MADISON, WI (Wisconsin Radio Network-WSAU) 92-percent of state unemployment claims have now been processed.
The Department of Workforce Development says it’s making progress catching up, after some people say they had to wait months to hear one way or another about their jobless claims.
D-W-D says about 590,000 of the more than seven million claims are still being evaluated.
A September audit found more than 90-percent of the phone calls to the state unemployment office went unanswered between March 15th and June 30th. The phone system is outdated; when it became overloaded it disconnected the calls of people who were waiting on hold.
Amid the backlog, Governor Tony Evers demanded the resignation of Department of Workforce Development Secretary Caleb Frostman. The DWD is being run by Amy Pechacek, former deputy secretary of the Department of Corrections, until the Governor appoints a full-time replacement.
