Wis. Stat. § 230.31: Restoration of employment and reinstatement privileges.

(1) Any person who has held a position and obtained permanent status in a class under the civil service law and rules and who has separated from the service before July 1, 2016, without any delinquency or misconduct on his or her part but owing to reasons of economy or otherwise shall be granted the following considerations:

(a) For a 5-year period from the date of separation, the person shall be eligible for reinstatement in a position having a comparable or lower pay rate or range for which such person is qualified.

(b) For a 3-year period from the date of separation, if on layoff status, the person shall be placed, in inverse order of layoff, on an appropriate mandatory restoration register for the unit used for layoff and on a restoration register for the agency from which the person was laid off. Use of such registers shall be subject to the rules of the director.

(3) Any person who has held a position and obtained permanent status in class under the civil service law and rules and who is laid off on or after July 1, 2016, is eligible for reinstatement in a position having a comparable or lower pay rate or range for which such person is qualified for a 3-year period from the date of the layoff.