LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) is replacing its 14-year-old online system with a mobile-friendly platform today.

The new platform

MiUI lets users manage claims from smartphones and tablets. It also switches benefit certifications and payments from every other week to weekly. The platform replaces the Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM), bringing unemployment functions together in one system.

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Users can access MiUI with their existing State of Michigan MiLogin credentials.

“Michiganders deserve an easier, more intuitive way to manage their unemployment claims and the ability to access their accounts from a mobile phone or any device,” said UIA Director Jason Palmer.

An embattled agency

The revamp follows years of problems at Michigan’s UIA, including suspected fraud and a lawsuit over demands that workers repay benefits before their appeals were resolved.

In 2021, a state audit found UIA used four unauthorized eligibility criteria for federal pandemic benefits. Auditors identified approximately $3.9 billion in overpayments associated with those errors, which they attributed to the agency rather than the claimants.

Separately, a 2021 Deloitte review estimated up to approximately $8.5 billion in payments involving likely imposter fraud or intentional misrepresentation. The categories overlap with some agency-error overpayments and should not be added together.

The agency’s problems predate COVID-19. Workers sued after an automated system falsely accused thousands of unemployment recipients of fraud between 2013 and 2015, leading to collections that included seized wages and tax refunds. The state reached a $20 million settlement in that case in 2022.

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Leadership has also changed. Four people have led UIA since the pandemic began, including an acting director: Steve Gray, Liza Estlund Olson, Julia Dale and Jason Palmer.

Michigan’s job market

The new system arrives as Michigan’s unemployment rate remains above the national average. In September 2026, the latest month available, Michigan’s seasonally adjusted rate was 5.0%, compared with 4.2% nationally.