UIA Lansing office closes next week for customer-focused renovations

Staff will serve workers temporarily at Capital Area Michigan Works! during anticipated 2-month project

The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency’s (UIA) Lansing Local Office will close temporarily starting Monday, June 3, 2024, for renovations that will create a welcoming and safe experience for Michiganders who wish to speak with an agent about their jobless claims.

During renovations, UIA staff will serve workers in person at a temporary office co-located with Capital Area Michigan Works! at 2110 South Cedar Street, Lansing.

Construction at the UIA’s Local Office at 5217 Perry Robinson Circle is expected to take two months to reconfigure the public areas and upgrade security. The changes are part of the UIA’s focus on improving the customer experience and creating a national model for fast, fair, and fraud-free service.

Those who need help with their claim during the temporary office closure can schedule an in-person appointment for the Capital Area Michigan Works! office. Click on the Schedule an Appointment link at Michigan.gov/UIA and choose a time and day up to 14 days in advance.

UIA will send a text reminder about the closure and the address of the temporary UIA office to those who have already scheduled an appointment.

Renovations are being made at five of the 12 UIA Local Offices across the state this year. Construction is complete at the Sterling Heights and Saginaw Local Offices, which have reopened. Grand Rapids closed temporarily on May 6 with staff moving to the Department of Health and Human Services office at 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Street SE, Grand Rapids. The Detroit Local Office will temporarily close later this year, with staff moving to an area across the lobby in Cadillac Place, 3024 West Grand Boulevard, Detroit.

The closures will not affect phone or virtual appointments, which can be scheduled online. Answers are also available using the Chat With An Agent feature through the Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM), the Ask Ava chatbot at Michigan.gov/UIA, or by calling the Customer Service hotline at 1-866-500-0017 Monday through Friday during normal business hours.

New and helpful resources for workers

The Local Office renovations are among a wide range of modernization reforms aimed at helping workers navigate the application process. Reforms include:

• The UIA Claimant Roadmap, which is an easy-to-follow, user-friendly six-step guide to applying for and understanding unemployment benefits. The roadmap can be accessed 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.
• The Advocacy Program has added new advocates who provide free legal advice to workers and employers who appeal UIA determinations.
• Planning and design are under way for a new computer system that will be easy to use, speed claims processing, and build on the agency’s aggressive anti-fraud tactics. Expected to be fully operational in 2025, it will replace the decade-old MiWAM computer system used by workers to apply for benefits and employers to pay unemployment insurance taxes.
• The UIA Community Connect program embeds UIA staff in 10 regions across Michigan to provide hands-on expertise to workers about how to navigate the unemployment insurance application process. Liaisons also connect workers and employers to UIA’s outreach and education resources.
• The UIA’s Economic Dashboard provides a rich understanding of the impacts of unemployment across industries, occupations, and communities. It also provides insights into which sectors are experiencing layoffs, claimant demographics, and the regions most affected. Find it at Michigan.gov/UIAEconomicDashboard.
• The agency’s public website at Michigan.gov/UIA has been revamped to be more user-friendly and responsive for those who access services using cell phones or tablets.

Transforming, modernizing the UIA

Since being named by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to lead the UIA in October 2021 – the agency's 11th director in as many years – Director Julia Dale has launched a sweeping transformation of the agency to benefit workers and employers, including:

• Developing the innovative Employer Help Center that uses plain language and clean design to answer employers’ questions about unemployment tax, claim issues, and UIA programs. It can be found at Michigan.gov/UIAEmployerHelpCenter..
• 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.
• Extending through 2024 nearly 80 limited term employees in the Fraud and Investigations Division.
• 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 on employer audits from the U.S. Department of Labor, meeting its reasonable assurance of quality benchmark.
• Reassigning staff and resources to address the largest categories of claims contributing to the agency’s case backlogs.
• Rebuilding the UI Trust Fund to more than $2.3 billion. Weekly benefits are paid to workers from the Trust Fund, which is supported by taxes on employers.
• 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.

Need help with a claim or have questions?

Meet 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.