Thank you for taking the time to read this week's e-update. Below you will find some more updates on the state's response to COVID-19. I hope that this information is useful to you. Over the past several weeks, my office has seen a significant increase in the number of constituent contacts. For those of you who have reached out for assistance, my staff and I continue to do our very best to assist constituents of the 87th Assembly District as quickly as we can.
Continuing to Help Navigate the UI Claim Process
Over the past several weeks, many legislative offices, including mine, have seen an unprecedented number of constituent contacts. Throughout this time, one of the top requests for assistance my staff and I have received is from folks seeking help with their Unemployment Insurance (UI) or Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claims. My office has heard from constituents who have been patiently waiting for many weeks for resolution on their claim with no update from the Department of Workforce Development (DWD).
For individuals who have applied for PUA, my office received some encouraging news this week. On Wednesday, DWD announced that they had begun to issue determinations and payments for PUA claims on May 21st. While this is certainly good news, this is one month after DWD first began accepting applications for PUA. When PUA applicants applied they were told that it could take up to 30 days for their claim to be processed. Unfortunately, many will likely wait longer than that, as it will take some time to process the many outstanding PUA claims that have accumulated over the last month.
With that said, if you or someone you know has filed for unemployment assistance, but still has not heard from DWD, my staff or I can submit an inquiry to the department on your behalf. To make it easier for constituents to provide the information necessary to submit an inquiry to DWD, there is now a form that you can fill out on my website. This form can be found by clicking here. Of course, if you'd still like to call or email my office to discuss your situation, you are still welcome to do so. While we can’t guarantee any success, my staff and I are happy to do what we can to assist you.
Routes to Recovery
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic this year, local governments around the 87th Assembly District, and across the state, are incurring costs for things that they normally would not. This includes the purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE), testing supplies, and sanitation supplies, among other expenses. As I've mentioned in a previous e-update, Governor Evers was provided $1.9 billion to use at his discretion as a part of the recently enacted federal CARES Act. On Wednesday, I was glad to see the governor allocate $200 million of these federal funds to create the "Routes to Recovery: Local Government Aid Grants" Program.
Of the $200 million in funding, $10 million will be distributed to our state's tribal nations, with the remaining funding being allocated to every county, city, village, and town in Wisconsin. The amount of each local government's grant will be based on population, with no unit of local government receiving less than $5,000. For more information on these grants, click here to read the press release from the governor's office or here for information from the Department of Administration who will administer the grant program.
