Do you want to know the questions you will be asked when filing an unemployment claim in Wisconsin?

Unfortunately, Wisconsin does NOT provide those question beforehand to claimants. Wisconsin does NOT even any longer provide those questions in the Handbook for Claimants. Compare this 2010 handbook with the current version.

Other states do provide these questions to claimants. They even explain how to answer these questions. For example: Connecticut, Illinois, New Jersey, and PUA claim in New York. In Massachusetts, you can even go through the claim-filing process for PUA benefits without a user-id just to see what the system is like.

Through an open records request and some sleuthing on my part, the Department has finally produced what guidance it currently has.

Note: Previous requests to the prior administration for this information were denied. So, kudos to the current administration for making this information available and starting the process of making the claim-filing process more open and understandable.

As you can see, the claim-filing questions for regular unemployment benefits — both the initial claim and the weekly certification claim — are extensive, being 60 or more pages in length.

The weekly certifications for PUA benefits are also lengthy, being 29 and 35 pages in length themselves. The initial application for PUA benefits is only 6 pages, since little to no explanation of the questions and options is provided.

And, as noted already with the “able” question about being able to work full-time, these questions do NOT follow state unemployment law.

Finally, missing from this information are:

  • Any claim-filing questions or guidance in Hmong
  • Initial unemployment application for regular unemployment benefits in Spanish
  • Initial application for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) in Spanish
  • Initial application for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) in Spanish
  • Weekly certification for PUA self-employed claims in Spanish
  • Weekly certification for PUA non-self-employed claims in Spanish
  • Certification for Lost Wage Assistance (LWA) benefits in Spanish

Note: from my recollection, the weekly certification for regular unemployment benefits in Spanish is new. I do not think these forms existed prior to October 2020. This LWA benefits payment announcement indicates that Spanish continues to be an after-thought.