General Assistance

As you no doubt understand, or you wouldn’t be reading this, information is vital if you are to make the most of the benefits available. Michigan has four main programs offering information to unemployed workers: the UIA, the Helping Hand Website, the 2-1-1/United Way and the Department of Human Services.

Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency provides information on unemployment programs at its official website: www.michigan.gov/uia.. This includes webcasts such as “Resources for Displaced Workers”. This particular webcast offers information on resources unemployed workers may qualify for once their unemployment benefits have expired.

The Helping Hand website is subsidized by the state of Michigan and provides assistance to Michigan citizens who are facing financial difficulties. Although the website does not provide programs of its own, it does include links to training, financial assistance and housing programs available in Michigan.

The 2-1-1/United Way is a resource service for people suffering economic hardship. You can access these resources by calling 2-1-1. The program offers confidential assistance for workers who wish to apply for employment, training programs, housing, food pantries, rent and utility assistance. Because this program is telephone based it is accessible to 81 percent of the citizens in Michigan.

The Department of Human Services provides both information and programs of its own. These programs include cash assistance, medical services, food assistance, emergency services for people in need of heat and utilities, home repairs and relocation assistance. For food assistance you can call the Food Stamp Hotline 1-800-481-4989 or visit your local Department of Human Services county office.

Note these programs are often complementary. If you and your family are going through financial difficulties, contact all of these institutions and request what help is available. There are other institutions, such as churches and privately run food pantries that may provide access to resources, but these are run on the local level and vary from town to town.

However, as important as information is, direct access to unemployment assistance is even more vital. Our next article will focus on agencies and Michigan state departments that offer direct access to unemployment and financial assistance programs.

based on information released these days through the Michigan Department of Vitality, Labor & Economic Growth (DELEG). Total employment increased by 11,000 in January while unemployment declined by 7,000. The state’s labor force edged further up by 4,000 around the month.

The U.S. jobless pace fell by three-tenths of the percentage place in January to 9.7 percent.

The state’s jobless pace in January 2010 was three percentage points over the January 2009 charge of 11.three percent. The nationwide jobless pace increased by two full percentage points more than this period.

“Michigan’s unemployment pace fell slightly, as typical January auto industry job cuts did not occur in January 2010″ said Rick Waclawek, director of DELEG’s Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives. “Also, jobs in a number of Michigan industry sectors, including manufacturing, have stabilized since the summer of 2009.” .

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Michigan’s unemployment fee has been little changed since the middle of 2009. The state’s jobless charge has remained within the narrow band of 14.2 to 14.five percent since July. In the first half of 2009, Michigan’s unemployment charge jumped upward by above three full percentage points.

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With the recent annual revision process, Michigan’s 2009 annual average unemployment pace was revised downward from a preliminary 14.0 percent to 13.6 percent.

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Michigan’s work force declined by 93,000 or 1.9 percent since January 2009

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Since January 2009, unemployment in Michigan increased by 134,000 or 24.0 percent, nearly identical to the national increase of 24.five percent around the same period.
Michigan’s seasonally adjusted unemployment fee in January decreased by two-tenths of the percentage place above the month to 14.three percent (December’s charge was revised downward by 0.1 tenths of the percentage place from 14.6 to 14.five), in accordance with information released currently through the Michigan Department of Power, Labor & Economic Growth (DELEG). Total employment increased by 11,000 in January while unemployment declined by 7,000. The state’s labor force edged upward by 4,000 around the month.

The U.S. jobless fee fell by three-tenths of the percentage stage in January to 9.7 percent.

The state’s jobless charge in January 2010 was three percentage points above the January 2009 pace of 11.three percent. The national jobless fee increased by two full percentage points above this period.

“Michigan’s unemployment charge fell slightly, as typical January auto industry job cuts did not occur in January 2010″ said Rick Waclawek, director of DELEG’s Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives. “Also, jobs in a number of Michigan industry sectors, including manufacturing, have stabilized since the summer of 2009.” .

*
Michigan’s unemployment fee has been little changed since the middle of 2009. The state’s jobless charge has remained within the narrow band of 14.2 to 14.five percent since July. In the first half of 2009, Michigan’s unemployment pace jumped upward by more than three full percentage points.

*
With the recent annual revision process, Michigan’s 2009 annual average unemployment charge was revised downward from a preliminary 14.0 percent to 13.6 percent.

*
Michigan’s work force declined by 93,000 or 1.9 percent since January 2009

*
Since January 2009, unemployment in Michigan increased by 134,000 or 24.0 percent, nearly identical to the national increase of 24.five percent around the same period.

Thousand of Michigan residents may shed their joblessness returns beginning this week. An objection from the senator has blocked passage in the 30 day stopgap measure which would have kept the law alive extended adequate for Congress to settle on the extra substantial extension of benefits and health-care benefits for unemployed employees.

About 25,000 Michigan residents will operate out of joblessness gains if the law isn’t lengthy. Significantly much more than 400,000 would exhaust their gains by June. The lapse would jeopardize a monetary lifeline for unemployed adult males and females who depend for the constructive factors to shell out their simple bills.

But thousands of unemployed employees within the express are within the "cusp of loss", not certain if they’re planning to obtain positive aspects or not. Or if this extension is their lasts."It is so significant that we have this to pull us by throughout this hard time,when with joblessness, and folks verify the Web a lot more than and additional than for just about any information in regards to the extension. The federal govt is designed to vote to approve the extensions and they are suppose to notify us by way of Michigan joblessness as quickly because they choose on it

In Washington, the Senate’s second-ranking Republican leader claims he expects GOP lawmakers will vote to extend joblessness gains this week – derailing a fellow Republican’s objections. Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona states the extension will pass, but only anticipated for the point it really is short-term. The benefits are portion in the bigger package deal of govt programs that are expiring Sunday basically due to the fact senators couldn’t agree on the way to shell out to retain them heading.Democrats couldn’t overcome the objections of Republican Sen. Jim Bunning of Kentucky that the $10 billion measure would add towards the spending budget deficit. Kyl tells "Fox Information Sunday" that a longer-term extension will expense significantly a great deal extra, and Congress need to locate a method to spend out for it preceding to Republicans will go along

If you are receiving Unemployment Compensation in Michigan and the benefits are about to exhaust, you may be eligible for Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC).

Emergency Unemployment Compensation has 4 tier levels in the program. Each tier level grants the unemployed worker an extension of unemployment compensation. Each level offers a shorter amount of time to receive benefits.
If you are eligible for the EUC program you will be contacted by the Unemployment Office approximately 2 weeks before your current benefits expire. At that time, you will need to qualify for EUC benefits.

Once your eligibility is determined you will begin receiving Tier I benefits. Tier I will extend your benefits for 20 weeks. If, at the end of that period, you are not employed or under employed you will automatically go to Tier II benefit status. This will extend your benefits for an additional 14 weeks.

At the end of this phase, if you are still not employed you will be given Tier III benefits. This will extend your unemployment for an additional 13 weeks. Tier IV benefits can be received after that for a final 6 weeks worth of benefits.
EUC benefit eligibility will expire in February 2010. This means that a new EUC Tier I claim can not begin after February 27, 2010. Tier’s II-IV can not establish a new claim after March 10, 2010. However, if you are already receiving those benefits at the time the program ends you will continue to receive your current level benefits until the weeks are finished.

You do not have to reapply for benefits at anytime during the process if you have started receiving EUC benefits prior to the end date. If you are currently at one level you will advance to the next if you are not employed. After the end date you will only receive benefits until the end of your tier allotment. At that time, no more benefits will be issued even if you are at a lower tier. Currently there are no plans to extend the deadline or make any other emergency funding available to the program.

When are the 1099G (Report of Certain Government Payments) forms mailed?

Answer:

Persons who have created Web accounts with the agency can obtain the 1099-G forms online at http://www.michigan.gov/uia starting Jan. 28.

The 1099G forms are mailed in January. This form reports the amount of your state income tax refund paid in the prior year that may be considered part of your federal adjusted gross income (AGI) if you itemize deductions. Duplicate forms are not available.

On the 1099G, federal law requires the State of Michigan to report your tax refund plus interest paid. The reported amount includes Use tax paid, amounts credited forward, and amounts offset to a liability. Also, if applicable, the reported amount includes voluntary contributions to the following:

• Amanda’s Fund for Breast Cancer Prevention and Treatment
• Animal Welfare Fund
• Children of Veterans Tuition Grant Program
• Children’s Trust Fund
• Michigan Housing and Community Development Fund
• Michigan Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Monument Fund
• Military Family Relief Fund
• Prostate Cancer Research Fund

The amount reported on your 1099G should be reported on Schedule 1, line 16.The 1099G does not include refunds for homestead property tax or other credits. The Payer’s name, address and federal identification number are as follows:

State of Michigan
Department of Treasury
Lansing, MI 48922
Federal I.D. #38-6000134

If you don not recieve your 1099-G form

taken from

http://www.michigan.gov/taxes/0,1607,7-238-43715-154100–F,00.html

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/1099Project_for_Web_147906_7.pdf

Michigan begins mailing jobless benefit statements
Associated Press
Lansing — The state has begun mailing year-end tax statements to approximately 913,000 people who received unemployment benefits in 2009.

Stephen Geskey, director of Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency, says unemployment benefits are taxable, and recipients will need 1099-G forms to prepare their 2009 state and federal tax returns.

The forms show how much individuals received in unemployment benefits last year. They also state how much in state and federal income taxes were deducted from a person’s unemployment benefits, if the individual chose to have the taxes withheld.

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Geskey says the American Recovery & Reinvestment Tax Act exempts the first $2,400 in unemployment benefits paid in 2009 from federal income taxes.

Help for those affected by foreign competition
Workers who lose their jobs or whose hours of work and wages are reduced because of foreign competition may apply for federal assistance through the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program. Among the benefits they may receive are weekly Trade Readjustment Allowances (TRA), which are payable once they exhaust state unemployment
benefits and any extended benefits. Usually, TRA will only be paid if an individual is enrolled in an approved training program.

When a company or a group of workers believes foreign competition has adversely affected their jobs, the company, a group of workers, the union, Michigan Works! Agency (MWA) staff, or the state dislocated worker unit can petition the federal government for TAA benefits. The U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) will decide whether foreign competition
was the major reason for the job cutbacks. If so, USDOL will issue a “certification” and indicate the period during which total or partial job separations will be covered by the certification. This Fact Sheet pertains to petitions filed on or after November 4, 2002.

Applying for Trade Readjustment Allowances
A worker may apply for TRA at any time. However, if the workers covered under the petition are not yet certified, the Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) will hold the application, pending USDOL’s determination on the petition.
Workers should contact a Michigan Works! Agency (MWA) Service Center to file their TRA applications immediately after being advised that they are covered under a certification. Delays in applying could result in not being eligible for TRA. To be eligible for additional weeks of TRA, workers must apply for training approved under the Trade Act of 1974, as amended, within 210 days of their last separation during the certification period (see below) or within 210 days of the certification date, whichever is later.
Qualifying for Trade Readjustment Allowances
To qualify for TRA:
• Workers must be laid off due to lack of work.
• Their layoffs must occur on or after the “impact date” of the certification and before its expiration or termination date. This is called the “certification” or “window” period.
• Workers must also have had enough qualifying employment with the affectedemployer. They must have been employed at least 26 weeks, with weekly wages of at least $30.00, during the 52 weeks ending with the week of separation. Up to seven weeks of employer-authorized leave may be counted as part of the 26 qualifying weeks. Also, up to 26 weeks of disability benefits paid under a state or federal law can be used to qualify for TRA, as well as 26 weeks of active duty time served by a military reservist.
• A worker must either be participating in, or enrolled in, training, or must have received a waiver of this training requirement. “Enrolled” means the worker will begin training approved under the Trade Act within 30 days. Workers must enroll by the end of: (1) the eighth week following the week that USDOL issues a certification; or (2) the end of the 16th week following the worker’s last qualifying separation. This requirement may be waived for certain specific reasons (see Waiver of Training).
Waiver of training
During the first series of TRA payments (known as “basic TRA”), workers must be in a training program unless that requirement is waived (set aside). However, to receive any additional weeks of TRA, the requirement cannot be waived and workers must be in training. To receive basic TRA, the training requirement may be waived if the training has been approved but will begin more than 30 days later, or for other specific reasons. MWA offices process training approvals and waivers.
Eligibility period
Workers will only be eligible to receive TRA when they run out of regular (and extended) unemployment benefits. Once they become entitled to TRA, they will have a period of 104 weeks in which to receive their basic TRA. If training includes remedial education, the period to collect basic TRA is extended to 130 weeks. If workers have a later qualifying layoff due to foreign competition (that is, a layoff that meets the requirements described above under “Qualifying for TRA”), the 104/130-week period will be extended to run from that later layoff. The eligibility period for additional TRA begins after either: (1) workers exhaust their basic TRA entitlement; or (2) the eligibility period for basic TRA ends. For additional TRA, workers must be participating in training approved under the Trade Act. The additional TRA eligibility period lasts for 52 consecutive weeks or until the end of approved training, whichever occurs first. If training includes remedial education, the eligibility period may last for up to 78 weeks.
Amount of TRA benefits payable
Workers are entitled to 52 weeks of basic TRA at the same weekly benefit amount they received in state benefits after their first qualifying separation. Any state jobless benefits workers receive upon becoming unemployed due to foreign competition will be deducted from the total amount of basic TRA payable. In other words, weeks of regular benefits and any extended benefits paid to workers will be deducted from their 52 weeks of basic TRA entitlement. Consequently, workers could receive a combined total of 52 weeks of state benefits, extended benefits and basic TRA benefits. Up to 52 weeks of additional TRA at the same weekly benefit rate might be payable if workers participate in training approved under the Trade Act. If training includes remedial education and workers are still in TAA-approved training after being paid basic and additional TRA, another set of additional TRA is payable at the rate of one week of TRA per each week of remedial education – up to 26 weeks.

Weekly eligibility
All the filing requirements and eligibility requirements that apply to collecting regular state unemployment benefits also apply to TRA. In addition, workers who are not participating in approved training must list three places where they sought employment for each week they claim basic TRA on their certification by mail forms. The availability, ability, and seeking work requirements are waived for workers participating in TAA-approved training.
Recent changes to Trade Act coverage The Trade Adjustment Assistance Reform Act of 2002 made several changes to the federal Trade Act program. The Act authorized:
• A federal income tax credit for health insurance premiums paid by eligible TAA recipients; and
• An Alternative TAA (ATAA) program for older workers, which provides a wage differential of up to $10,000 for a two-year eligibility period. The program is for those 50 years or older who obtain different full-time employment within 26 weeks of separation from adversely-affected employment at wages less than those earned in the adversely-affected employment.

CAN I WORK WHILE ON TRA BENEFITS

You should speak in person to serveral people at your local unemployment branch, at best you might be able to work part time, but like most benefits (the subsidy is pro-rated if you work part time while training). Please confirm with your local branch

This is from http://www.michigan.gov/uia, please see them for more information