Wisconsin unemployment filings increase; extra benefits still unprocessed

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Another 5.2 million Americans filed for unemployment in the last week bringing the total to 22 million people who've lost their jobs. In Wisconsin, 60,000 people filed for unemployment last week, raising the state's total to 392,000.

The federal government approved unemployment benefits for people who normally wouldn't qualify for them but those people in Wisconsin are still waiting for a check.

State lawmakers just approved lifting a one week waiting period for unemployment benefits. The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development said those will be paid by April 25.

However, the state's website showed its still not ready to process claims from people who qualify for the additional benefits approved by the federal government.

That money is geared toward independent contractors, people who are self employed, and others. Census data showed that's a potential pool of 157,000 workers in Wisconsin.

The owner of Gustavo Krystal Dance Studio, Krystal Nicola, said she's tried getting that money for the last month. With her studio closed, she's tried conducting online lessons, but said the bills are piling up.

"We've got a tenth of what we had coming in the door, which isn't enough to pay, like I said the studio to keep it functioning, its not enough to pay those bills," said Nicola.

Nicola applied for the paycheck protection program, but the government ran out of money for those loans Thursday.