Lower unemployment in Michigan means quicker access to UIA customer service

Although the State of Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency provides convenient 24-hour online access to many unemployment benefit account services, such as bi-weekly reporting, reviewing payment history, and submitting inquiries, the agency also provides assistance in person at 15 Problem Resolution Offices statewide. Customer service representatives are also available by phone through the UIA’s toll-free Customer Service hotline at 1-866-500-0017 during regular business hours.
 
“Because Michigan’s unemployment rate is at its lowest in the past several years, we have very low call volumes on our claimant customer service phone lines and little to no wait times in our problem resolution offices,” said Sharon Moffett-Massey, director of the UIA.
“This is an ideal time for any of our customers who are having issues with their unemployment claim or simply need help understanding the unemployment insurance system, to speak personally with a customer service representative.”
For customers who may be back to work, but still have questions or need to reach the Agency after regular business hours, a toll free message line is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-855-707-8387. Callers may leave a detailed message including their name, daytime phone number, and the reason for the call.
Unemployed Workers Can Also Claim Benefits During 4^th of July Holiday Office Closing
The UIA will be closed on Friday, July 3, 2015, to observe Independence Day, but unemployed workers can still contact the agency’s automated systems to report their eligibility for unemployment benefits.
Unemployed workers claiming benefits in Michigan must report once every two weeks that they are unemployed and meet the eligibility requirements for benefits, either online through the Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM), or by contacting the Michigan Automated Response Voice Interactive Network (MARVIN) by phone.  Claimants reporting online through their MiWAM account may do so 24 hours a day, Monday through Saturday of their reporting week at michigan.gov/uia.  Individuals who contact MARVIN by phone must do so during specific times according to a Monday through Wednesday schedule or anytime on Thursday through Saturday between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. MARVIN can be reached toll-free at 1-866-638-3993.
Because of the upcoming holiday, there may be a one or two day delay before the benefits are directly deposited into the bank accounts or loaded onto debit cards. The 4^th of July holiday is observed by Michigan state government and most financial institutions.