DECEMBER 30, 2002- Consumer & Industry Services (CIS) Director Noelle Clark today announced that the first phase of Michigan’s new telephone filed unemployment claims system has been successfully launched. 

“We are pleased to announce that the first of three remote initial claims centers (RICCs) is now operational and is successfully handling initial claims by phone for claimants in northern Michigan,” said Clark. “Our goal was to launch this system before the end of the year and, thanks to a tremendous team effort, we have succeeded in doing so.”

Telephone filed claims is part of Michigan’s on-going effort to improve its unemployment system by making it more user-friendly and convenient for both workers and employers.  At the urging of the federal government to move toward more technology-driven unemployment filing systems, Michigan is one of more than thirty states to move away from a branch office system and utilize remotely filed claims.

Instead of having to file in person at a branch office, Michigan workers can now file initial claims by mail and those with fairly simple filings can use the Internet.  By the end of March all three Remote Initial Claims Centers in Saginaw, Grand Rapids and Detroit will be fully operational and workers in other parts of Michigan will be able to conveniently file their initial claims by phone.  In addition to these methods for worker filed claims, more and more employers in Michigan are now using the employer filed claims option.

“We rolled out telephone claims in northern Michigan first because for years these were the workers most inconvenienced by the branch office system.  The distances are greater up there, so they have the most to gain by being able to file via phone from the comfort of their homes,” said Clark.

So far, about 50 percent of those who have used the new system have opted to speak directly to a customer service representative to complete the filing.  The other 50 percent have successfully filed using the automated system without any additional assistance.

“We know these changes have not been as painless or as seamless as we would have liked,” said Clark.  “Anyone who tried in vain to get through on the unemployment hot line can attest to that.  But we are on the right track.  Claims are being filed, checks are being mailed, backlogs are being eliminated and in the next few months workers will see a much improved and more convenient unemployment filing system."

Since Nov. 1, more than 1,200 employees have filed via the Internet, tens of thousands more have filed claims by mail, and employer filed claims now account for more than 20 percent of the state's claimants on an annual basis.   More information on filing for unemployment in Michigan is available here.  Telephone filed claims should be operational statewide by the end of March.  The hotline now has more than 55 lines and is operational from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday including most state holidays.

Read more Michigan Department of Consumer & Industry Services press releases.