MADISON, WI (WTAQ) — Governor Tony Evers has asked for, and received, a letter of resignation from Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Secretary Caleb Frostman.
Frostman’s resignation is effective immediately and comes amid a massive backlog in state unemployment claims brought on by COVID-19 related economic hardship. It was reported last week that over 600,000 unemployment claims, some dating from as far back as March, have yet to be processed in the state.
“People across our state are struggling to make ends meet, and it is unacceptable that Wisconsinites continue to wait for the support they need during these challenging times,” said Gov. Evers. “It is clear that our unemployment system has faced historic levels of claims these past few months, hindered in part by antiquated technology we inherited, and processes designed by Republicans to make it harder for folks to get these benefits.”
Department of Corrections Deputy Secretary Amy Pechacek has been reassigned to manage DWD until a permanent replacement has been found.
“We have continued to add additional state resources to support the DWD, but it is clear that we must have change if we are going to address these problems to get folks their benefits faster. I am confident Deputy Secretary Pechacek has the leadership and skillsets we need to begin to identify solutions to these issues and to get to work making sure folks across our state can get the resources they need. I appreciate Secretary Frostman’s service to our state and wish him well in his future endeavors,” Evers said in a press release.
Frostman, a Democrat, once served in the Wisconsin State Assembly for District 1.
