Caleb Frostman

Mar 18, 2021

Wisconsin proceeds with improving unemployment call center

A plan to have a new call center to help unemployed people 24 hours a day, seven days a week is moving ahead with the signing of a $1.2 million contract, Gov. Tony Evers' administration announced Thursday.

Nov 17, 2020

Thousands await jobless aid as leaders blame each other for failure

As Wisconsin businesses closed this spring to slow the spread of COVID-19, jobless filings and phone calls flooded the Department of Workforce Development — too quickly for staff employees to keep up. But DWD Secretary Caleb Frostman remained optimistic.

Sep 25, 2020

Less than 1% of calls to state unemployment call centers were answered, audit shows

Fewer than 1% of calls from Wisconsin residents who lost their jobs during the pandemic were answered by state officials overseeing unemployment benefits, and the Evers administration did not report important information to lawmakers showing the full scope of the problem, a new state audit shows.

Sep 18, 2020

Gov. Tony Evers asks Wisconsin DWD leader to resign over unemployment backlog

Gov. Tony Evers has in effect fired the leader of the state's workforce development agency, which has struggled for months to clear a massive backlog of unemployment claims since the pandemic hit Wisconsin.

Jul 30, 2020

Following denials, laid-off Wisconsin workers with disabilities now eligible for federal pandemic aid

Possibly hundreds of laid-off Wisconsin workers with disabilities can now obtain the sort of federal aid that other unemployed workers have been able to receive during the pandemic.

Jul 15, 2020

Audit: Too much, not enough sent to Wisconsin unemployed

An unknown number of unemployed people in Wisconsin received too much, or not enough, in benefits from the state Department of Workforce in late April as it worked to process additional money in federal aid to help those suddenly out of work due to the coronavirus pandemic, an audit released Wednesday found.

Jun 18, 2020

Agency: Wisconsin unemployment rate fell to 12% in May

Wisconsin's unemployment rate dropped from 13.6% in April to 12% in May — a bit of positive economic news for the month when the state began to reopen more broadly after the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down the governor's "safer at home" order.

May 27, 2020

Republicans urge faster processing of unemployment claims (UPDATE)

Wisconsin Republicans sparred with leaders in Gov. Tony Evers administration at a sometimes heated legislative hearing Wednesday, faulting them for not doing enough to quickly process unemployment claims during the pandemic.

Mar 20, 2020

Unemployment relief test for Evers, Republican lawmakers

Gov. Tony Evers' call for the Republican-controlled Legislature to waive a one-week waiting period for the payment of unemployment benefits in the face of soaring claims will be an early test of how well the two sides can work together in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jan 21, 2020

Wisconsin Senate confirms 2 Evers’ Cabinet secretaries (UPDATE)

The Wisconsin Senate is scheduled to consider approving two of Gov. Tony Evers' Cabinet secretaries on Tuesday, votes that come just two months after Republicans fired the governor's agriculture secretary.

Jul 29, 2019

Task force sets sights on misclassification

Gov. Tony Evers on Friday announced appointments to a task force that will examine worker misclassification and payroll fraud in Wisconsin.

Apr 4, 2019

Republicans, Democrats disagree on Evers’ workforce plans

Gov. Tony Evers' proposed budget wouldn't do enough to attract workers to Wisconsin and his proposals, including increasing the minimum wage, would actually hurt businesses, Republican lawmakers on the Legislature's budget committee argued on Thursday.