(WTAQ) – As unemployment claims rise to record levels across the state, many of those impacted by layoffs and furloughs are still waiting for the relief they’ve applied for.
The state of Wisconsin is working to help as many people as they can – as many have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic response. But Department of Workforce Development Secretary Caleb Frostman says it can be difficult to keep up with the calls.
“Two weeks ago with 116,000 initial claims – just for context, that is more than twice the highest amount of any week during the Great Recession,” Frostman says, “Through different times throughout the public health emergency, we’ve seen sustained call volume of up to 100,000 calls per hour – sometimes up to 160 calls per second. We’ve been able to process as many as 25,000 claims per day. 98%-99% of which have been done through our online portal.”
The DWD says between March 15th and April 6th of this year, the total number of new applications submitted for unemployment benefits was 313,068, with weekly claims reaching 589,616.
“These truly are unprecedented times and we’re working tirelessly to improve our infrastructure, telecom systems, and staffing levels to assist claimants from across the state and across industries,” Frostman says.
The total amount in unemployment benefits distributed equaled $68,759,104. As for when people can expect the money to arrive – Frostman is asking people to be patient.
“We’ll be doing testing as soon as next week for pandemic unemployment assistance, which provides benefits to workers who aren’t typically eligible for unemployment insurance – as well as federal pandemic unemployment compensation, which is the extra $600 per week for those eligible for state unemployment,” Frostman says, “We hope to take initial claims as early as April 21st with a goal of sending the first payments around April 26th.”
