LIZA ESTLUND OLSON

Most state employees will no longer be required to wear masks in Michigan starting this week as public health officials peel back advisories amid a decline in COVID-19 cases. Liza Estlund Olson, director of the Michigan Office of the State Employer, sent a Monday memo announcing the end of mask requirements for state workers in standard office and outdoor settings starting Thursday. The updated policy reflects new guidance from public health officials, according to the email. Related: Check Michigan map to see where CDC puts your local COVID threatThe Michigan Department of Health and Human Services withdrew its advisory recommending masks in indoor public spaces earlier this month. The Office of the State Employer memo says masking requirements may be updated in the future as conditions evolve.

Eleven months after Steve Gray resigned as Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency director, Gov. Julia Dale is the new UIA director, Whitmer announced in a news release on Monday, Oct. 25. Michigan’s unemployment agency has been under fire since early 2020 as it struggled to pay record numbers of claimants who were unemployed because of the pandemic. Julia Dale is Michigan's new Unemployment Insurance Agency director. RELATED STORIESUnemployment ends for more than 400,000 Michiganders Sept. 4Michigan’s unemployment agency director got $86,000 to leave job, on condition of confidentialityMichigan House urges resignation of acting state unemployment directorThe pandemic hit Michigan restaurants hard – here’s where it hit worst

The Michigan House formally asked the state’s top unemployment official to resign amid ongoing concerns about the agency’s handling of claims since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the House opted to take a roll call on the resolution regarding Estlund Olson’s resignation Wednesday, voting 57-46 to recommend she step down. “Liza Estlund Olson’s resignation is long overdue.”The resolution follows a request from House Speaker Jason Wentworth, R-Farwell, to Gov. Related: Michigan House Speaker wants Whitmer to remove acting unemployment directorDemocratic Reps. Karen Whitsett and Shri Thanedar, both of Detroit, voted with Republicans in favor of the resolution. “Choosing a scapegoat does nothing to provide the resources our unemployment agency truly needs to support Michigan workers during tough times,” she said.

Liza Estlund Olson, the acting director of Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA), testified before a state House panel Thursday on unemployment system problems since the...

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Michigan’s acting Unemployment Insurance Agency director appeared before the House Oversight Committee Thursday to answer questions about the problems the agency has dealt with over the past 18 months.

An estimated 5.3 million claims were filed in Michigan.

State leaders wanted to replace Michigan’s unemployment operating system before the pandemic hit, but held off once COVID-19 caused a surge in claims, Unemployment Insurance Agency Acting Director Liza Estlund Olson told Legislators on Thursday, Sept. 9. “We were not making any kind of a change in the middle of all this,” Estlund Olson said during Thursday’s House Oversight Committee hearing. “When we started with it, it was light years ahead,” Estlund Olson said. Estlund Olson said her team is working through the issues. Regarding fraud, Estlund Olson said 39 people have been indicted for defrauding Michigan’s system and “many more” are in the pipeline.

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Republicans in the Michigan House Oversight committee criticized the state's Unemployment Insurance Agency acting director on Thursday, asking her to address how the agency has failed residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The expiration of the $300 weekly unemployment benefit boost impacts nearly 9 million people across the country.

To date, 99% of eligible Michiganders who applied for unemployment benefits have been approved, Leddy said. RELATED: Truthful unemployment claimants won’t have to repay benefits despite Michigan error, Whitmer saysEstlund Olson was named acting director of the agency after former Director Steve Gray resigned last fall. Unemployment is about to end for hundreds of thousands of Michigan workers after next week, as federal benefits expire Sept. 4. State unemployment won’t end – but people cannot receive federal unemployment if they’re eligible for the state program. Nearly 100,000 Michiganders are getting state unemployment each week, comparable to pre-pandemic numbers.

It was a big day for the Unemployment Insurance Agency, as Wednesday was the changeover from Bank of America debit cards to new U.S. Bank debit cards for recipients. The new debit cards were sent in the mail and were scheduled to arrive by Wednesday at the latest. All new funds from this point forward will go on the U.S. Bank card for those who opt to receive their aid via card. Bank of America is getting out of the unemployment debit card business across the country, she said. Any unused funds will go to Michigan’s unemployment trust fund, Estlund Olson said – even if the money came via federal benefits.

Unemployment is about to end for hundreds of thousands of Michigan workers after next week, as federal benefits expire Sept. 4. Those claimants will see their unemployment assistance end as the federal government ends the programs. State unemployment won’t end – but people cannot receive federal unemployment if they’re eligible for the state program. Nearly 100,000 Michiganders are getting state unemployment each week, comparable to pre-pandemic numbers. The feds created the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation programs shortly after COVID-19 hit in spring 2020.

About 350,000 Michigan residents who received federal unemployment aid will not have to repay benefits even though the state told them that it mistakenly approved some eligibility reasons at the start of the pandemic.

Michigan is reopening 12 unemployment offices for in-person appointments.

Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency is busier this week – as claimants must now prove they’re searching for work to get benefits – so the agency is starting a call-in schedule on Monday, June 7. The UIA recommends completing the work search requirement online, but also offers an option to do it via phone. Michigan expected a “surge in demand” for the office once the work search requirement restarted May 30, per a news release from Gov. Select claimants may get a waiver exemption from having to do the work search, like for certain COVID-19-related reasons, for example. However, between 700,000 and 1 million people filed for unemployment benefits in Michigan each week of April.

Starting May 30, Michigan residents on unemployment will need to start looking for work to keep getting benefits.

Liza Estlund Olson was brought in to make major changes to Michigan’s unemployment system.

Extended unemployment benefits for Michigan residents will no longer be available after this week because the state’s unemployment rate dropped below the required threshold.

There’s been a “dramatic increase” in unemployment claims filed in the past week in Michigan, so state officials are putting up fraud protections in hopes of blocking out criminals. The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency has flagged about 100,000 claims ‘likely filed by criminals,’ the agency said in a news release Wednesday, April 7. Most of the fraud is coming via the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which is paid for via temporary federal aid and not Michigan unemployment dollars. RELATED: Feds send Michigan money to find unemployment fraudMore than 500,000 claims were halted last spring for potential fraud. Some criminals impersonate others using previously stolen information to get unemployment money.

click to enlarge LaCameraChiara / Shutterstock.comJohn Krasinski aka The Office top prankster Jim Halpert. Someone photoshopped a picture of John Krasinski, aka Jim from The Office, on a Michigan driver’s license to try and fraudulently obtain jobless benefits, acting state UIA Director Liza Estlund Olson told lawmakers this morning. pic.twitter.com/ALhZ6HxYyO — Jonathan Oosting (@jonathanoosting) March 11, 2021*Looks at camera and raises eyebrows* — Pauly Smilez (@We_Are_SSD) March 11, 2021Bears, beets, and bogus unemployment claims?Not even Jim Halpert — the top prankster (and, depending on who you ask, bully) on NBC's— would attempt a scam like this. (Though it does come close to that time Jim hired “ Asian Jim ” to sit in for him at work so that Dwight might question his own maddening reality. Maybe start small with a stapler in the Jello bit.

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan has started making the $300 weekly COVID-19 unemployment payments to eligible residents who were affected by the pandemic. The Pandemic Unemployment Compensation payments run from Dec. 27, 2020, through March 13, 2021. They offer an additional $300 in benefits per week to Michigan claimants who were negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. PEUC provides 11 additional weeks of benefits for those who have exhausted regular state unemployment benefits. PUA provides unemployment benefits to those not typically eligible for unemployment including self-employed and gig workers.

The additional $300 weekly unemployment payments for residents who qualify for COVID-19 relief will be delayed in Michigan, officials said. Congress passed a COVID-19 relief package that extends the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation federal unemployment programs. “This federal extension will bring much needed relief to nearly 700,000 Michigan workers who are currently receiving benefits under the PUA and PEUC programs,” said Liza Estlund Olson, acting director of the Unemployment Insurance Agency. “We will have to make updates to our systems to extend benefits and renew the FPUC $300 supplemental payments,” the release says. Year-end tax statements for anyone who received unemployment benefits in 2020 will be available online in mid-January.

Two Vehicles Have Been Added To The National Historic Vehicle Register For 2020The Historic Vehicle Association (HVA) announces the 27th and 28th vehicles to be added to the National Historic Vehicle Register. The Best 2021 Private High Schools In MichiganNiche is a website that rates schools across the country on a variety of criteria. In their recent list, they analyzed and came back with a list of the best private high schools in Michigan. Niche Releases A List Of The Best High Schools in MichiganNiche is a website that rates schools across the country on a variety of criteria. In their recent list, they analyzed and came back with a list of the best high schools in Michigan.

LANSING, MI – With record levels of unemployment claims filed, the potential for fraud naturally rose this year, state labor officials said as they released a report from a consulting firm this week. While fraud risks increased, so did mitigation efforts from the state’s Unemployment Insurance Agency, according to the report prepared by Deloitte. Related: 140K Michigan unemployment claims flagged for possible fraud deemed legitimate by stateThat prompted the agency to pursue “aggressive measures” to “address these vulnerabilities,” said UIA Acting Director Liza Estlund Olson. The UIA also suffered a glitch with its software platform Fraud Manager, which automatically screens claims for potential fraud. Lastly, UIA made several policy changes that limited time to review claims for potential fraud, paid first-time claims more than required and hindered ID verification.

Steve Gray has resigned as director of Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency, effective immediately. Gray and his team have been in the limelight since the pandemic began, with Michigan’s unemployment rate skyrocketing from 4.3% rate in March to 24% in April. Michigan’s unemployment rate dropped to 8.5% in September. Gray started as UIA director in June 2019. RELATED STORIES‘People need to eat’: Nightmare tales of Michigan’s unemployment systemMichigan director overseeing unemployment, MIOSHA, MEDC leaves roleQ&A: Michigan unemployment agency director Steve Gray talks about the system’s flawsUnemployed Michiganders frustrated with system find help, comfort in Facebook groupsMichiganders have seen $25B in unemployment pay since March – but 81% is from the feds