Summary — HB 5004 (amends MCL 421.29) — Employment security: involuntary leaving for medical reasons; strike conditions
Status & timeline (as recorded)
- Bill filed/introduced March 13, 2025 (sponsor list includes Reps. Kelly Breen, Weiss, T. Carter, Tsernoglou, Xiong, Young, McKinney, Longjohn, Rheingans, Hoskins, Price, Wegela, Skaggs, Mentzer, Morgan, Scott, Koleszar, Andrews, Pohutsky, Wooden).
- Read first time April 3, 2025; committee referrals and hearings in March–April 2025; House and Senate action in May–June 2025 (House adopted amendment Schedule A May 1; Senate passed in concurrence June 4).
- Transmitted to governor June 25, 2025; recorded as signed by governor July 1, 2025; legislative records also show Public Act 25-125 (June 16, 2025) and an electronic reproduction/introductory record dated Sept 18, 2025.
- Statutory target: amends section 29 of the Michigan Employment Security Act (1936 (Ex Sess) PA 1; MCL 421.29), as amended by 2024 PA 239.
Purpose / intent
- To revise the statutory criteria governing disqualification from unemployment benefits when an individual leaves employment voluntarily, with particular emphasis on situations where an individual leaves for medical reasons. The amendment clarifies documentary and procedural prerequisites an individual must satisfy to be treated as having left involuntarily for medical reasons.
Key substantive provisions
- Amends the list of disqualifying circumstances for unemployment benefits in MCL 421.29, preserving existing categories such as voluntary quit without good cause, misconduct, failure to apply for or accept suitable work, conviction-related absences, and strike participation (text partially truncated in provided source).
- New/clarified requirements for claimants who assert they left work involuntarily for medical reasons: before leaving the job the claimant must all of the following:
1. Obtain a statement from a medical professional stating that continuing in the current job would be harmful to the claimant’s physical or mental health.
2. Unsuccessfully attempt to secure alternative work with the same employer.
3. Unsuccessfully attempt to be placed on a leave of absence with the employer lasting until the health risk would abate.
- Retains COVID-era carve-outs for claims covering weeks beginning before April 1, 2021: under limited circumstances (immunocompromised status, COVID symptoms, recent close contact, caregiving for someone with COVID, or family obligations tied to government COVID directives) a leaving may be deemed involuntary or a layoff for those weeks.
- Specifies certain situations where benefits paid after a voluntary leaving are not charged to the employer’s experience account and instead are charged to the state nonchargeable benefits account. Examples include leaving unsuitable work within 60 days, military spouse relocation, voluntarily leaving one of multiple concurrent part-time jobs while keeping another, and victims of domestic violence meeting statutory criteria.
Who is affected
- Claimants seeking unemployment insurance benefits who leave employment for medical reasons—these claimants face new documented proof and procedural requirements.
- Employers—affects how benefit payments are charged to employer experience accounts in several specified situations.
- Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency—administrative impact from verifying medical documentation, employer-based alternatives and leave attempts, and applying charging rules.
- Specific groups called out: military spouses, part-time employees with concurrent jobs, and victims of domestic violence (who retain protections under separate statutory provisions).
Potential impacts and considerations
- Increased burden of proof on claimants leaving for health reasons may lead to more denials or appeals if documentation/attempts with employers are absent or incomplete.
- Employers may see fewer benefit charges in some defined scenarios but may face more requests or documentation around attempted accommodations, alternative placements, and leave.
- Administrative workload for the agency could rise due to verification of medical statements and employer communications.
- Retention of COVID-era rules for pre‑April 1, 2021 weeks limits those exceptions to earlier claims.
Reference
- Amends MCL 421.29 (section 29 of the Michigan Employment Security Act).
