UIA’s Detroit Local Office closed to in-person appointments during NFL Draft

Influx of fans to city may make it difficult to access building

Phone and virtual appointments, online chat still available

The start of the NFL Draft later this week is expected to bring what organizers anticipate will be a large number of football fans and tourists to Detroit. The extra traffic and high demand for parking may make it difficult to visit the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency's (UIA) Local Office on West Grand Boulevard, so UIA is closing its Detroit office for in-person appointments on Thursday, April 25, and Friday, April 26, and helping claimants in other ways.

Anyone who has already scheduled an in-person appointment will be notified of the closure and UIA staff will reach the workers by phone at the time they are scheduled to visit the Detroit Local Office.

“The NFL Draft is going to be an exciting event for the City of Detroit. People will be coming into town from all over to experience this once-in-a-lifetime event,” UIA Director Julia Dale said. “When you’re out of a job and applying for unemployment benefits it can be a stressful time. We don’t want to add more stress for claimants who may have to navigate crowds and road closures and find limited parking to get in-person help from UIA’s trained and professional staff.”

The UIA’s Detroit Local Office is in Cadillac Place in the New Center area but draft organizers are urging fans to park away from downtown and take public transportation, such as the nearby Q-Line, to participate in draft events in the heart of the city.

“We urge people to use one of the other options that the UIA offers if they need help with their claim or have an urgent question,” Director Dale said. “Our Detroit staff will be ready on Monday, April 29, to meet in person with those who have questions on their claims.”

Phone or virtual appointments can be scheduled for the two days when the Detroit Local Office is not taking in-person appointments. Click on the Schedule an Appointment link at Michigan.gov/UIA to find a convenient day and time up to 14 days in advance.

Workers can also call UIA’s Customer Service at 1-866-500-0017 or use the Ask Ava chatbot at Michigan.gov/UIA.

Commitment to customer service

Improving the claimant experience is central to the reforms Director Dale has implemented at the UIA. Her transformation, innovation, and modernization efforts are positioning the UIA to be a national model for fast, fair, and fraud-free service. Among the recently implemented reforms that help workers to apply for jobless benefits:

• The UIA Claimant Roadmap is an easy-to-follow, user-friendly six step guide to applying for and understanding your benefits. You can find the roadmap at Michigan.gov/UIAClaimantRoadmap.

• First-time filer coaching sessions use online group sessions to guide claimants through the steps needed to complete an application and qualify for payments.

• UIA’s Advocacy Program has added new advocates and raised their compensation by 30 percent. The Advocacy Program provides free legal advice to workers and employers who appeal UIA determinations.

• UIA staff are located in 10 regions across Michigan as part of the UIA Community Connect program. This program provides hands-on expertise to employers and workers about how to navigate the unemployment insurance application process. Liaisons also connect workers and employers to UIA’s outreach and education resources.
• The agency’s public website at Michigan.gov/UIA has been revamped to be more user-friendly and responsive for those accessing services using cell phones or tablets.
• Planning and design are underway to replace the decade-old MiWAM computer system used by workers to apply for benefits and employers to pay unemployment insurance taxes. The new computer system will be easy to use, speed claims processing, and build on the agency’s aggressive anti-fraud tactics. It is expected to be fully operational in 2025.

Transforming the UIA

Since being named to lead the UIA in October 2021 – the agency's 11th director in as many years – Director Julia Dale has launched a number of other significant changes that benefit workers and employers:

• Renovations at five Local Offices – Sterling Heights, Saginaw, Grand Rapids, Lansing and Detroit – to improve the user experience for claimants who want to speak directly with an agent.
• Developing the innovative Employer Help Center, which can be found at Michigan.gov/UIAEmployerHelpCenter. The plain language Help Center provides answers to employers on unemployment tax and claim issues and UIA programs.
• Creating the UIA Modernization Workgroup, consisting of labor, business and jobless advocates to advise the UIA on significant improvements in how it can better serve Michigan workers and employers.
• Naming a Legal Advisor and creating the Legal and Compliance Bureau to leverage collaborative anti-fraud practices to pursue bad actors, in collaboration with the Michigan Attorney General’s office, and local, state and federal law enforcement. To date, 162 people have been charged, 91 convicted, and 71 sentenced.
• Scoring 100 percent for the third year in a row from the USDOL, meeting the reasonable assurance of quality benchmark for employer audits in 2022, 2021, and 2020.
• Reassigning staff and resources to address the largest categories of claims that are contributing to the agency’s case backlogs.
• Rebuilding to more than $2.3 billion (and growing) the UI Trust Fund, from which weekly benefits are paid to workers.
• Approving more than 76,000 overpayment waivers (with more to come) of state and federal benefits paid out during the global pandemic, waiving more than $555 million.
• Halting overpayment collections on claims filed since March 1, 2020, while the agency addresses pending protests and appeals. More than $13 million was refunded to workers since May 2022.
• Implementing new ethics and security clearance policies for employees and contractors.
• Won six awards from the U.S. DOL for its anti-fraud efforts.

Need help with a claim or have questions?

Speak with an agent: Schedule an in-person, phone, or virtual meeting at Michigan.gov/UIA.

Call Customer Service: 1-866-500-0017 during regular business hours.

Chat with Ava: Our chatbot can answer many questions at Michigan.gov/UIA.

Guidance for workers

• Follow the UIA Claimant Roadmap at Michigan.gov/UIAClaimantRoadmap.
• Schedule a First-time Filer Coaching Session.

Guidance for employers

• Go to the Employer Help Center at Michigan.gov/UIAEmployerHelpCenter.