Woman hopes UAI deal will help workers get their money back

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The last two years for Marie Hosep have been a financial disaster.

“I’m not a crier, but I cried when I got the letter saying I no longer owed any money,” Hosep said.

Two years ago, she told 13 ON YOUR SIDE how she received pandemic-related unemployment benefits from the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency, or UIA.

“I left my job right at the start of the pandemic because they weren’t following COVID procedures at all and my partner at the time was immunocompromised. I didn’t think I would qualify for unemployment, but they ended up granting it to me, and I was then able to pay my rent. It was awesome,” Hosep said.

Everything was going well for her until she received a letter informing her that she had to repay up to $6,000.

She wasn’t alone. Hundreds of others who received the same benefits were told they had to repay thousands of dollars.

Even though she appealed repeatedly, the state continued to take money from her until there was none left.

“I applied for a hardship waiver after they took all my money and my bank account was empty. They said, ‘Whoa, you don’t have any money.’ I guess we’ll drop the rest,” Hosep said.

Even though the agency stopped taking her money, she didn’t get any back. Now, she has joined a lawsuit settlement in hopes of achieving just that.

If you have a similar story, you may be able to join us.

A settlement was reached requiring the UIA to reimburse $55 million to workers who were asked to repay their benefits.

The UIA says that if you think you qualify for the settlement, you can:

1. Go to the plaintiff’s home page at Michigan.gov/UIA to access settlement information, deadlines, court documents, and more.

2. Call the Settlement Administrator at 1-866-499-4565 or email [email protected].

3. Watch for an email from the UIA titled “Inappropriate Collection Settlement Alert Saunders v. UIA” sent to those who are eligible for restitution.

4. Log in to the Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM) periodically to see if you have received a web message titled “Saunders v. UIA Improper Collections Alert” informing you that you may be eligible to be part of the settlement.

5. Troubleshoot issues with MiLOGIN or MiWAM passwords by calling UIA Customer Service at 1-866-500-0017 and select 7 for account access when prompted.

Hosep says she hopes this will help her and others get the money she says she deserves.

The deadline to file a claim, object to the settlement, or opt out is November 4, 2024. A final approval hearing is scheduled for March 20, 2025.

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