LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Extended unemployment benefits in Michigan will stop at the end of this week.
State officials say the U.S. Department of Labor notified the Unemployment Insurance Agency that the extended benefits program will not be payable after the week ending April 17, 2021 because Michigan’s unemployment rate is down.
Those benefits are only eligible when the state’s total unemployment rate averages 6.5% or higher for three consecutive months. It provides an additional 13-20 weeks of benefits for those who have exhausted their regular unemployment benefits.
“Fortunately, with the federal extensions that were implemented on March 27, claimants who were on the Extended Benefits program most likely will be able to receive benefits through other federal programs such as Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) or Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA),” UIA Acting Director Liza Estlund Olson said in a release.
The state has paid out about $419 million in extended benefits since the program began. There are about 16,000 people currently receiving benefits.
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