As of May 30, 2021, the Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) has reinstated work search requirements for unemployment benefits claimants. The requirement to search for work in order to receive unemployment benefits had been suspended since March 2020 to help the increased volume of hardworking Michiganders who faced unemployment due to the pandemic.

Claimants must now actively seek work and report at least one work search activity per week for each week they claim benefits. A work search activity could include submitting a job application, attending a job fair or employment workshop, interviewing with employers and more.

There are COVID-specific exemptions for people who are self-employed, unable to work due to COVID-19 and parents with children attending school remotely because the school is closed. If an individual has an approved waiver, they are exempt from the work search requirement. Claimants must apply for a waiver prior to their certification for benefits.

In addition to COVID-specific waivers, claimants may also be exempt from the work search requirement if they are granted a temporary layoff waiver. This type of waiver must be requested by the employer before a worker is laid off. The Registration and Seeking Work Waiver may be approved for 45 days. The criteria for establishing a waiver are:

• The separation must be a layoff for lack of work
• The layoff is temporary (work will be available within 45 days)
• The request must be received before the layoff occurs (no later than the week prior to the layoff.)

Refusing an Offer of Suitable Work

When an employer makes an offer of suitable work to an employee or makes an offer for an employee to return to their previous job, the employee can possibly lose unemployment benefits it he/she refuses. Wages, workplace safety and other factors are considered in determining whether work is “suitable.”

Both employers and employees have an obligation to report offers and refusals of suitable work to the Agency. The employer should notify the UIA by submitting details of the refusal in MiWAM.

If a claimant fails to return to work or refuses an offer of work, this can be reported online through your MiWAM account.

• Under Online Services for Employers
• Click on Report Refusal of Offer to Work
• Complete all steps with information and then submit

If a claimant fails to interview, you can submit the date, time and employer name and address of where the interview was to take place, along with the claimant's name, address, and phone number so the UIA can research and investigate. This type of protest will need to be mailed to:
UIA, P.O. BOX 169, Grand Rapids, MI 49501-0169.

For more information on suitable work, including what to do if an employee refuses an offer of suitable work see Fact Sheet 144 – Returning to Work and Refusal to Work Information for Employers.

If changes in your business necessitate an update to your Work Share plan, there are two ways to go about it. You can choose to modify your plan, or you can terminate your plan and start a new one.

The Modify Plan link should only be used to update the start date of your Work Share plan. You can backdate your start date by up to two weeks from your original start date requested. If you enter
a date that is more than two weeks from the original plan start date, an error message will display: Start date can only be backdated up to two weeks from original start date requested.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Be sure to answer No when asked “Do you need to change the percentage of work reduction for this unit?” Submitting a percentage lower than the original Work Share plan will result in an overpayment for those affected employees.

If you need to change your percentage of work reduction – you will need to Terminate your Plan, and then start a new plan with the desired percentage. View or download the Work Share Toolkit for step-by-step instructions on how to terminate your plan.