Congressman calls for broader review of Michigan unemployment fraud cases

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A downstate legislator is calling on the State of Michigan to broaden its review of unemployment fraud cases. This comes after the discovery that a significant number of those cases were brought about erroneously by an automated system.

According to a release from the office of U.S. Congressman Sander Levin (D-Royal Oak) of the 9th District of Michigan, a second review revealed that 93 percent of those cases between October of 2013 and August of 2015 were brought about in error. Fraud determinations during that period were created using a fully automated system called the Michigan Integrated Data Automation System (MiDAS).

The Michigan Auditor General released a report in February which found that fraud determined by that system was only affirmed in eight percent of cases that were appealed. Levin called the use of MiDAS for such a long period of time to be “in violation of federal law and completely reckless.”