Michigan now has one of the highest numbers of unemployment claims, behind only California and Pennsylvania, withmore than a quarter of its workforce filing for benefits, the state's labor department head said.

"Michigan is higher than all Great Lakes states," Jeff Donofrio, director of the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, said Tuesday. "Michigan is higher than the state of New York, which also has been heavily hit by COVID-19"

Last week, he said, the state paid out about $240 million in benefits. This week, with the addition of $600 per claim in federal money, the amount is expected to be substantially higher.

A day after the unemployment website had crashed for about six hours, Donofrio sought to assure unemployed workers that they would get their benefits, even if they missed the filing deadline because systems were down and overwhelmed.

He said the system was running again and in the past few weeks has been upgraded.

"We've greatly expanded our web servers and we're adding hundreds of staff," he said, acknowledging public frustration with the system. "But our state system, and state systems across the country for unemployment insurance, have struggled to cope with these historic numbers."

Still, he vowed that "we won't rest until everyone is helped."

Donofrio took questions about what had been done since the coronavirus outbreak shut down the economy to ease the burden on the unemployment system and, going forward, how bad it might get before it gets better.

For now, he said, the state has enough to make payments, and if the pandemic restrictions continue through July, conservative models show that about half of the trust fund, which was funded at $4.6 billion before the pandemic, would be depleted.

Depending on how long the virus persists, he said, more federal dollars may be coming.

Most people who are eligible for benefits, Donofrio said, have been able to file for them, and so far, the state had paid out about $350 million since the outbreak began to more than 600,000 Michiganders.

"That number," he added, "is only going to grow as we move forward."

In the meantime, he said, claims would be backdated to when a worker had been laid off because of COVID-19, regardless of how much time had passed, and the date a claim was filed would not affect the benefits received.

He said more than 90 percent have filed online.

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Monday, the unemployment website began accepting claims from self-employed workers, gig workers, 1099-independent contractors and low-wage workers.

Newly eligible workers who have applied and been denied can log onto their accounts and add new information, but should not file a new claim. They do need to provide proof of income such as a W-2, 1099 tax forms and pay stubs.

The state pays up to $362 a week. Some workers, the state said, will be eligible for benefits if they are still employed, but working fewer hours, and the CARES Act increases the benefit for all unemployed workers by an additional $600.

Some Michiganders, he said, have already received the additional $600 benefit.

Donofrio said that, so far, one of the lessons the department learned from the outbreak is a need for upgraded technology infrastructure and perhaps a unified and national system.

Some states, he suggested, are working with online systems that are even worse.

He added: "We're trying to work through this and sort of build the plane while we fly it."

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.

To file for unemployment

Go online at Michigan.gov/UIA. Names that begin with A-L file claims on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays. Names beginning with M-Z on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Saturdays are for any who could not file the rest of the week.

Or call 866-500-0017. Hours: 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat. Names that that begin with A-L file claims Monday and Wednesday. Names beginning with M-Z on Tuesday and Thursday. Fridays and Saturdays are for any who could not call on designated days.