State unemployment payments still backlogged, Congress disagrees on relief package

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - So far, more than 5.2 million unemployment claims have been filed this year in Wisconsin, but almost one million claims have yet to be resolved.

“Through Monday this week, we paid about 475,000 people in Wisconsin about $3.2 billion,” Sec. Caleb Frostman with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development said.

However, Sec. Frostman added that Wisconsin still faces a backlog of unemployment benefits.

"We're still at about 100,000 uniquely effected claimants," Frostman said.

NBC15 News Reporter Elise Romas asked Sec. Frostman why people have thousands of people have still not received their unemployment pay yet.

“It depends on the specific case that they’re in but if they’re in adjudication, it could be due to an issue surrounding a previous situation with an employer, questions about wages, but generally speaking,” Frostman said. “If they’re in that adjudication, these are some of the issues that could require further investigation.”

While people are still waiting for their state benefits, the federal government is having their own standstill. Congress has failed to come to an agreement over a second Coronavirus Relief Package. The White House has said President Trump is willing to take unilateral action by signing an executive order.

Since March, the DWD has added 1,500 more employees to file benefit claims to try and speed up the process.

“The best advice we can give to people is to continue to file those weekly claims that’s going to be what gets folks paid if they’re determined to be eligible,” Frostman said.