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MiMfg Magazine
December 2019
Keynote
Steve Gray
Conversation UIA Director
does your background
Q: How
help you be an effective leader
of Michigan’s Unemployment
Insurance Agency?
Gray: As an attorney and law
professor with 30 years of experi-
ence in unemployment insurance
and administrative law, I have a
unique perspective on unemployment
insurance. I’m able to navigate from both
sides of the fence by having worked closely with
both employer and claimant advocacy groups.
I served as general manager of the nonprofit
organization, Michigan Unemployment Insurance
Project, and was part of the legislative workgroup
that created eight house bills in 2018 that were
aimed at improving Michigan’s unemployment
insurance system and the customer experience.
I’m committed to improving the approach and
policy that protects and serves employers and their
employees, so we have a system that works fairly
and efficiently for everyone.
What top challenges will UIA work on in 2020?
Q: Gray:
As a government agency, we’re constantly
looking for ways to ensure our programs are fulfilling
their intended purpose and providing the best value
for Michigan residents.
In 2020, we’ll focus on developing a better
mechanism to assist employers once they become
liable to pay unemployment insurance tax, especially
new employers. We want to be able to detect and
prevent potential penalties that employers could
incur for late filing of reports before they occur.
Another priority is improving access to the agency
through customer service. We’ve implemented a
new state-of-the-art phone system and are making
operational and policy changes to help decrease wait
times and increase positive customer experiences.
We’ll also focus on building a stronger Work
Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) and Workshare
program to make sure employers are tuned in to
the advantages these programs can provide.
the success of addressing imposter
Q: Describe
fraud and what improvement remains?
Gray: Through the efforts of internal and external
stakeholders, including MMA and the 2018
1 1 Appointed by Governor Whitmer in June
2019 to lead Michigan’s Unemployment
Insurance Agency, which provides
temporary income to workers who have
lost their job through no fault of their own
1 1 Founder of the University of Michigan Law
School Unemployment Insurance Clinic.
legislative changes, we’ve had great success in
combatting imposter fraud. Because of the
preventative actions we’ve taken, in the nearly two
years of activity since January 2018, criminals have
received less than $40,000 in fraudulent payments.
Contrast that with the $30 million criminals
received by impersonating Michigan residents
from January 2015 to January 2018.
Michigan is now the leader in combatting
imposter fraud, providing guidance and feedback to
other states and collaborating with US Department
of Labor to offer insight on potential policy and
legislative solutions at the federal level.
We need to continue to stay vigilant as
criminals seeking to commit fraud will never go
away. Employers can help by contacting us as
quickly as possible if they notice suspicious activity
and responding immediately to notifications from
our agency. They can send a message through their
MiWAM account or call us at 855-484-2636.
What is your long-term vision for the UIA?
Q: Gray:
My vision is for Michigan to have a strong
Unemployment Insurance program that is fair for
both claimants and employers.
Unemployment insurance is not only good for
workers and their families but is good for businesses
and local economies. UI acts as an economic
stabilizer, replacing lost wages and boosting
economic growth when the economy needs it the
most. Studies have shown that for every dollar of
unemployment insurance paid out, the impact on
the local gross domestic product is $1.90. In 2018,
we pumped over $733 million in unemployment
benefits into the Michigan economy.
I want to see Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance
program driven by these economics and help us
continue to maintain a healthy trust fund to guard
against recession.
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