In 1 week, Wisconsin DWD receives 4.7 million calls about unemployment

MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The Department of Workforce Development (DWD) released Monday, May 4, information related to the total number of unemployment calls received, applications filed, claims processed, and monies distributed in Wisconsin as of the week of April 26, 2020.

According to the DWD, nearly 500,000 people have applied for unemployment, and they received more than 4.7 million calls the week of April 26 about unemployment.

 Here's a look at the breakdown:

TOTAL NUMBER	Through Saturday, May 2	FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT EACH PROGRAM, VISIT
Unemployment Applications Received*	498,297	https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/uiben/apply/
Weekly Claims Received*	1,497,813	https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/uiben/weeklyclaim/
Weekly Claims Paid	966,089
Total Benefits Paid	$384,318,519
Weekly Benefits Paid	$160,856,274
PUA Applications Received	44,687	https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/uiben/pua/
UI Calls Received-Week of April 26, 2020	4,712,684

*Preliminary counts updated daily at HERE 

Regular Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits: If you're out of work through no fault of your own, and you've worked for a covered employer (an employer who pays UI tax) in the last 18 months, you may be eligible for and should apply for regular UI benefits. Regular UI is available for up to 26 weeks (dependent upon an individual's specific situation).
 
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA): If you are not eligible for regular UI, you may be eligible for PUA. This is a temporary federal program that provides up to 39 weeks of unemployment benefits to individuals who are not eligible for regular UI such as:  
 
o    individuals who are self-employed,
o    certain independent contractors,
o    individuals with limited recent work history, and
o    other workers not covered by regular UI.
 
"With almost a half million applications received since the onset of COVID-19, we continue to navigate uncharted waters," said DWD Secretary Caleb Frostman. "DWD is adding hundreds of new staff, multiple outside vendors, and working overtime to process and analyze the claims to help as many Wisconsinites as fast as possible."