State: Avoid Overloading Unemployment Insurance Website

MICHIGAN — The state is asking residents filing for unemployment to avoid certifying on Monday to avoid slowdowns and to keep the Unemployment Insurance Agency's online system from overloading.

Instead, the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency is asking those filing to crtify throughout the week and during off-peak hours. Mondays, officials said, generally havethe highest number logins and web interactions.

“The day of the week you certify doesn’t impact benefit amounts and by spreading out the certifications you’ll keep the system up and running and allow others filing claims to access their accounts," said UIA Director Steve Gray.

Under federal law, unemployed workers must certify that they are still unemployed two weeks after their initial claim is approved and every two weeks after. Once the claim is certified, benefit payments are disbursed.

The UIA urges all workers to use the system between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. throughout the week and to stay off the system after filing and certifying claims.

Around $825 million in unemployment payments have already gone to more than 750,000 claimants affected by the coronavirus. According to the U.S. Dept. of Labor guidelines, more than 99 percent of eligible Michigan claimants are currently receiving their benefits in timely manner.

The UIA will be accepting claims and benefit applications back-dated to reflect the date on which the claimant was laid-off due to the coronavirus, beyond the previously established 28-day period.