Here’s Help If You Lost Pandemic Unemployment Benefits

Pandemic unemployment benefits from the federal government ended on Sept. 4, leaving many without financial assistance in its wake.

In Milwaukee County, over 90,000 residents have completed the initial application for unemployment benefits this year, according to data from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.

Here are local and state resources for anyone who’s lost  unemployment benefits.

Did we miss a resource, please email matthew.martinez@marquette.edu or comment below.

Resources for job seekers

Transform Milwaukee Jobs is a program that provides jobs to unemployed Milwaukee residents who are not involved with the Wisconsin Works (W2) program.

The portion of the program for adults is housed in UMOS. To get involved, contact Alba Baltodano at Alba.Baltodano@umos.org or call 414-389-6331.

The program also is available for former foster children and is housed in Equus Workforce Solutions, 1915 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Dr. Contact Alex Eisold at 414-267-3316 or alex.eisold@equusworks.com.

The Wisconsin Works (W2) program offers jobs for low-income parents and pregnant women. The program can help connect applicants with jobs and training opportunities as well as assist them in getting housing and applying for other resources.

Wisconsin Works has four locations in Milwaukee, one for each division of the program focusing on a different area of the city:

• Northern – Ross Innovative Employment Solutions; 7800 W. Brown Deer Rd., Suite 200; 414-760-6060
• West Central – Maximus; 4201 N. 27th St., Suite 400; 414-203-8500
• East Central – America Works of Wisconsin; 310 W. Wisconsin Ave., Third Floor; 414-386-5765.
• Southern – UMOS; 2701 S. Chase Ave.; 414-389-6600

Job Center of Wisconsin provides a searchable database of jobs and opportunities in the state as well as training opportunities and resources.

You can call Milwaukee Job Center Central at 414-874-0300 for services on the North Side or the Milwaukee Southeast Job Center at 414-250-6500 for services on the South Side. You can also email milwaukeejobcenters@dwd.wisconsin.gov to connect or visit the site’s resource directory. To see Milwaukee resources, click on Milwaukee County on the map.

Milwaukee Job Center Central is located at 4201 N. 27th St., Suite 400. The Milwaukee Southeast Job Center is located at 2701 S. Chase Ave.

United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County has a list of resources available for those seeking employment on its website. Under the “Discover” tab, the site lists links to a number of different opportunities, including jobs in construction, health care, cleaning and retail.

The United Way also has a full list of resources online.

Employ Milwaukee, the local workforce development board serving Milwaukee County, offers training and job placement services around the city. Applicants can find opportunities in construction, manufacturing, IT and finance, hospitality and health care roles. There are also re-entry programs for formerly incarcerated individuals.

You can call 414-270-1700 or visit its location at 2342 N. 27th St.

Unemployment insurance

The state of Wisconsin also offers benefits for those out of work, in the form of Unemployment Insurance from the Department of Workforce Development.

To apply for benefits, visit the application page on the Department for Workforce Development’s website.

You will need:

• A username and password for the Department of Workforce Development website
• Your social security number
• A Wisconsin driver’s license or identification number
• Your current address
• Your employment history for the past 18 months, including:
  • Your employers’ business names and addresses
  • Your employers’ phone number
  • First and last dates of work for each employer
  • Reasons for no longer working with those employers

If you are eligible to receive benefits, you’ll need to apply for them each week, which can be done on the same website.

To receive weekly benefits, an application has to be filed within 14 days of a Saturday. Applications for a week cannot be filed until the week ends. Weeks begin on Sunday and end on Saturday on the department’s calendar.

Applicants will need to answer questions each week, including the reason they are no longer working, whether or not they have refused a job offer and whether they are actively seeking work. There are also requirements, including the work search requirement, meaning applicants will have to provide four work search contacts to receive their weekly benefit.

Eligibility is determined either by a letter or through a phone interview with a staffer.

To access resources linked to your account online, visit this link. For assistance, call 414-435-7069 or toll-free at 844-910-3661.

To reduce wait times, the department requests that applicants with last names starting with letters from A to M call from 6:15 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturdays.

Applicants with last names starting with letters from N to Z should call from noon to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturdays.

What you can do if you’ve lost pandemic unemployment benefits was originally published by the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service.