The Michigan Legislature has launched a new website where the people of Michigan can share the experiences and struggles they have had as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Michigan has now lost over 5,000 people to COVID-19, and executive orders and directives from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in response to the crisis have upended the lives and livelihoods of countless more.
MI COVID Story is an online resource for concerned residents across the state. Share your story today!
Please also free to share how COVID-19 has affected you, your family or your business at DouglasWozniak@house.mi.gov.
Recently, the Michigan Court of Claims rejected excessive penalties put in place by the Governor for violating her executive orders.
Health and safety are a top priority at our Michigan businesses. Many Michigan job providers were put at risk of unnecessary penalties, especially with how vague many of the executive orders are. I applaud the Court for striking down these nonsensical penalties.
A reckless policy put in place by the Governor has put many of our senior residents at risk. The Governor has continued a policy that places COVID-19 patients into long term care facilities, where they could put other facility residents, especially vulnerable seniors, in danger.
Limited reports state that roughly 25 percent of Michigan’s COVID-19 deaths have been nursing home residents, and the number could be even higher if we’re able to get more transparent data from the administration.
I have cosponsored HR 27 in opposition to the policy of the Governor to place COVID-19 patients in nursing homes and I will also be supporting Senate Bill 956, which prohibits the admittance of COVID-19 patients to nursing homes.
This month, the Joint Select Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic began listening to testimony from people across Michigan concerned with the lack of responsiveness from the state’s Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA). Issues included long wait times, calls being disconnected, website failures and the inability to have a claim processed or fulfilled.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has continued to issue ‘stay home’ orders during the ongoing public health emergency related to COVID-19. These orders shut down workplaces and have sent state unemployment numbers skyrocketing over 20 percent.
Roughly 124,000 people who have filed claims had yet to receive unemployment benefits as of mid-May, according to testimony from the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. In addition, it was revealed a number of people have only received partial payments and are still waiting on weeks they are eligible for, with some having their claims for those weeks disputed. The department refused to disclose how many people are currently in that category.
Each one of the testimonies we hear is powerful. Lives and livelihoods have been impacted by the pandemic and decisions made by the Whitmer administration in the face of the emergency. These stories must be made public, so government can be accountable and transparent while functioning in a way that best suits the people of Michigan’s needs.
My office has been contacted by numerous residents of Bruce, Shelby and Washington Townships and the Village of Romeo who have not been able to get the money from unemployment that they are owed.
We’ve been assisting numerous people with their unemployment cases. If you need help with your unemployment case, please contact my office at DouglasWozniak@house.mi.gov with the following information:
Full Name
Full Address
Telephone Number
UIA Case Number
A brief description of your issue
My office needs all the above information to be able to assist you as quickly as possible. Please know that my office has limited resources and if you are NOT a resident of Bruce, Shelby or Washington Townships or the Village of Romeo, we will forward you on to your own State Representative.
Identification Verification and Unemployment Claims
Due to fraud issues where criminals may try to file as someone else, many Michigan residents are being denied their unemployment claims and being told they need to verify their identification due to fraud committed in their name.
If a claimant has a recent “Stop Payment” notice on their account, they will need to submit additional identifying information in order to receive benefits.
They will receive a form (UIA 6347 Request for Identity Verification) by United States Postal Service mail, which provides a mailing address or fax number for submission of ID verification documents, due to the stay-at-home order and the COVID-19 pandemic, they will not be able to report to a local office to verify their identity or submit your documents. UIA is asking claimants to upload a copy of the requested documents to their Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM) for faster processing.
In addition to the Form UIA 6347, claimants will need to provide:
- US Passport or US Passport Card,
- Permanent Resident Card or Alien Registration Receipt Card,
OR
- Driver’s license or ID card AND
- Social Security Card, or
- Original/certified copy of birth certificate
To upload documents, in your MiWAM account, under “I Want To”, click “Send Unemployment a Message” to upload the required documents. You may send you documents through a message 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
If this does not work, please contact my office for assistance.
Legislation that I sponsored that was signed into law in March established confidentiality and legal protections for health care employees receiving critical incident stress management (CISM) services, a voluntary intervention process designed to help individuals dealing with traumatic stress in the workplace, carried out by a response team of trained peers.
A Michigan hospital recently reported the new law has benefited its employees greatly since the COVID-19 pandemic began, bringing with it an influx of trauma and stress on health care workers.
“Since the Bronson Healthcare System identified its first patient with COVID-19 in March, the Bronson CISM team has been an integral and consistent source of support for employees on the frontlines,” said Amy Morrison-Maybee, Bronson CISM Team Coordinator. “We have provided 209 CISM interventions that were directly related to the impact and effects of COVID-19. For perspective, the team facilitated 133 interventions for the entire year in 2019. This demonstrates the huge need for mental health resources right now.
“Our team rounds daily on our COVID units to offer staff support in real time. We also offer education on common stress reactions and symptoms of burnout as well as skills to help staff cope in a healthy manner and build resiliency. Staff have definitely benefitted from the support of the CISM team."
Several other hospitals have reported similar success as a result of the legislation. It’s great to hear that this legislation that we created by working hand-in-hand with health care workers is making a difference, especially during this very difficult time. As the husband of a nurse and father of a doctor, I can’t thank our health care heroes enough for their work on the front lines of this pandemic.
A plan recently introduced in the House would enhance criminal penalties for perpetrators convicted of abusing vulnerable children, especially those who are nonverbal. The legislation was introduced after an abuse case at a Michigan autism facility revealed deficiencies in state law.
The new plan would strengthen the criminal penalties of second-, third- and fourth-degree child abuse for those who are convicted of abusing a child that is found to be vulnerable. Anyone under 18 with a developmental or physical disability, mental illness or is nonverbal because of a developmental disability would qualify as a vulnerable child under the measure.
Michigan law provides enhanced criminal penalties for committing crimes against vulnerable adults but lacks enhanced criminal penalties for those who abuse vulnerable children. This legislation will help bridge the gap that currently exists between the two at-risk populations.
House Bill 4783 remains in the House Families, Children and Seniors Committee for further consideration.
The House Committee on Reducing Car Insurance Rates website, ReduceMiRatesNow.com, has been updated to better prepare drivers for the upcoming changes to the state’s no-fault system.
The website is a user-friendly platform for Michigan drivers who are looking to familiarize themselves with the new law set to roll out July 1. The online platform features all the available personal injury protection (PIP) coverage levels and a guide for each option drivers may utilize to familiarize themselves with the forms they will be expected to fill out in the coming weeks. The how-to guides detail the steps drivers will need to take to choose a coverage option that best meets their budget needs.
In addition to becoming familiar with the sample PIP and bodily injury forms, I recommend drivers start shopping around sooner rather than later to find the lowest rates possible as insurance providers make them available. I also urge drivers to consult with a trusted insurance agent for further advice on choosing a coverage plan that is in the best interest of themselves and their families.
While we’ve done a lot of work on auto insurance reform, I’m committed to pushing for continued improvements on the legislation we passed last year to ensure that our auto insurance law in Michigan works for everybody.
One unintended consequence of the auto insurance legislation we passed will lead to Michigan’s world class rehabilitation facilities being unable to provide necessary services to our state’s most vulnerable accident victims.
I have recently introduced legislation that will put into place a more equitable fee schedule for our state’s rehabilitation clinics and allow them to continue to serve accident automobile accident victims who require a high level of care.
Last month, I introduced legislation to better protect seniors, vulnerable residents and their families by minimizing the potential to use powers of attorney as a tool for exploitation in Michigan.
This legislation would also make it easier for valid powers of attorney to be accepted by financial institutions. As a practicing elder law attorney, I understand the importance of these documents to vulnerable residents and their families. These are common sense changes we can make to improve the process.
This legislation is currently awaiting a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee.
Serving the people of Macomb County is very important to me. I encourage residents to contact my office with any state or local issues by calling (517) 373-0843, emailing DouglasWozniak@House.mi.gov or visiting my website at www.RepWozniak.com.
It is a pleasure to represent the people of Bruce Township, Shelby Township, Washington Township and the Village of Romeo. Please contact my office if I can assist you in any way, or if you have a great idea to help move our state forward.
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