LANSING — Today, the state has announced that it is refunding nearly $21 million to a number of Michiganders falsely accused of unemployment insurance fraud. In response, state Rep. John Chirkun (D-Roseville) issued the following statement:
“The Unemployment Insurance Agency is finally beginning to refund money to some of the people who have been falsely accused of fraud, but this is only the beginning of rectifying the great wrong the state did to people who were already in a bad place because they were out of work. The people who have had their fraud determinations reversed need to be made whole. People were forced into bankruptcy because of the fines and money the state forced them to pay back. They lost savings and tax refunds, and the security of knowing they could pay their bills and feed their families. This is not over. As a member of the House Oversight Committee, which has been looking into the UIA and the ramifications of what has happened, I will work with my legislative colleagues to ensure that these people are made whole again, and to craft legislation so that this will never happen to Michigan workers again.”