What Michigan residents can expect from state's new unemployment benefit system

After a week-long shutdown, Michigan's unemployment system is back online with a new platform designed to make filing claims and certifying for benefits easier.

The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency officially launched MiUI on Monday, replacing the state's long-running MiWAM system after a week-long outage, which allowed officials to transfer records and claimant data to the new platform.

UIA Director Jason Palmer said the new system is designed to be more user-friendly while improving accessibility, mobile access and fraud prevention efforts.

"We really wanted to bring our services to the modern time," Palmer said. "People expect to be able to do things mobile. People expect to be able to do things quickly."

One of the biggest changes for claimants is the move from biweekly certifications and benefit payments to a weekly schedule. The new platform is also designed to make filing claims and certifying for benefits faster and easier.

"This system, you can file a claim quicker on your phone than you could have done before by calling us," Palmer said. "You can certify for benefits quicker on your phone or on your computer than you could have done if you had to call us before."

During the transition, MiWAM was taken offline for a week while records were transferred to the new system. Palmer said people who needed to file a claim or certify for benefits during last week's downtime can still complete those tasks now without penalties.

"People who had to file a claim last week or certify last week, they're encouraged to do that today," Palmer said. "It's not going to be late. They might get a notice saying that it's late, but our team will be working through that."

Officials soft-launched the system on Sunday and said users were already accessing the platform before Monday's official launch.

"As of last night it was in the hundreds, and into today it's in the thousands," Palmer said. "So we've had people in doing things."

The agency says anyone with an existing unemployment claim does not need to file a new one. Users can access the new system through Michigan.gov/UIA using their MiLogin account.

Unemployment insurance provides temporary financial assistance for workers who lose their jobs through no fault of their own while they search for new employment. Officials say resources, tutorials and assistance are available online and through local UIA offices for anyone needing help navigating the new system.