Starting this week, policy holders will begin sending out $400 refund checks to Michigan drivers---as Governor Gretchen Whitmer held a celebratory press conference Monday afternoon in Grand Rapids. The checks are the bi-product of auto-reform legislation passed back in 2019, that requires the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association (MCCA) to refund drivers after paying for some of the highest auto insurance rates in the country up to that point.
Joining the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services Monday, Whitmer called the refund a defining “moment” for Michigan drivers.
“Michiganders in every part of our state, have been paying too much for auto insurance, and for too long,” Whitmer said. “It was unacceptable (just) how long we have been overpaying.”
So, who gets a check? Any vehicle issued as of 11:59 p.m. on October 31st, 2021 qualifies for the $400 refund, meaning, if a household has two vehicles, the refund will be $800, $1200 for three vehicles, and so on.
The MCCA must release the funds by this Wednesday, March 9th, and the checks must be delivered by mail to drivers no later than May 9th, 2022.
Auto officials did issue a warning Monday, however. As was the case with the Federal Stimulus Checks during the pandemic, scammers will be preying on the most vulnerable, and everyone needs to watch out for suspicious phone calls or emails regarding the refund checks.
