Daily Citizen from Beaver Dam, Wisconsin • A6

A6 Friday, March 19, 2021 Beaver Dam Daily Citizen 00 1 STATE MITCHELL SCHMIDT With the use of more than $2 million in federal funding, Wis- Department of Work- force Development is moving for- ward with efforts to modernize the antiquated unemployment insurance system, which has been blamed for the persistent backlog of claims during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, Wiscon- sin could miss out on millions of dollars in federal unemployment funding with last rein- statement of the one-week waiting period for unemployment benefits, which had been tempo- rarily waived. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, told re- porters this week he has concerns with reinstating the waiver, which needs to be in place in order for the state to secure an estimated $2.6 million in weekly federal dollars. State officials announced Thursday the department had se- cured $2.4 million in new federal funding to update the un- employment system, which uses 60-year-old computer program- ming language. The first phase of the IT modernization project will focus on an integrated cloud- based phone and messaging center to allow individuals to access their claims information by phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Department Secretary Amy Pechacek said the new center is expected to open in September, but could see additional service updates in the months that follow. While it can traditionally take more than a year to identify the require- ments for a system update of this scale, Pechacek said an aggressive approach has helped expedite ef- forts. are ahead of I think every- expectation of the schedule of what we were going to be able to Pechacek said Thursday. just a reflection of a really ded- icated, motivated team at DWD just moving forward full speed The pandemic has placed con- siderable strain on the depart- unemployment insurance office, forcing increased staffing and technology updates. Despite the efforts, hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin residents have had to wait weeks to months to receive their unemployment benefits.

State audits released last year found fewer than of calls to the call centers were answered between March 15 and June 30 and that DWD was responsible for 11 of the 13 weeks it took, on average, for the department to resolve ini- tial unemployment claims filed in the early weeks of the pandemic. In September, Evers fired former DWD Secretary Caleb Frostman over the persistent backlog of claims. Pechacek said the new call center is expected to provide around-the-clock service and provide claimants real-time in- formation through the use of ar- tificial intelligence and integrated technology. The department on Tuesday signed a $1.2 million contract with an organization called 18F to begin developing specific update re- quirements and draft requests for proposals from potential vendors for the next phase of moderniza- tion efforts. Evers last month signed legisla- tion to allow DWD to begin seeking bids from companies for updates to the unemployment insurance system, which has been estimated to cost at least $80 million.

Evers had originally asked the GOP-led Legislature to spend $5.3 million to begin updates on the unemployment system, but Republicans on the budget committee removed funding from the bill. As written, DWD would first need to use any available fed- eral dollars to begin updates and secure permission from the GOP- led committee for the use of state dollars. The aging unemployment system has been a known issue for several years and administra- tions. Former Gov. Jim Doyle be- gan efforts to update the system in 2007, but the plan was ultimately scrapped.

Former Gov. Scott Walker approved several measures over his eight years in office re- lated to unemployment eligibility, the one-week waiting period and work search requirements, but did not pursue upgrades to the system. Evers did not include updates to the system in his 2019-21 biennial budget, but his latest budget pro- poses $79 million in spending to immediately upgrade the antiquated system. One-week waiting period The bill signed by Evers last month also included a temporary extension of the waiver of the one-week waiting period to re- ceive unemployment benefits, but that waiver expired on March 14. more, provisions in the federal COVID-19 stimulus pack- age signed last week by President Joe Biden would provide those on unemployment an additional $300 per week in federal fund- ing over the next several months.

The Wisconsin Legislature would need to reinstate the waiver of the one-week waiting period in order to collect those funds, which has been estimated at about $2.6 mil- lion per week. Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Vos said he spoken with the Republican caucus on ex- tending the one-week waiting pe- riod, but said he has concerns that extending the waiver could have an and result in more people suspending their efforts to find employment. think the problem any longer is folks being able to access the system, to be able to have the one week waiting period, get- ting people back into the work- Vos said. Assembly Democrats proposed an amendment to a bill being dis- cussed Wednesday that would have suspended the one-week waiting period, but it was ruled as non-germane by Assembly Republicans for dramatically expanding the scope of the bill, which focused on health care providers. constituents need these benefits now to help make ends meet during this Rep.

Dianne Hesselbein, D-Middleton, said in a statement. Legisla- ture must act now to ensure Wis- consin receives our share of federal money. Families are relying on this funding and we have to remove the barriers to accessing Last May, the unemploy- ment fund missed out on roughly $25 million in federal reimburse- ments due to the GOP-led Legis- delayed passage of a waiver of the one-week waiting period. Unemployment call center moves forward State will offer 24-hour claims service DAVID WAHLBERG Damond Boatwright, re- gional president for SSM Health, which includes St. Hospital and Dean Medical Group in Madison, is leaving to become pres- ident and CEO of Hospi- tal Sisters Health System, based in Springfield, Illi- nois.

He will lead the nearly 2,300 physician partners and more than 13,000 associate staff in Il- linois and Wisconsin. last day with St. Lou- i a SSM Health will be May 15. He will begin his new role in June, suc- i the current president and CEO of HSHS, Mary Starmann-Harrison, who is retiring in July. Star- mann-Harrison also previ- ously oversaw SSM Health in Wisconsin.

I am excited about this new chapter, this deci- sion was not Boat- wright said in a statement. has become my home and SSM Health has become my family. I am in- credibly proud of the work the organization has Boatwright has been at SSM Health Wisconsin since 2014. SSM Health Wisconsin includes seven hospitals and four affili- ates, more than 85 physi- cian clinics, a pharmacy benefit company, 10 nurs- ing homes and an insur- ance company, Dean Health Plan. SSM Health leader leaving Boatwright ASSOCIATED PRESS OCONOMOWOC, Wis.

A man suspected of kill- ing two co-workers at a Wisconsin grocery distri- bution warehouse before fatally shooting himself was a 41-year-old from suburban Milwaukee, a law enforcement official said Thursday. Waukesha County Sher- Office Lt. Nicholas Ollinger identified him as Fraron Cornelius, of Wauwatosa. Police said the suspect died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound Wednesday morn- ing after crashing his car following a pursuit in Milwaukee. The man fatally shot the workers Tuesday night at the distribution center in Oconomowoc, about 30 miles (48 kilome- ters) west of Milwaukee, according to Thomas Ben- nett, secretary-treasurer of General Teamsters Local Union No.

200. Bennett said all three were long- time employees and union members. Law enforcement offi- cials have not yet confirmed whether the two who died were shot. Wauwatosa officers ex- ecuted a search warrant at the home Wednesday, according to police spokeswoman Abby Pavlik. It immedi- ately clear what evidence police were seeking at the house.

Union stewards said the two men were shot in dif- ferent areas of the massive warehouse, according to Bennett. One was shot in the loading dock and the other was shot in an upper area of the facility. One of the victims was Kevin Kloth, 50, of Ger- mantown, his mother, Nancy Kloth, told the Mil- waukee Journal Sentinel. His name and the identity of the other victim been released by authorities as of Thursday morning. Bennett said he was un- aware of any dispute be- tween the shooter and the victims.

three of these work- ers were very important during this pandemic be- cause they worked very hard to serve our commu- Bennett said, adding that it often meant long hours. things wear on you after Bennett said. Authorities have re- leased few details about the attack, which led to a temporary lockdown of the facility. The complex employs close to 1,000 people, according to the Journal Sentinel. is a subsidiary of Cincin- nati-based Kroger, which operates Pick Save and Metro Market stores in Wisconsin and grocery stores in northern Illinois.

Grocery killings suspect identified CHRIS HUBBUCH Wisconsin utilities will be able to shut off services next month to customers who are behind on their bills for the first time in nearly 18 months. With more than 93,000 households facing pos- sible disconnection, the Wisconsin Public Service Commission voted unani- mously against extending a moratorium that has been in place since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Commissioners cited fall- ing infection rates, signs of economic recovery and bil- lions of dollars in federal as- sistance in allowing the mor- atorium to expire April 15. A lot has happened since the last time we talked about this. A lot of good things have said PSC Chair Rebecca Valcq.

my mind there is no doubt we are ready to start hav- ing utilities have the ability to issue disconnect no- tices, to start using that tool from their toolbox to work with customers to manage arrears. Utilities reported that 93,263 households and 4,810 businesses would be subject to disconnection in April if they enter into payment plans, though the utilities noted they may not have the staff to shut off all those accounts. Nearly 21,230 of those households are at risk of losing water service. The 346 utilities that re- sponded to a PSC survey reported past-due balances of more than $309 million at the end of 2020, an increase of over the previous year. Wisconsin regulators end shutoff ban as more than 93,000 face disconnection To inquire about advertising, contact your Sales Representative.

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