Your messages of confusion and concern have been filling up The Rebound Mid Michigan email and social media inboxes, and on Monday we spoke with a national unemployment expert.
Michelle Evermore joined Ameera David to answer your unemployment questions.
Related: The Rebound Mid Michigan full coverage< /span>
One question we got was about being on short term disability from work and unemployment eligibility.
Evermore said that regular unemployment insurance requires that a person be able to work, but she thinks that a person on short-term disability should apply if they can prove they would be working if it wasn't for COVID-19.
In other words, if COVID-19 stopped you from getting to the physical rehab and procedures you needed to get better, or if your return to work date was delayed, then you have grounds to claim a loss.
Our next question came from Kelly.
She asked, "I’ve recently been furloughed as a clinical nurse educator who travels to patients homes- I’m wondering if I am required to report the $1200 stimulus check that I received to unemployment?"
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The $1,200 stimulus check is not income, so you don't have to report it. Though keep in mind, unemployment itself is income and will be taxed.
Sara emailed us asking about her son who had just moved to Michigan six months ago due to a job change, but because of COVID-19, he got laid off. He's just shy of two consecutive quarters in the state, so she's wondering if there's anything he can qualify for.
"Yes, pandemic unemployment assistance has lower qualification requirements for monetary eligibility," Evermore said. "Somebody who’s recently moved to Michigan should apply in Michigan."
The state maintains a $4.6 billion trust fund to pay unemployment insurance benefits. They have already used up $1.6 billion of that, but the state's Unemployment Insurance Agency Director Steve Gray tells us a lot of that came from the feds.
Also, if the money runs out, the state can borrow from the federal government.
Here's The Rebound Detroit rundown.
- If you're on disability and it's been impacted by the pandemic, you should apply
- If you just moved to the state, you also can apply
- No need to worry about uenmployment funds running dry<p>
Additional Coronavirus information and resources:
Click here for a page with resources including a COVID-19 overview from the CDC, details on cases in Michigan, a timeline of Governor Gretchen Whitmer's orders since the outbreak, coronavirus' impact on Southeast Michigan, and links to more information from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC and the WHO.
View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.
Find out how you can help businesses and restaurants struggling during the pandemic.
See complete coverage on our Coronavirus Continuing Coverage page.
