Michigan domestic violence survivors have new option for unemployment benefits

When she left in the middle of December, a domestic violence survivor who spoke with local advocate Mena Davis said she had nothing but her car and the clothes on her back when she escaped. 

With snow on the ground, she constantly ran her car to stay warm. The cost of gas built up quickly. For survivors who must leave their job to escape abuse, losing access to income can make escaping feel out of reach.  

A new law aims to help those survivors escape. Starting July 17, survivors of domestic violence who must leave their job to escape can begin collecting unemployment.  

Domestic violence survivors who spoke with Davis, the director of local non-profit and shelter All Things Women Inc., said that this change will help survivors escape without worrying about the cost.  

"A good percentage of them said, when I flee, I just stayed in my car," Davis said. "But you still have to have gas. There was still daycare. You still had to be able to eat. You still had to be able to keep your phone on, because your phone is often your only lifeline to everybody else." 

One survivor who left with her children said having access to unemployment would have made it easier for both her and her kids to escape an abusive situation.  

"She said if this had been available, it would not have been as stressful on her children, because she could have then been able to at least maintain things like getting them school lunches and making sure they had funding to go on a field trip," Davis said.  

When completing an application for unemployment, applicants will now see domestic violence as an option. The law allows applicants to apply using evidence from a wide range of sources, not just law enforcement.  

Employers will not be penalized for employees who leave their job due to abuse. Typically with unemployment insurance, employers pay based on how much they use it. More layoffs mean a higher unemployment insurance tax rate. 

"What is unique about this provision is that when a survivor receives their unemployment insurance, the employer will not be charged as if it were a layoff. So it should not affect their unemployment insurance tax rate," Palmer said.    

The changes to unemployment are finally taking effect after Michigan's legislature passed the change two years ago. The change for domestic violence survivors is not the only one going in place. Starting July 19, people collecting unemployment must report three work search-related activities, compared to one.  

"We're not trying to create more work for people," Palmer said. "By moving this from 1 to 3, it's just going to create more pathways to full-time employment or getting folks back to work." 

Available on the UIA website is a full list of activities that count toward work search requirements, including completing job interviews or applying for jobs. 

Michigan is falling in line with other states that already have updated unemployment laws to include access to survivors fleeing domestic violence. The resource will help not only survivors, but also the organizations helping survivors stretched thin from demand for resources and shelter.  

"If you are a domestic violence victim right now, all of the shelters are full, and all of those resources available to you are busting at the seams because there's just not enough of them to go around," Davis said.  

Davis runs a 77-bed shelter as one of the services offered by All Things Women. She said her shelter is constantly full, but this change to unemployment gives her hope that more survivors can make the decision to escape abuse, knowing they will still have access to some income.  

"A lot of survivors say they don't leave, because if I go, how can I afford to keep my phone on, and how can I keep gas in my car, and how can I continue to go to work?" Davis said. "This resource will allow them to say, I'm finally ready to get out of this abusive situation, and here's how I'm going to do it." 

More information about all the changes impacting unemployment can be found at Michigan's Labor and Economic Opportunity website.

Domestic Violence Resources: For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.