Time Off Work, Unemployment and Victim Compensation for Domestic Violence Victims in Michigan

Three Michigan programs help with income and costs when domestic violence disrupts work. Earned sick time can be used for medical care, counseling, relocation, legal services and court.^[1] Unemployment benefits are available, since July 17, 2026, to an otherwise eligible person who leaves a job because of domestic violence.^[2] And the state's crime victim compensation program can pay up to $45,000 per claimant toward listed losses.^[4]

If you are in danger now, call 911. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day at 1-800-799-7233, or by texting START to 88788.^[6]

Two of these rules are new enough that much of what is online is out of date: the sick time law replaced the Paid Medical Leave Act on February 21, 2025, and the unemployment provision took effect in July 2026.^[1][2]

Using earned sick time for domestic violence needs

Under MCL 408.964, an employer must allow earned sick time to be used when the employee or the employee's family member is a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault, for any of these purposes:^[1]

• Medical care or psychological or other counseling for physical or psychological injury or disability.^[1]
• Obtaining services from a victim services organization.^[1]
• Relocating due to domestic violence or sexual assault.^[1]
• Obtaining legal services.^[1]
• Participating in any civil or criminal proceedings related to or resulting from the domestic violence or sexual assault.^[1]
• Meetings at a child's school or place of care about the effects of domestic violence on the child.^[1]

That list covers the court dates a victim or witness is likely to face, including a hearing on a personal protection order (PPO) and testimony in a criminal case. See How to get a PPO in Michigan and What to expect as a witness.

How much time is available?

Employer	Accrual	Yearly use the employer has to allow
Small business (10 or fewer individuals working for compensation in a given week)	At least 1 hour for every 30 hours worked[7]	40 hours, unless the employer selects a higher limit[7]
All other employers	At least 1 hour for every 30 hours worked[8]	72 hours, unless the employer selects a higher limit[8]

What proof can an employer ask for?

An employer may require reasonable documentation only for earned sick time of more than 3 consecutive days.^[9] When asked, the employee must provide it not more than 15 days after the request, and the employer may not delay the start of the leave because the documentation has not arrived.^[9]

In domestic violence and sexual assault cases, the employee chooses among three kinds of document, and any of them counts as reasonable:^[9]

• A police report indicating that the employee or family member was a victim.^[9]
• A signed statement from a victim and witness advocate affirming that the employee or family member is receiving services from a victim services organization.^[9]
• A court document indicating that the employee or family member is involved in legal action related to domestic violence or sexual assault.^[9]

The employer shall not require that the documentation explain the details of the violence, and an employer that chooses to require documentation is responsible for the out-of-pocket expenses the employee incurs in obtaining it.^[9] A separate subsection bars an employer from requiring disclosure of details relating to domestic violence or sexual assault as a condition of providing the leave.^[8]

Unemployment benefits after leaving a job because of domestic violence

Ordinarily, a person who quits a job voluntarily can be disqualified from unemployment benefits. Since July 17, 2026, Michigan law makes an exception: an individual who is a victim of domestic violence and meets the requirements of MCL 421.29a is not disqualified for leaving.^[2] Benefits paid in that situation are not charged to the experience account of the employer the person left; they are charged to the nonchargeable benefits account.^[2]

The Unemployment Insurance Agency explains that this restores a rule that was temporarily added during the Covid-19 pandemic and had expired, and that the provision "is now part of the law and does not have an end date."^[2] Web pages written before July 2026 that say quitting because of domestic violence is disqualifying describe the old rule.

Which reasons for leaving qualify?

The individual has to demonstrate that the reason for leaving work is due to domestic violence, "including 1 or more of the following":^[10]

• A reasonable fear of future domestic violence at or on the way to or from the place of employment.^[10]
• The need to relocate to another geographic area to avoid future domestic violence.^[10]
• The need to address the physical, psychological, or legal effects of domestic violence.^[10]
• The need to leave employment as a condition of receiving services or shelter from an agency that serves victims of domestic violence.^[10]
• A reasonable belief that ending the employment is necessary for the future safety of the individual or the individual's family.^[10]

For this provision, "domestic violence" is defined broadly. It covers causing or attempting to cause physical or mental harm to a family or household member, placing one in fear of physical or mental harm, forced sexual activity, and activity that would cause a reasonable person to feel terrorized, frightened, intimidated, threatened, harassed, or molested, where the acts are not self-defense.^[11] "Family or household member" includes a spouse or former spouse, a person the individual lives or has lived with, a current or former dating partner, and a person with a child in common, among others.^[11]

What proof does the agency accept?

The statute says an individual may demonstrate domestic violence by providing one or more documents, "including, but not limited to":^[3]

• A restraining order or other court-ordered relief in a domestic violence case.^[3]
• A police record documenting domestic violence.^[3]
• Documentation that the perpetrator has been convicted of a crime involving domestic violence.^[3]
• Medical documentation of domestic violence.^[3]
• A statement on business or organization letterhead from a counselor, social worker, health worker, member of the clergy, shelter worker, attorney, or other professional who has assisted the individual.^[3]

A conviction is one item on the list, not a condition. A person does not have to wait for a criminal case to end, or for one to be filed, to make the showing.^[3]

The agency "shall not disclose evidence of domestic violence experienced by an individual, including the individual's statement or corroborating evidence."^[3] In its published guidance the agency says it will not share that evidence and that only its determination on eligibility can be shared.^[12]

All other eligibility rules still apply, including the wage, registration, work search and availability requirements.^[2]

Crime victim compensation

Michigan's crime victim compensation program reimburses listed out-of-pocket losses from a crime. The aggregate award "must not exceed $45,000.00 per claimant."^[4] The limit was $25,000 until the amending act took effect on August 12, 2023, and pages that still show the lower number are out of date.^[4]

Who qualifies?

• The claimant must have an out-of-pocket loss of not less than $200, or have lost at least 5 days' earnings or support.^[5]
• Police records must show the crime was reported.^[5]
• A person who is criminally responsible for the crime, or an accomplice to it, is not eligible.^[5]
• A claim must generally be filed not later than 5 years after the crime.^[5]
• The commission must reduce or reject a claim where the victim's own misconduct contributed to the injury.^[5]

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services lists domestic violence as an eligible crime and says waivers may apply to the reporting and cooperation requirements.^[5]

What does it pay for?

Category	Limit within the $45,000 aggregate
Lost earnings or support	Up to $1,000 for each week[13]
Relocation (first month's rent, security deposit, utility start-up, moving costs, up to 30 days of temporary lodging)	Up to $3,800 per claimant[13]
Residential security	Up to $1,000 per residence[13]
Counseling	Up to 35 hourly sessions per person, plus up to 20 family sessions[13]
Replacement clothing or bedding held as evidence	Up to $250[13]
Funeral expenses	Up to $8,000, plus up to $500 for a grave marker[13]

Damages for pain, suffering, or emotional distress are not covered.^[13]

The program's application forms and contact details are not reproduced on this page because they were not in the verified source sheets when it was written. The prosecutor's victim-witness unit handling the criminal case, or one of the agencies in Where to get help in West Michigan, can supply the current application.

How compensation differs from restitution

Compensation comes from a state program and depends on a claim by the victim. Restitution is ordered by the sentencing judge and is paid by the convicted defendant; it is mandatory under Michigan law.^[14] The two are explained side by side in Restitution in domestic violence cases, and the other rights of a victim in the criminal case in Crime victim rights.

Related protections

Housing is often the largest cost of leaving. Michigan's lease-release statute and the federal rules for assisted housing are covered in Housing rights for victims. Keeping a new address out of public records is covered in Keeping your address confidential.

What people get wrong

• "Quitting means no unemployment." Not since July 17, 2026, for a person who left because of domestic violence and is otherwise eligible.^[2]
• "Victim compensation tops out at $25,000." The limit has been $45,000 since August 12, 2023.^[4]
• "My employer can demand the police report and the full story." The employee selects the type of document, and the employer may not require it to explain the details of the violence.^[9]
• "The Paid Medical Leave Act covers this." That act was replaced by the Earned Sick Time Act on February 21, 2025.^[1]