Workers have until Dec. 20 to join a class action lawsuit against the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA).
In Saunders v Unemployment Ins. Agency et al., a $55 million settlement has been negotiated between UIA and affected parties representing those who believe they were wrongly asked to repay pandemic-era unemployment benefits to the UIA. An independent claims administrator will determine who qualifies for payments from the settlement fund.
Workers can go to bwclassactions.com for information about the lawsuit. The new deadline to file a claim, object to the settlement, or opt out is Dec. 20.
Interested workers need to know five things:
1. To contact the Settlement Administrator, call 1-866-499-4565 or email info@bwclassactions.com.
2. Information about the settlement, deadlines, court documents, and more can be found on the Claimant Homepage at Michigan.gov/UIA.
3. Log-in to your Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM) account to check for a message with the title “Saunders v. UIA Improper Collections Alert.”
4. Resolve problems with MiLOGIN or MiWAM passwords by calling UIA Customer Service at 1-866-500-0017 and selecting Option 7 for Account Access.
5. A final Michigan Court of Claims hearing is scheduled for March 20, 2025.
At issue is millions of dollars in unemployment benefits workers were asked to repay before the UIA could determine whether protests or appeals were submitted on time or at all on a wave of claims filed under federal pandemic programs during the COVID-19 crisis. Those claims overwhelmed the UIA’s legacy MiWAM computer system. The UIA is designing a new computer system called MiUI, which will speed claim filing for workers and tax collection for employers, enhance the overall user experience with a user-friendly design and interface, and feature robust anti-fraud processes to stop bad actors from stealing taxpayer money.
As part of the litigation process, the Court of Claims ordered the UIA to stop collecting on most claims filed on or after March 1, 2020, where a worker may have filed a protest or appeal. The Court of Claims will decide when collections resume.
Under the agreement, UIA is not admitting to liability in the case. Workers who join the settlement must agree to release all claims against the UIA, or they can opt out.
In Saunders v Unemployment Ins. Agency et al., a $55 million settlement has been negotiated between UIA and affected parties representing those who believe they were wrongly asked to repay pandemic-era unemployment benefits to the UIA. An independent claims administrator will determine who qualifies for payments from the settlement fund.
Workers can go to bwclassactions.com for information about the lawsuit. The new deadline to file a claim, object to the settlement, or opt out is Dec. 20.
Interested workers need to know five things:
1. To contact the Settlement Administrator, call 1-866-499-4565 or email info@bwclassactions.com.
2. Information about the settlement, deadlines, court documents, and more can be found on the Claimant Homepage at Michigan.gov/UIA.
3. Log-in to your Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM) account to check for a message with the title “Saunders v. UIA Improper Collections Alert.”
4. Resolve problems with MiLOGIN or MiWAM passwords by calling UIA Customer Service at 1-866-500-0017 and selecting Option 7 for Account Access.
5. A final Michigan Court of Claims hearing is scheduled for March 20, 2025.
At issue is millions of dollars in unemployment benefits workers were asked to repay before the UIA could determine whether protests or appeals were submitted on time or at all on a wave of claims filed under federal pandemic programs during the COVID-19 crisis. Those claims overwhelmed the UIA’s legacy MiWAM computer system. The UIA is designing a new computer system called MiUI, which will speed claim filing for workers and tax collection for employers, enhance the overall user experience with a user-friendly design and interface, and feature robust anti-fraud processes to stop bad actors from stealing taxpayer money.
As part of the litigation process, the Court of Claims ordered the UIA to stop collecting on most claims filed on or after March 1, 2020, where a worker may have filed a protest or appeal. The Court of Claims will decide when collections resume.
Under the agreement, UIA is not admitting to liability in the case. Workers who join the settlement must agree to release all claims against the UIA, or they can opt out.
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