in Michigan’s Premier Job Database: Michigan Works!

Employer Database

If you want to find a job, you need to sell yourself to the person who has the authority to make the decision to employ you. So much time is wasted by job seekers who go from office to office looking to speak to the Human Resources Director or some other person with the authority to hire. Michigan Works sidesteps this issue and provides job seekers with an immediate employer database of 55,000 employers ready to read your resume.

If you join this this database—a painless exercise that should only take a few minutes—you can also keep tabs on your favorite job postings by adding them to your job cart, get automatic e-mail alerts from friendly robots to remind you of employment openings you qualify for. This well-designed and easy to use database also allows you to edit your profile and update your resume at any time. Have you just finished a nifty course in customer relations? Include it in your online resume in seconds through the Michigan Works Job Seekers user interface.

Expert Tip

Anybody can place their resume in a jobs database. However the secret to finding a job is to stand out from the rest—in a good way of course. Follow this simple tip to improve your chances of finding your next dream job.

Use key words to filter through a list of job openings. Many job seekers simply get discouraged and stop looking for openings when they have trouble finding relevant job offers. Avoid job seekers fatigue by describing the types of jobs you would like to find. For instance, if you have experience as a data entry operator use keywords such as data, data entry or data management. This will return any job offer that includes these words. If you wish to be more specific you can include your keywords within quotation marks, such as “data entry operator” and only jobs that include those specific words in that order will appear.

The recent extension of federal benefits by Congress was welcomed by thousands of unemployed Michigan workers who rely on extended benefits as their main source of income. However, what many did not realize is that with the same bill Congress both extended and reduced the benefits Michigan workers are eligible for.

The bill allowed unemployed workers who exhaust their emergency unemployment compensation benefits to continue applying for federal extended benefits, but it reduced the amount of weeks they are eligible for.

The maximum number of weeks an unemployed worker can receive in Michigan dropped from 99 weeks to 77. However, the exact consequences these changes will have on unemployed workers are still unclear.

In an effort to clarify the effects these changes will have and to respond to the high volume of new claims, the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency is increasing its weekend opening times.

What is clear is that nearly 30,000 workers who are struggling with long-term unemployment will stop receiving unemployment benefits in Michigan due to these changes. Why?

The key is in how the eligibility for Extended Benefits is calculated on the state level. The main trigger for a State to qualify for Extended Benefits is that its jobless rate is higher than the corresponding period over the last three years. As Michigan’s unemployment rate has dropped in the last three years, it is considered a recovering state and no longer qualifies. In fact, Michigan would not qualify for Extended Benefits even if its unemployment benefits had remained the same for three years.

Some Democrats in Congress were advocating to extend the period used to determine eligibility from three years to four, just as it had previously changed the period from two to three years. However, senior Democrats reported this was the price that had to be paid to get Republicans to compromise to an extension to the program.

As bad as this sounds for long-term unemployed workers, it could have been worse. Republicans tried for a total reduction to the duration of benefits to 59 weeks. The problem is that Obama himself had initially proposed to phase out Extended Benefits at the beginning of 2011, so Democrats had little leverage to use in negotiations.

Michigan will not be the only state to be affected by the new bill. Missouri, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Tennessee and Oregon will see their Extended Benefits stop in April.

The Michigan Department of Unemployment Insurance is struggling with the high volume of unemployment benefits claims reaching the agency. Generally, the agency encourages workers to claim online or over the phone, but the Michigan UI Department recently issued a press release announcing that staff will be available for in-person inquiries at their local Problem Resolution Offices.

To deal with increase in claims volume, the agency has increased the opening times for their on-site, telephone and online customers. The new opening times for Saturday, for instance, are now from 8 in the morning to 2 in the afternoon.

Well, at least one company has more work than it can handle in Michigan.

The agency stated that seasonal layoffs and changes in the unemployment insurance eligibility requirements as chief reasons for the rise of claims in an otherwise positive national employment climate.

To say the last months have not been full of good news for Michigan unemployed workers is an understatement. In March of 2011 a bill was passed that reduced state unemployment insurances from a maximum of 26 weeks to 20. In December another bill was passed that significantly relaxed the definition of voluntary leave, an employment termination type that does not allow the worker to claim for unemployment benefits. This bill also changed the definition of suitable job, which made it easier for workers to get disqualified for unemployment benefits if they refused practically any type of job at all.

Even the good news that the unemployment rate is at 9.3 percent, a record low since 2008, spells trouble for those who are still unemployed. Why? The new unemployment rate disqualifies Michigan unemployed workers from the Federal Extension Benefits program, which will cause 29,500 workers to lose their benefits.

This may come as a surprise to unemployed workers who breathed a sigh of relief when they heard that Congress had reauthorized federal unemployment insurance in December. What many people did not realize is that Congress slipped in a reduction in the duration of the benefits.

Not surprisingly, this shortening of unemployment benefits was not highlighted by Congress in their press releases, which were too busy emphasizing the bipartisan compromise that allowed the extension of benefits. What are the consequences of this change in the Extensions Benefits program? How can you calculate how many weeks you will receive? We will discuss these and other questions related to the federal unemployment benefits change in our next article.

Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency has fully entered the 21st century and created its own online channel. The UIA is trying to use the power of the internet and video to educate workers and employers about the services offered by the agency.

Instead of using the popular YouTube video platform, Michigan UIA included a section in its website for webcasts where workers can view or download the instructional video they need.

You don’t need a special program to view these videos. The Michigan UIA website is powered by Mediasite, which provides an inbuilt video viewer.

These webcasts provide help in a variety of subjects, such as news related to unemployment in Michigan, resources available to displaced workers, how to file for unemployment benefits and what payment options workers can chose from.

For instance, a recent webcast provides a report on the changes to the Michigan Unemployment Security Act brought on by the Public Act 269 enacted on December 19, 2011.

If you are a Michigan worker, I recommend you view this webcast. It provides important information about how this new law affects the payment of benefits to unemployed workers in Michigan. If you haven’t got the 16 minutes it takes to view this video, here is summary of the main points.

- Unemployed workers who were not working full-time will see their benefits reduced by 40 cents for every $1 earned in a week. This is actually good news. Previously the reduction was of 50 cents.

- Unemployed workers who were not working full-time cannot receive in a week more than 1.6 times the weekly benefit amount. Previously the limit had been 1.5 times.

- Severance pay will no longer be excluded from wages for unemployment benefits qualifying purposes. This will help borderline cases that would otherwise not qualify for benefits.

- Workers receiving benefits must, starting from January 1, 2013, carry out a systematic and sustained search for work every week they file a claim for benefits. This search can be audited by reporting to MARVIN, by mail or by reporting directly to an UIA office.

- Workers who are unavailable for work do not qualify for benefits. The new rules define a worker as unavailable if they do not update the contact information of a chargeable employer, does not respond within 14 days to a mailed notice or if mail is returned to the UIA as undeliverable or the claimant telephone number on record is no longer the claimant’s number.

Taxes are one of those constants of life, on par with death, toast always falling on the buttered side and other unalterable axioms. This holds true even when you are receiving unemployment benefits. The only silver lining to this sad fact is that Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency makes declaring your taxes as painless as possible by allowing you to download your 2011 1099-G statements online.

1099-G taxes

If you are new to unemployment or haven’t had to file your own taxes before, you might be new to 1099-G statements. 1099-G statements provide unemployed workers with the total taxable unemployment compensation they have received during the previous year. These statements also include a report of any state and federal income tax deductions withheld during the same tax year. Notice however that withholding taxes from your unemployment benefits is optional and you must request the unemployment insurance agency, if you want your taxes deducted from each payment. If you wish to view your 1099-G statements you must visit the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency and click on the link for 1099 forms. 

If you are more of a snail mail person, don’t worry. The Michigan UIA will also sell a hard copy of the 1099-G statement to all workers who received benefits by the end of January. Remember the IRS will also receive copies of your 1099-G statements and will expect an accounting of any differences between your tax forms and your 1099-G statements.

1099-G Issues

The 1099-G statements provide a total of taxable income and withheld taxes, but it does not include any payments to fulfill a court order or to satisfy an unemployment compensation overpayment bill. If this is the case the total income registered in the 1099-G may not reflect the income you actually received. Contact the Internal Revenue Service if you are in this situation and ask them to explain how you this affects you.

Other Services

The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency offers several other online services to unemployed workers and employers through its website. For instance, if you wish to view your unemployment compensation history, file for a new claim, certify your benefits through MARVIN or solve a problem through Michigan’s UIA Virtual Problem Resolution forum, you can do it directly from the UIA website.

Specially designed tutorials are available at Michigan’s UIA website under the “Webcasts” tab for those who are struggling with the claiming and filing process of their benefits and taxes. However, if you have any questions, please feel free to leave us a message and we will publish an answer in the blog or send you a link of an article that has already dealt with the same topic.

Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency provides Michigan residents the option of applying, receiving a performing most of the services and benefits offered by the agency online. This article will describe and provide links to the main online services the Unemployment Insurance Agency of Michigan offers.

If you currently fill in applications or request services by mail, telephone or actually visit the physical offices of the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency, consider switching to the agency’s online portal. This can help you save money and time, as well as reduce the cost of offering these services for the State.

Online Unemployment Claims.

Filing for unemployment by using paper forms takes longer and kills trees. Use Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency’s website instead and reduce the time for your first unemployment check to arrive.

The requirements for first time applicants online are the same as applicants over the phone or using paper forms. These include:

- Have at least one and no more than 19 employers in the last 18 months.

- Have not applied for unemployment benefits in the last 12 months. In this case you may qualify for a continuation of a claim, not a new claim.

- Know your employer’s mailing address. If you do not know you employer’s mailing address you will need to apply over the phone (Toll free 1-866-500-0017)

Account Portal

Once you register as an unemployed worker you can save yourself a phone call or a trip to your unemployment office and check your account balance online. The UIA Claim Portal allows registered users to check their status and their payment balance. If it is the first time you receive unemployment benefits you will need to register and provide personal information to confirm your identity.

Employers Filed Claims Portal

Employers also can save time and resources by managing the insurance payments of their workers online. The Employer Filed Claims portal allows employers to improve their cost control, reduce fraud, improve customer service and apply for unemployment benefits for their workers when they are affected by a mass layoff. This makes insurance management more efficient and convenient for both employers and workers.

UIA Online Services for Businesses

Besides laying people off business have to perform many tasks related to employment insurance and other services provided by the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency. These include filing a quarterly wage report, file a quarterly tax, make a UIA tax payment, file a protest or access their UIA account information. All of these and many more operations can be performed from the UIA Online Services for Employers.

Those who would qualify are any Michigan employees who have left or lost their jobs, but were covered by a group plan under their former employer. Any other family members who had been covered under your plan also qualify. Both your employer and health care provider are required to inform you of your elective COBRA benefits within 14 days of the qualifying event. At that point, you can elect to continue with the exact same coverage as before. The difference will be that your employer is no longer contributing, so you will pay the entire premium.

The reason why this is a worthwhile deal of course, is that under a group plan you will still end up paying less than if you were to find new insurance on your own. The benefits in most cases will last for up to 18 months. If you had a preexisting condition, then after your COBRA benefits end, you may qualify for HIPAA Conversion. This means that you can continue receiving the same benefits, regardless of medical history, when you convert to an individual plan. This may also apply if your employer has closed shop resulting in the termination of your group plan.  Contact your insurance provider for all the necessary information and forms.

If your complany has shut down, or you did not have coverage through them, Michigan Careers in Transtion (MCIT) offers help with other options http://www.michigan.gov/jobs/0,1607,7-257-52254—,00.html , as does the Michigan Department of Human Services 1-855-275-6424 .

For information about insurance providers in Michigan, including differing rules pertaining to pre existing conditions, check out this site http://www.medhealthinsurance.com/michigan.htm . Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan for example, cannot turn down applications based on health conditions, and does not impose exclusion periods if you are eligible for HIPAA.

If you have medical needs or a family to care for, health insurance is likely important to you regardless of any changing circumstances. Take a few minutes to become more informed about your current options as an unemployed Michigan resident, and you can have peace of mind knowing that you’re still taking care of your loved ones during your intermission from work.

The estate of Michigan provides unemployment compensation to those who meet the requirements. You may receive benefits for a minimum of 14 weeks and up to a maximum of 26 weeks unless the unemployment

Compensation benefit is based on family benefits. If this is your situation payments can not be received for more than 7 weeks. The actual amount that you can receive is not more than $362 and not less than $81. First you must make sure that you are eligible for benefits and the first thing to check is your wage record during the base period. If you are not sure what that is, don´t worry it is not difficult to discover your base period. Just look back to the last 5 calendar quarters before you claim for unemployment benefits. The first four of these is considered to be your base period and the quarter when you earned your highest wages is the one which decides the weekly amount that you will receive. If for some reason you find that you don´t qualify on that basis there is another way you could qualify for benefits. This is by counting the four calendar quarters immediately before you file your claim.

The alternative base period could be used to qualify you for benefits – this is called The Alternative Earnings Qualifier and you can be accepted on that basis if you had earned wages in at least two quarters and the total amount earned was above $13,564.60. It may be your case that you apply again for benefits less than six calendar quarters after your last benefit year finished.

The benefit year is 52 consecutive weeks starting when you file for benefits. If you subsequently worked before the present benefit year began and your employer paid not less than 5 times the amount you were receiving during your previous benefit year, you can be accepted as qualifying for benefits. At this moment you qualify financially for benefits – however it is also required that you are ready and willing to work if a suitable job is offered and you should be actively looking for employment.

The weekly amount you receive in benefit payments can include those who depend on you for example a spouse (husband or wife) or a child. The amount for each dependant is $6 and as many as 5 dependents may be added. As we said before, the earnings you received in your high quarter are your basis for the amount you will get each week as benefits.

To make the calculation you just multiply this high quarter amount by 4.1% (0.041) and round it down to the nearest dollar. Add to the total the amount you are due for dependents and that will be your weekly benefit amount. If you would like to calculate the number of weeks that you can claim benefits you can do so by multiplying you total base period earnings by 40% (0.4) and dividing this total by the Weekly Benefit Amount.

This is the final article in a three-article series on the resources available to unemployed workers in Michigan. These articles offer practical and up-to-date information on the resources available to Michigan citizens with financial difficulties due to unemployment.

In our final article we will discuss health insurance and foreclosure assistance programs. Finding suitable housing and healthcare are two of the biggest problems for unemployed workers who see their main source of income disappear. Tragically, in most cases families receive their health insurance through the main breadwinner’s employment. When the employment ends, so does the preferential rate of insurance. This often makes it impossible for workers to afford health insurance, only worsening the situation for them and their families.

Homeowners who lose their employment also find themselves without the income they relied on to pay for their mortgage. If they fall behind their payments it doesn’t take long for lenders to file for foreclosure. Once unemployed, finding suitable housing for a family can be a challenge with landlords requiring proof of income.

The programs we detail in this article provide practical assistance in these areas for unemployed workers in the State of Michigan.

Health Assistance

MIChild:
Insurance program for uninsured children administered by the Department of
Community Health (MDCH).
1-888-988-6300
www.michigan.gov/mdch

Medicaid Help Line:
Administered by the Department of Human Services (DHS)
1-800-642-3195
www.michigan.gov/dhs

Free Clinics of Michigan (FCOM): Network of volunteer-staffed free clinics that provide health care services to the uninsured or medically underserved.

1-888-877-6769
www.FCOMI.org

Prescription Assistance Service is also available to unemployed workers who cannot benefit from the reduced prices offered to workers with health insurance. There are several programs offering prescription assistance each with their own rules and requirements. Use the contact information below to contact them and ask for more information.

Michigan Prescription Drug Discount Card is administered by the Department of Community Health (MDCH). The MiRx card is a way for Michigan residents who do not have prescription drug coverage to get their medication for less
money at participating pharmacies.
MiRx Enrollment Hotline: 1-866-755-6479
www.michigan.gov/mdch

Rx Assist: Searchable database of prescription assistance programs.
n/a www.rxassist.org

World Medical Relief 313-866-5333 www.worldmedicalrelief.com

Partnership for Prescription Assistance 1-888-477-2669 www.pparxmi.org

Pfizer Inc. 1-866-706-2400 www.pfizerhelpfulanswers.com

Lilly Cares 1-800-545-6962 www.lillycares.com

Foreclosure

Foreclosure assistance is offered by the Foreclosure Prevention Counselors at the Michigan State Housing Development Authority. This program offers households facing foreclosure with free assistance from foreclosure prevention counselors who will help you apply for state and federal foreclosure programs. Visit www.michigan.gov/helpinghand for more information or call 1-866-946-7432.

This series of articles provides practical information on the programs available to unemployed households in the state of Michigan. Our previous article focused on programs that offered information and access to resources offered by other agencies. This article highlights programs offered directly by the government and private agencies that promote them.

Job Assistance

The state of Michigan has two main job assistance programs: Michigan Works! and Talent Bank Help Line. The Michigan Works! program is an employment database which links workers and employers and provides workers with access to educational and training programs. This includes assistance with preparing resumes, recommendation letters and to prepare for job interviews.

The Talent Bank Help line is also managed by Michigan Works! but allows citizens to access job assistance services over the phone instead of the internet.  To access this program call 1-888-253-6855 or visit www.michworks.com.

Unemployment Insurance Agency

The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency is Michigan’s primary source of financial assistance for unemployed workers. However, this service is not for everyone. You must meet financial and legal requirements to qualify for unemployment benefits. For instance, to qualify for benefits you must have received a minimum amount of income set by the Unemployment Insurance Agency, have lost your job due to no fault of your own and be willing and able to work.

Utility Assistance Programs

The state of Michigan offers low-income citizens help with their utility bills through four main programs: Consumers Energy (1-800-477-5050), DTE Energy (1-800-477-4747), SEMCO Energy (1-800-624-2019) and the Michigan Energy Assistance Directory. The Michigan Energy Assistance Directory  is an online directory which offers information on both private and public energy assistance programs. Visit www.dleg.state.mi.us/mpsc/winterwise/energy_assistance.htm for more information.

The services offered by these programs include financial assistance to cover energy expenses, grants and low-cost loans for home improvements to save on energy consumption, such as insulation, solar and wind energy. Other programs allow Michigan workers to average out their energy bills throughout the year as a type of saving plan for the higher energy costs of the winter months.

These programs are not available to everyone. You must meet certain financial requirements, such as your income level, and the assets available to you. Visit the official websites of these programs (links above) and find out how much you could get in help for you and your family.