January 23, 2009
Radio address emphasizes expansion of services to help unemployed citizens file for benefits
LANSING - In her weekly radio address, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today said that in this time of severe economic challenge, the state is utilizing every available resource to ensure that Michigan citizens have expanded access to file claims, resolve problems, and get information on unemployment benefits in a timely manner.
"We have pulled out all of the stops to help those who have been most affected by the recession," Granholm said. "We are using every resource we have to beef up the help at the employment agency to ensure that citizens have expanded access to file claims for unemployment benefits and do so in a timely manner."
The governor emphasized steps being taken to meet the needs of unemployed citizens, including:
- extending hours and hiring additional staff at unemployment offices and call centers;
- opening a new call center in Lansing;
- extending the hours of the automated telephone system to include Saturdays;
- allowing citizens to certify for benefits online;
- adding more computer servers to process claims up to five times faster; and
- accelerating training to get new hires on the job faster.
"In this time of severe economic challenge, more citizens than ever are in need, and we must do all we can to provide them with the assistance they need," Granholm said. "By increasing staff, expanding hours, broadening the use of technology, and adding phone lines, we will increase the number of citizens we can serve each day, and we will reduce wait times."
The governor's weekly radio address is released each Friday morning and may be heard on broadcast stations across the state. The address is available on the governor's Web site at (
www.michigan.gov/gov
) for download, together with a clip of the quote above. The radio address is also available as a podcast on the Web site, as well as on iTunes and vi2a RSS feed for general distribution to personal MP3 players and home computers. Links to the audio files and text of today's address follow.
Governor Jennifer M. Granholm
Radio Address - Expansion of UIA Services
This is Governor Jennifer Granholm.
I don't have to tell Michiganians that across the nation, unemployment is rising as a result of the worldwide recession. Here in Michigan, unemployment reached a 25-year high in December - one more reminder that we have to continue to focus on growing our economy and creating jobs.
Behind the 10.6 percent unemployment rate are families who need to pay the rent and put food on the table. There are instances when not just one parent has lost their job, but two are unemployed. And the only thing worse than not having a job is continually getting a busy signal when you're calling the unemployment insurance line for help.
That, my friends, is unacceptable, and that is why we have pulled out all of the stops to help those who have been most affected by the recession. We are using every resource we have to beef up the help at the employment agency to ensure that citizens have expanded access to file claims for unemployment benefits and do so in a timely manner. We are . . . let me give you the steps:
- One - hiring hundreds of people to staff local unemployment offices and call centers to assist citizens who have lost their jobs.
- Two - Our call centers are remaining open longer hours, and a new call center will open in Lansing, adding 200 more telephone lines to assist citizens who are calling for help.
- Three - We have extended the workday in unemployment offices Monday through Friday and are expanding the hours of our automated telephone system to include Saturdays.
- Four - That automated system - known as MARVIN - will also offer citizens the option of certifying for benefits online, instead of by telephone.
- Five - We are adding additional computer servers so claims can be processed up to five times faster;
- And, finally, we're speeding up the training to get our new hires on the job faster.
And these expanded services supplement the earlier steps that have been taken. Those steps include the hiring of 90 temporary staff, the opening of an additional unemployment office in Detroit, and the re-deployment of some state employees to assist.
In this time of severe economic challenge, more citizens than ever are in need, and we must do all we can to provide them with the assistance they need. By increasing staff, expanding hours, broadening the use of technology, and adding phone lines, we will increase the number of citizens we can serve each day, and we will reduce wait times.
Especially in times of crisis, we have to marshal every resource at our disposal to help our Michigan citizens, and we are.
Thank you for listening.
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