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FACT SHEET #160 March 2020 CLAIMING UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS IN MICHIGAN COVID-19 GUIDE If you become unemployed, you may qualify for unemployment insurance benefits. These benefits are intended to provide temporary income as you seek new employment. To be eligible for unemployment benefits, you must be unemployed and able to, available for, and actively seeking suitable full-time work. Filing for and Receiving Benefits A claim for unemployment benefits begins the week it is filed. Therefore, you should file your claim during your first week of unemployment. There are two ways to file a new claim or re-open an existing claim: • FASTEST AND PREFERRED METHOD: Online – Visit www.michigan.gov/uia and sign into MILogin to access or create an account on the Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM). • Telephone – Call 1-[PHONE REDACTED]. If you are hearing impaired, TTY service is available at 1-[PHONE REDACTED]. Information Needed to File a Claim: • Your social security card, • Your state issued driver’s license or ID card number or your MARVIN PIN (if you have one), • The names and addresses of employers you worked for during the past 18 months along with your quarterly gross earnings, • The last date of employment with each employer, • Your most recent employer’s Federal Employer ID number (FEIN) (especially if you have not filed a claim within the last three years or have been employed for less than six months) and Employer Account Number (EAN). Depending on your situation, knowing the account number may speed up the processing of your claim. • If you are not a U.S. citizen or national, you will need your Alien Registration card and the expiration date of your work authorization. Bi-Weekly Certifications You must certify your eligibility every two weeks to receive payment. The preferred method of certifying is online, although phone certification is also available. • Online: Visit www.michigan.gov/uia and sign into MILogin to access your MiWAM account. Your online account is accessible seven days a week, 24 hours a day. • By Phone: Call MARVIN at 1-[PHONE REDACTED], Monday through Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Register for Work and Work Search • At this time, you are not required to register for work. Your application for benefits will be used to satisfy the work registration requirement when you file your claim. • For those workers indicating in their claim filing that they expect to return to work with the same employer within 120 days, the application for benefits will be used to satisfy the seeking work requirement. Two ways to receive benefits, choose either: • Debit card or • Direct deposit to your bank account ---PAGE BREAK--- FACT SHEET #160 Page 2 For more information – including a copy of UIA 1901, Unemployment Benefits in Michigan and forms, visit our website at www.michigan.gov/uia. If you have a question or problem with your claim, you can submit an inquiry or chat online through your MiWAM account or call 1-[PHONE REDACTED]. Customers may schedule an appointment for an in-person visit at 1-866-500- 0017. Employers, direct your questions to the Office of Employer Ombudsman (OEO) through your MiWAM account at www.michigan.gov/uia. If you are hearing impaired, TTY service is available at 1-[PHONE REDACTED]. WHAT YOU NEED TO FILE AN UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIM To file a claim, you must first sign into MILogin to create or access your MiWAM account at www.michigan.gov/uia.