Wisconsin – Backlog stalls unemployment benefit checks

More than 9,000 Wisconsin residents have not received any unemployment benefits for several weeks because of a backlog at the state Department of Workforce Development.

The department’s backlog consists of 9,357 claims dating to late July. It could take as long as March to clear it up because each claim has to be reviewed and processed manually, a state official told the Journal Sentinel.

“We expect to make significant progress over the next 10-12 weeks in reducing the pending caseload,” John Dipko, a spokesman for the Department of Workforce Development, said in an email.

The backlogged claims, filed before Oct. 8, are all in need of manual processing. Officials said most of the claims are manually reviewed because the claimant received an overpayment after underreporting wages – whether mistakenly or intentionally. Other claims are reviewed as part of a quarterly, federally mandated check to ensure the claimant has exhausted his or her state benefits before filing for a federal extension…

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Backlog stalls unemployment benefit checks
http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/pi/backlog-stalls-unemployment-benefit-checks-v57bp5l-175898831.html?ipad=y