The UIA has secured a second approval from the U.S. Department of Labor (U.S. DOL) to suspend certain collection activities for 391,769 workers who applied for federal jobless benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The suspension stops new wage garnishments and State of Michigan tax refund intercepts and is the second time UIA Director Julia Dale has worked with U.S. DOL to grant the suspension to provide relief for Michigan workers. An earlier suspension expired in May.

“My top priority is to help Michigan families. When we work any claim we recognize that each one represents a worker who has fallen on hard times, and a family that needs help to put food on the table, pay bills and keep a roof over their heads,” Dale said. “The suspension will put money back in the pockets of people who needed pandemic unemployment benefits and followed the rules when they asked for help. This federal action will allow us the time we need to evaluate claims for overpayment waivers, which we will be announcing soon.”

With 62,000 having already been granted, the waivers are part of Dale’s reform of UIA, which also includes chasing down bad actors, improving customer service, and fighting for funding for a new computer system to better serve workers and businesses.