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Michigan law clears way for part-timers to keep jobless aid

Gretchen Whitmer
Posted at 8:39 PM, Feb 28, 2022
and last updated 2022-02-28 20:39:34-05

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A new law gives Michigan’s unemployment agency flexibility to stop seeking repayment of benefits from part-time workers who began qualifying when the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

The bill, signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Monday, resolves a conflict between state law and a federal program that provided unemployment aid to people who weren't otherwise eligible, including part-time employees.

It retroactively specifies that claimants seeking the benefits could certify they were able and available for part-time work.

The sponsor says it clears up confusion for thousands of part-time workers who began getting benefits only to face the prospect of having to repay them.