How long will it take to receive money? Michigan unemployment official answers most asked questions

DETROIT – Michiganders have a lot of questions about unemployment after coronavirus (COVID-19) left many people without work.

The system has been overwhelmed and crashing as the unemployment agency adds more employees and does upgrades online in an attempt to help everyone.

Help Me Hank brought the questions he most frequently receives about unemployment benefits to Steve Gray, who works with the agency.

Gray answered four big questions.

What is an open non-monetary issue?

It means that the claimant’s application was accepted but not yet payable because there’s an issue that needs to be resolved first. Once it is complete you will be notified.

How long does it typically take to receive my money?

It will take about 7-10 days after you certify before the payment is deposited in your account or loaded on the debit card.

Why does it take so long to reach an actual person?

We have hundreds of staff and hundreds more on the way and we’ve expanded the days and hours of operation but it’s not enough to answer the extremely high volume of calls we’re receiving. So, because of this, we’ve expanded our online chat and our e-mail functionality and added a number of FAQs and how-to videos.

How long does it take to review documents?

It has taken longer than normal because of the large number of claims. And we’re doing everything we can to get to those as quickly as possible.

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About the Authors:

Hank Winchester is Local 4’s Consumer Investigative Reporter and the head of WDIV’s “Help Me Hank” Consumer Unit. Hank works to solve consumer complaints, reveal important recalls and track down thieves who have ripped off people in our community.