Essential. Four years before Steve Gray took over the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency, he exposed a false fraud scandal that rocked state government and prompted reforms. We brought in some contract staff to help answer the phones. If you could wave a magic wand to fix any issue with the agency, what would you do? We’ve been moving that number up steadily. We’re going to continue to work with the attorney general’s office and our federal partners to identify the imposter fraud. Former UIA Director Steve Gray has resigned from his position. Michigan cut off unemployment for thousands of eligible residents. Gov. Opinion: UIA working tirelessly to pay claims | Opinion | record … Contact: Lynda Robinson, 313-348-8220. I’m kind of an unemployment nerd in some ways – and this is going to sound a little bit hokey. Steve Gray in Michigan. While they’re at home, they can average about 41 issues a day. Currently, we’re at about 1,200. Michigan is now working with state police and the United States Secret Service in a fraud ring investigation targeting unemployment claims during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Page 2) If we have a health outbreak in an office, it impacts the customers but it also impacts us. Then I think the other thing is, we’re still being hit by fraud. “We’ve had over 400,000 claims in the last two weeks,” said Steve Gray, director of Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency, “which is more than we took in all of 2019.” Michigan Unemployment Phone Numbers Once you become jobless you can file a new claim or reopen an existing claim for benefits by calling special toll-free telephone number at 1-866-500-0017 . But it’s certainly a suggestion that I’ve heard of before and thought of, actually, myself. We had basically 650 employees. One, is trying to cut down on the people that need to call. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. We quadrupled in size. SUBSCRIBE NOW $1 for 6 … According to Steve Gray, director for the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA), the agency is still waiting for guidance from the federal … “We continue to process and pay a record number of claims and provide an unprecedented amount of benefits to claimants,” said Steve Gray, Director of Michigan’s Unemployment … MAIL Protests only: Unemployment Insurance Agency, P.O. It’s why I’m doing this job during this pandemic. LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - The Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) … During a discussion with the Michigan Joint Select Committee on the COVID-19 pandemic, Steve Gray, the director of the state’s unemployment insurance agency, … The service begins today, Wednesday, October 21st. We’d have to cut off the number of people. Will the pandemic help change the misperception that unemployed people are just lazy people who need to get off their butts and get a job? October 21, 2020 Contact: Lynda Robinson, 313-348-8220 The Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) is now offering telephone appointments for customers with specific claim issues beginning today, Oct. 21. “We’re excited to offer this additional option for customer service,” said UIA Director Steve Gray. Find Steve Gray's phone number, address, and email on Spokeo, the leading people search directory for contact information and public records. And so we’re going to set aside some money to make sure that we come alongside people who have lost their job, temporarily while they get back on their feet. All rights reserved (About Us). There’s two ways you can go at that and we’ve been trying to deploy both of them. Steve has 11 jobs listed on their profile. LANSING, Mich. — A new audit shows the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency may have paid out more than $1.5 billion in claims without checking them … Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (each updated 1/1/21). We had the ability to put about 100, 110 employees on the phones if we needed it. Q&A: Michigan unemployment agency director Steve Gray talks … LANSING — The Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) is now offering telephone appointments for customers with specific claim issues beginning Oct. 21. Michigan's acting unemployment director told lawmakers Wednesday her office is trying to balance between quickly paying benefits to jobless workers and … If intake is closed, check here for our referral list of other lawyers that provide representation to UI claimants. The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) has announced some changes that will help them better serve residents impacted by COVID-19. comes under fire. But he remains undeterred. Steve Gray is the director of Michigan's Unemployment Insurance Agency.UM Photography, S. Soderberg. So that’s why we’ve put in place this phone appointment system. Now, some lawmakers are calling for his ouster as he tries to fix a system crushed by record jobless claims amid the coronavirus pandemic. Should the unemployment offices reopen, so people can handle these issues in person and be done with them? And how desperate that makes people feel. “This morning I tried to call. Criminals across the country have stolen peoples' identity from other sources are still filing these imposter claims. The talk features Steve Gray, director of Michigan's Unemployment Insurance Agency. Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 … “Our goal is to have every unemployment claim filed before May 1st resolved by the end of next week,” UIA Director Steve Gray said in a statement. I’d answer every phone call. The UIA expects to schedule up to 800 appointments per day. “We’re excited to offer this additional option for customer service,” said UIA Director Steve Gray. “We thought we’d have a couple of years to get those in place,” Gray said. According to … “Obviously that all got put on a very accelerated schedule as this huge, dramatic increase in claims really exposed some of the barriers and cracks we had in the system.”. If it wasn’t us, it was our friends and our family and our neighbors that were kept afloat during this period of time (by unemployment).". It’s not the first time. A total of 108,710 unemployment insurance claims were filed in Michigan last week compared to a normal average of around 5,000 claims, according to the Michigan … UIA Director Steve Gray said COVID-19 has helped expose cracks in the unemployment system, the same system he exposed as a watchdog several years ago. The Legislature would have to make some changes in the statute to allow the interest. We want to be able to get to all the calls that are coming in. The Michigan Unemployment system is overloaded from dropped calls to people still waiting for money, it seems the agency was not prepared for massive layoffs. A customer service agent will call the customers on the designated day and time they choose from the agency’s customer service line – 866-500-0017. All rights reserved. The purpose of the statute is to make sure that everybody that’s eligible gets that assistance. That number represents 1.7 million workers who have lost jobs during the coronavirus crisis, said Steve Gray, director of the state’s Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA). Michigan’s Legislature plans to ask UIA Director Steve Gray more questions about its operations Michigan experienced months when thousands of people reported delays in receiving benefits after the UIA was overwhelmed by the coronavirus, first … It’s not just going to be that I take out one person that can do 40 issues a day. Whitmer signs bill extending some unemployment benefits through Dec. 31 in Michigan, Michigan sees largest drop in unemployment since extra $600 in federal funds ended, No more on hold: Michigan unemployment agency now does phone appointments for claim issues. I remember back in 2008 and 2009 when we had the lines around the block for the offices when they were open. Should Michigan go back to 26 weeks of unemployment permanently and increase the weekly maximum to get closer to the national average? started the job in June 2019 with plenty of ideas. In other states, it’s driven other directors away. That’s why we’re focused on making sure that everybody eligible gets paid. In some ways, it’s a thankless job and I don’t need to be thanked for it. Unemployment Insurance Agency Director Steve Gray answers some common questions about filing for unemployment. People have lots of incentives to go back to work, they just need somebody to come alongside them. When they’re in the office, they can handle about 20. That would mean that we’re helping fewer people. UIA Director Steve Gray said the agency will “dramatically” increase the access callers have to employees but didn’t answer when regional unemployment offices would open. So that really involves focusing on adjudication and making sure that people whose claims are being held get processed and paid. “We’re excited to offer this additional option for customer service,” said UIA Director Steve Gray. And that’s going to continue to grow. (Some answers are lightly edited or condensed for length and clarity.). ‘People need to eat’: Nightmare tales of Michigan’s unemployment system. MLive sat down with Gray for an exclusive interview to talk about the UIA, its flaws and its solutions. Steve Gray… Customers can schedule an appointment online up to one week in advance at Michigan.gov/uia for the following issues: Phone appointments are available Monday through Friday from 8:15 a.m. – 4:25 p.m. Each appointment is expected to take no more than 20 minutes. Even people that aren’t filing claims for benefits – because they’ve had a claim filed in their name – are traumatized by this as well. This fall, it developed a new phone-based appointment system and increased slots by 20%. Here’s what he had to say. © 2021 Advance Local Media LLC. About In June 2019 joined the State of Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency as the director. “This new scheduling system is another tool to help us ensure continued service to Michigan’s residents who are facing unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic.”. I’m not sure whether the federal Department of Labor laws would allow that either. Copyright 2020 WILX. His agency was drowning in calls while transitioning employees to work from home without the offices open. Unemployment Insurance Agency Director Steve Gray answers your questions. During a discussion with the Michigan Joint Select Committee on the COVID-19 pandemic, Steve Gray, the director of the state’s unemployment insurance agency, assured committee members that … Showing 3 records of 5 Criminal Records & Traffic Violations We had just gotten to a point where we had enough dedicated resources and figured out the problem and answering every phone call that we had and usually less than a 10-minute wait time for people. Should people whose benefits are held up get paid interest, in addition to their claim? Gray has been a scapegoat for some of the bitterness coming from people still waiting on their benefits. I feel like we may have lost our way a little bit in the years proceeding, where we focused a little bit more on making sure that people that aren’t eligible don’t get paid. It was about 150 times I … I’ve been through the last recession, when it wasn’t necessarily the case. As a society, I just want to make sure that we remember that. We are committed to making sure that everybody who’s eligible gets paid. A lot of people would have to get there by 8 a.m. to get a place in line. Subscribe today for news you need now. We understand how important it is. “We’re excited to offer this additional option for customer service,” said UIA Director Steve Gray. The Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) is now offering telephone appointments for customers with specific claim issues beginning today, Oct. 21. It’s just a tragedy for the system, because it makes it harder for everybody else to get benefits as we put protections in place to make sure we’re not paying imposters. And then it just exploded from that point. The website has been We’ve made changes to stop them and weed them out and they make adjustments in their techniques. We’ve had to ramp up quickly. Please include your name, Michigan Identification Number (MIN), signature and date on all correspondence. Workers are encouraged to apply online at Michigan.gov/UIA or over the phone at 866-500-0017, but due to the tremendous call volume, certain callers may receive a … Because it says that we understand what a punch in the gut it is to lose your job. Compared to when the pandemic started, what improvements have been made with the UIA? Hall spoke with Michigan's Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) director, Steve Gray in early to mid-May about the issues in the UIA's system. Now, Gray finds himself on the opposite side of the table, as director of the UIA. “While most of our eligible workers have been paid, the unprecedented number of claims during this crisis means that there are still tens of thousands of real Michiganders needing one-on-one review to pay benefits." That’s what we need to maximize the federal extensions. The other thing that factors into this is the safety and the risk to customers … we have to be concerned about the health and safety. And we’ve made a lot of progress, from when we started the pandemic getting 5% of the calls or somewhere in that vicinity to 50 to 60% currently, but we’ve got to get to 100% and I want to get to that quickly. The agency, over the years prior to the pandemic, has had a problem with being able to answer the phones. $14.3 billion have been paid in benefits to 2.1 million workers since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Michigan. If people are getting paid and there aren’t any issues, then there’s not a reason for them to call. For years, Steve Gray represented clients fighting against Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency to get the benefits they were owed – as he managed the University of Michigan Law School Unemployment Insurance Clinic. You can call and file by using a touch-tone telephone from anywhere in the USA or Canada. By scheduling a phone appointment, customers will be able to get assistance with their issues on their own time. She previously served as Acting Director from 2007-2008. It was somewhere around almost 600,000 callers per week, so that would average 120,000 or so callers a day. The director of Michigan's Unemployment Insurance Agency says the state will "dramatically" improve people's ability to reach staff over the phone. During testimony before state lawmakers on May 13, UIA Director Steve Gray said 92%, or nearly 1.4 million, of the Michiganders who filed eligible unemployment …