An estimated 50 million Americans have filed unemployment claims since the start of the pandemic. That’s roughly one in five workers collecting unemployment benefits and navigating a labyrinthine system to do so. What does this all mean for American workers, especially now that additional federal benefits have expired? Today, we discuss this topic in-depth with […]
SSDI Recipients Now Encouraged to Apply for Unemployment Benefits By U...
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) recipients whose ability to work was impacted by COVID-19 are now being encouraged to apply for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA). Thanks to a 2013 state law passed in Governor Walker’s administration, people in Wisconsin who receive disability benefits are ineligible for state unemployment benefits—which maxes out at $370 a week. […]
Delays, Denials in Wisconsin Unemployment
The Department of Workforce Development (DWD) announced July 8 that it would triple the number of staff, enabling the department to increase the rate at which calls are answered and claims decided. DWD also expanded its hours of operation. On weekdays, from 6:15 am to 5:30 pm staff in the help center will take calls. […]
Dated technology, infrastructure delaying Wisconsin unemployment claim...
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development has faced criticism for long delays in delivering unemployment benefits. In April, Wisconsin hit a record unemployment rate of over 14%. That’s approaching numbers last seen during the Great Depression, according to DWD Chief Economist Dennis Winters. More than 728,000 unemployment claims have […]
Wisconsin’s Unemployed May Risk Their Health and Benefits
Picture by Goodfreephotos_com on Pixabay. Yesterday, Public Health Madison & Dane County announced the implementation of a county-wide reopening plan called Forward Dane. It went into effect today and removed travel restrictions, opened tennis and disc golf courses, allowed businesses to prepare to reopen, and removed any criminal penalty for violating the county’s stay-at-home order. […]
What’s the Word: Unemployment
As the novel coronavirus continues to surge around the country, fears are mounting about just how high unemployment levels will rise. This week on “What’s the Word,” Adam Schuster looks at the history of unemployment in this country, and how today’s ongoing crisis fits within it.
