A judge has delayed for a month the approval of a $55 million settlement in a Michigan class action lawsuit involving unemployment payments.

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In Saunders v Unemployment Ins. Agency et al, about 23,000 Michigan residents who applied for unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic say they were wrongly asked to return payments.

The state has not admitted responsibility but has agreed to pay out $1,400 to complainants. Chief Judge Brock Swartzle from the Michigan Court of Claims has scheduled a final hearing for 1 p.m. April 24 at the Michigan Court of Appeals courtroom in Lansing to approve the settlement.

Anyone involved in the lawsuit can attend the hearing in person or virtually to address their concerns. The deadline for claimants to join the lawsuit was in December.

More headlines for Tuesday, March 25, 2025:

• The old Uniroyal tire production site on the Detroit riverfront has been named as a possible site for a WNBA practice facility, The Detroit News reports.
• Grammy-nominated soul/country duo The War and Treaty are set to return to Detroit for a performance this Saturday, March 29, at Detroit’s St. Andrew’s Hall. The husband and wife duo will be stopping by WDET Studios before their performance for a live interview during Essential Music with host Ann Delisi.
• Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan’s final State of the City address is set for 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Watch the livestream at wdet.org or tune in to 101.9 FM WDET.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

A new report by the National Poll on Healthy Aging says a third of Michigan adults 50 and older have jobs. The study reveals that working later in life benefits wellbeing but comes with several challenges.

Jeffrey Kullgren, director of the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging, shares some key findings from the study.

“We found among working adults age 50 and older, work has positive impacts on physical health, mental health and overall well-being. And interestingly, these outcomes are especially pronounced for working adults age 65 and older,” he says.

Some benefits include giving older adults a chance to have social connections— which is important with loneliness on the rise among older adults—and giving them a sense of purpose.

“People who have a greater sense of purpose in life are likely to have lower levels of things like depression, anxiety. So we think it’s likely that working among older adults can help fulfill some of those needs,” he says. 

Kullgren says people surveyed reported facing barriers such as lack of job training in certain areas, transportation and having chronic health issues.  

“In particular for employers, older adults who face some of these kinds of challenges in their ability to work can be better supported by having access to ample time off to attend healthcare appointments,” he explains. 

Kullgren adds that employers should work to provide trainings that address the needs of older adults, and time off for caregiving responsibilities.

Another way to help older employees is to provide alternative transportation options to help get employees to work, whether its working with public or private services. 

The study also found there are regional differences in Michigan’s older working demographic. There are more older adults working in Southeast Michigan than in the rest of the state.  

Adults with higher levels of education and income reported that they were able to work remotely or in a hybrid format more often, which helps them overcome physical limits. On the other hand, older adults with less education who work in certain sectors that  require in-person attendance will deal with a lack of mobility and other challenges. 

“[We need to] optimize work environments for older adults, to accommodate some of the unique needs people may face as they age,” concludes Kullgren.

– WDET’s Natalie Albrecht contributed to this report.