GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Nearly 48,000 Michiganders will see an increase in their unemployment benefits this week, as the Michigan Department of Labor begins distributing $34 million in back payments to qualifying unemployment insurance claimants. This initiative comes after significant changes to Michigan's unemployment laws aimed at increasing benefits for residents.
Stephen Garten, a Walkerville resident, has faced a challenging few months after losing his managerial job at Dollar General while assisting his ailing parents. He applied for unemployment in March, worried about how to provide for his family.
"Our bills were coming up pretty fast. We had property taxes due, just big bills trying to get ready for winter, you know, home heating and stuff like that," Garten said.
To his surprise, he received more money than he anticipated, which has been crucial for his family's financial stability.
"It was tough, you know, for $200, $300 to try and live on for a while, it's hard, but the back pay definitely made a difference," he said.
According to Nick Assendelft with the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency, the changes to unemployment benefits were enacted on April 2, which allowed Garten and others who received benefits in the first three months of the year to receive retroactive payments.
"This is all the result of the legislation signed by Governor Whitmer in December that changed the maximum weekly benefit up to $446 from $362," Assendelft said.
The adjustments also increased the maximum number of weeks of eligibility from 20 weeks to 26 weeks and raised the amount claimants can receive per dependent from $6 to $12.66.
Qualifying claimants who applied for unemployment benefits between January 1 and April 1 should receive a Monetary Return Determination letter in their unemployment accounts (Michigan Web Account Manager) and through the U.S. mail system.
"We really urge people to go to our public website. There's a lot of resources on the public website, and FAQs and videos, and, you know, lots of information on the website for questions that you might have," Assendelft said.
Assendelft said there are resources for those looking to file unemployment claims for the first time, employers, and even resources for federal workers who may have lost their jobs during the Trump administration.
For Garten, the back payments have provided a sense of relief as he continues his job search.
"I was grateful to get the extra amount. It definitely made things possible that didn't look very possible for a minute there," he said.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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