Wisconsin DWD: Additional unemployment benefits available under Extended Benefit program

MADISON -- Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) Secretary Caleb Frostman announced on Friday, May 29 that, due to an increase in the state's unemployment rate, Wisconsin triggered into the Extended Benefit program.

The Extended Benefit program provides additional unemployment benefits to those who exhaust previous benefits, effective May 17, 2020. Unemployed individuals who exhaust their regular unemployment insurance benefits and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation may be eligible for an additional 13 weeks of benefits. The Extended Benefit program does not apply to individuals collecting Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA).

After Extended Benefit is programmed, individuals with remaining balances of regular unemployment insurance or pandemic emergency unemployment compensation will continue to draw those benefits until those benefits are exhausted. Individuals filing at the time will be provided messaging in their claimant portal prior to exhausting benefits and will be able to submit a new initial application to continue their payment under the Extended Benefit program. Those who are no longer filing at that time will be identified and notified of potential eligibility by mail.

DWD still needs to program its system to address the Extended Benefit program. This will be done, the DWD said in a news release, after programming for pandemic emergency unemployment compensation is completed. While this may delay the payment of Extended Benefit to those who quickly exhaust both regular unemployment insurance and pandemic emergency unemployment compensation, when they can file for EB, they will receive all back payment for which they are eligible.

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