Unemployment Insurance Help

Answer: There are many reasons why you many not be receiving payments. The best way to get answers about your Unemployment claim is to check your correspondence folder online or contact the Department of Labor for assistance. Here are some additional things to note:

• You may still be in your waiting period. Currently, Unemployment applicants must wait 7 days after their claim is approved to receive payments. This is called the "Waiting Week." Sometimes it may take more than a week to receive payments. But you should receive benefits for every week following the first week once you are approved. If you do not receive payments for weeks you believe you are owed, please contact us for help.
• Make sure you are filing your Weekly Claim! If you are not filing your Weekly Claim you will not receive benefits. More information about Weekly Claims here.
• Check your mail or your communications folder online. You may have received a notice that the DOL needs additional information or there is an issue with you case before you can begin receiving your benefits.
• You may need to provide additional identity documents to confirm your idenity. This is an added security measure recently added by the Department of Labor. See information below. The letter may look like this one.
• If you still have questoins about why are not receiving payments, call 1-800-593-7660 and then dial 2 to speak with an agent from the Bureau of Unemployment about your case. They should be able to tell you the specific issue that is blocking your payments.
• If you continue to have trouble, please reach out to us.

Answer: You might get a letter in your Correspondence folder or in the mail that says "Notice of Fact Finding Interview" at the top. This means that the Department of Labor needs to get more information from you about about your unemployment claim before they can decide if you qualify for benefits. OR they need to better understand something you reported in a Weekly Claim before they can pay you for the week.

Your 'Fact Finding Interview' will be a phone call. The letter will have a date and time listed on the letter. 

• Don't panic! This is a normal thing to happen to people who file for unemployment. It doesn't mean you will be denied benefits, though you might be.
• Do everything possible to be available during the interview time. Clear 2 hours in your schedule. You need to be available one hour before and one hour after the time listed on the letter. They will call sometime any hour before or after the listed time. For example, if your appointment is 3:30pm, you need to be ready to pick up a call between 2:30 and 4:30pm.
• The phone number may show up on your phone or caller ID as "000-000-0000" or "Unknown Number" or as the 1-800 number. We recommend disabling any spam blockers on your phone the day of your hearing, and to turn the volume on your phone all the way up. Pick up any calls you get during this time in case it is the Department calling from a number you don't recognize.
• If you miss the call, they will leave a voice mail. You have 48 hours to call back and answer questions about your case.
• Once the Fact Finding is complete, they will send you a "Deputy Decision" letter, which will state the results of your interview and whether or not you will receive benefits.
• You can appeal the decision if needed. See the question below for more information denials and appeals.

There are many reasons that you may get a Fact Finding Interview, but here are some common reasons:

• The reason you left your job may or may not fit the eligibility requirements to receive Unemployment. 
• You reported you were not able or available to work on a Weekly claim, and the department has questions. 
• There are questions about a work search or job offer you reported on a weekly claim. 
• Something your former employer reported to the Department does not match with what you reported.

If you want help preparing for your fact finding interview, please let us know and we will do our best to schedule a 20-30 minute phone call to assist. Fill out our contact form here.

For more information about Fact Finding interviews, see pages 9 and 10 of the Basic Unemployment Guide.

The Maine Department of Labor has recently started asking applicants to provide additional documents, like copies of your license or work permit, to confirm their identity in order to receive unemployment. We understand that this letter can be confusing and cause concern. If you receive one of these requests, read the letter carefully and follow the instructions to submit your documentation. Try to send the documents as soon as possile so you don't lose benefits. If you need assistance with this, please reach out to us here. 

• Common requested documents include a picture of your drivers license or social security card, or a picture of your work permit or work permit extension letter.
• Sometimes the Department of Labor will also request claimants take a picture of themsleves holding their ID. 
• Make sure any photos that you take and send are clear. All text on the document should be visible, and all 4 edges of the ID need to be in the picture and not cut off. 
• Usually, you will be asked to submit the documents on ReEmployME.maine.gov. You can do this sometimes even without creating an account, there is an option on the log-in screen for identiy verification.
• You can also send documents as attachments to this email: UCbenefits.DOL@maine.gov 
• You can also bring your documents to a local Career Center and they can help you submit your documents.
• We can also help you with this task. Please reach out. 

Answer: You may have received a letter that says "Deputy Decision" in your mail or Correspondence folder. This letter will report the results of a Fact Finding or Administrative hearing. This may tell you if you were approved for benefits, denied for benefits, or approved for something like an overpayment waiver or whatever issue you might have been disputing with the Department of Labor.

Many people find these letters hard to read or understand. This is normal! They are complicated and include a lot of legal language. Read to the very end of the letter, as the results of your hearing and the decision will usually be in the "Conclusion and Order" section. 

Here is a sample letter with some notes about how to read it.

If you need help understanding what your letters say, please contact us and we will try and help!

If you disagree with the results of your Deputy Decision letter, you can appeal the decision. Read the next section for information about appeals. 

Answer: Yes, until you are issued a final determination, you should be given the option to appeal any decision. If you disagree with a decision by the Department of Labor, you have 15 days to file an appeal. If you have a good reason that you couldn’t file the appeal in the first 15 days, you may be given an extra 15 days. Include this note when you file your appeal.

You can file an appeal:

• Online by using your ReEmployME account. Click the "File Appeal" tab on the homepage once you log-in.
•  By emailing Admin.Hearings@Maine.gov
• By calling 207-621-5001
•  By fax at 207-287-5949
• By returning the Appeal form you receive in the mail with your paper decision letter.

Once your request is received, you will get a letter telling you the date and time of your appeal hearing or your interview. Usually, these hearings are conducted over the phone.

Before the hearing prepare any documents, stories, or other materials that will help make your case. If you need assistance, please contact the Peer Workforce Navigator Project.

You must attend the Appeal Hearing. You can ask for the hearing to be rescheduled if you are not available. At your appeal hearing or interview a Hearing Officer from the Department of Labor will question you (and your employer, if an employer is involved in the decision). They may also ask you for any documents that prove your case. 

You must continue filing weekly claims for every week you want to claim unemployment benefits, even if you are disqualified. If you win your appeal and the Department grants you benefits, you will be paid for back weeks only if you have continued filing weekly claims. If you have let your claim close and have not filed weekly claims, you will not be allowed to file for any weeks you missed. 

If you feel like you need legal assistance with this process, please contact us, we may be able to connect you to legal representation or offer advice.

Answer: If you cannot meet your basic needs while you are waiting to find out about your unemployment benefits, call DHHS at 855-797-4357 to ask about Mainecare, Food Assistance (SNAP) benefits, and TANF or Emergency Assistance (if you have children at home). Go to the Maine State Housing website and apply for housing or heating assistance. You can also call your town office to ask about General Assistance to help with your rent. Your weekly unemployment benefit cannot be counted as income to you for any of these other benefits if you are not getting it.

For more information on assistance for meeting your basic needs, please look at the Maine Equal Justice website. 

Answer:  You can still collect unrmployment while in school. If you are enrolled in an approved training program or education program, you can apply for a "Training Waiver" through the Department of Labor. We recommend that whether or not you applied online, to call and speak to a representative about applying for a Training Waiver if you are in school. Here is a list of approved training programs.

In addition to being able to receive Unemployment, you may be able to receive additional payments when your initial 26 weeks of benefits expire. These are called Dislocated Worker Benefits. Link to MDOL site -- but application and FAQ links are broken

Other tuition and training scholarship programs, like the Competitive Skills Scholarship program may also be able to help. If this applies to you, we encourage you to reach out to a Navigator for assistance so you can get the help you need to pay for school. Contact us here. 

Answer: Yes. When you file your weekly claim, you just need to report any income you earn during the week. The first $100 you make will not be deducted from your Unemployment benefits. But any additional income above this amount will be deducted and decrease your weekly benefits.

For example, if you pick up an extra babysitting shift or two to help with your bills, report this income to Unemployment during your weekly claim. Or, if your hours are reduced but you are still working, you will need to report the income you make working your reduced hours. 

An important note about partial unemployment benefits: On your weekly claim, you need to report the gross wages you EARNED during the week you are filing for. Report gross wages not take-home or net wages, so do not include what will be on your paycheck with taxes or other deductions, report the wages you will be paid. This is not the wages you were paid that week, but how much money you made during the hours you worked for the week, even if you haven't gotten the paycheck yet.

For example, say you worked 4 hours and $17 dollars and hour last Thursday but you won't get paid until the following week, you still need to reprort to the DOL the wages you made: (4hr x $17=$68). 

OR, say your cousin paid you $250 to plow and shovel some of their businesses during the week. They paid you in cash on the spot, so both earned and were paid wages this week. You would need to report this as an "odd job" on your weekly claim.

Answer: Unemployment Insurance is a system that your employer makes payments into so that it can be available to all eligible workers. You do not have pay into this system in order to get Unemployment. Because you worked for an employer and your work made them income, YOU deserve to receive this benefit if you are eligible. We encourage you to apply if you think you eligible.

In most cases, no. If you are eligible for Unemployment benefits, those are benfits you are qualifed to receive and use as your own income. You should not have to pay back your unemployment benefits as long as you are honestly reporting and filing each week.

However, is some rare cases, the Department may determine that they paid you benefits you did not rightfully earn. This might happen if after a Fact Finding or Administrative Hearing, they discover you did not report earned income, or if you received unemployment benefits during a time when you were not able to work or turned down an offer but did not report it. In some cases an employer may dispute your eligibility for benefits that have already been paid out. 

If this happen, you may receive a notice of "Overpayment." You have the right to both APPEAL the Overpayment and then get the Overpayment WAIVED or forgiven if you cannot pay it.

 If you have received this notice that you need to pay back benefits and need help with this situation, we encourage you reach out to a Peer Navigator for assistance. Please see the section below for more information about Overpayments.

**If you have any questions or concerns about an overpayment issue, please contact us. We want to get you help as soon as possible!**

Answer: After a Fact Finding or other hearing, the Department of Labor may give you a notice that says they have paid you more Unemployment benefits than they think you should have earned. Read your mail or notices carefully. This is called an "Overpayment."

If you get an Overpayment notice, you have 30 days to appeal or dispute the reason. We highly recommend appeal overpayment decisions if you can!
You can ask for the Overpayment to be wavied if:

• You cannot afford to pay it back.
• The reason for your Overpayment is not FRAUD. (Fraud means an intentional effort to under report, not report, or provide inaccurate information about wages or other details to Unemployment in order to collect payments.)
• You have appealed the overpayment and a final decision has been made.

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If your overpayment decision is final and is not waived, and you do not pay it back or set up a payment plan, the Department may try to recollect payments from future Unemployment benefits you receive, which could explain why you are seeing reduced weekly benefits. 

You can call the department and arrange a payment plan for overpayments as needed.

The Department is only allowed to collect overpayments from your wages, tax refund, or paycheck IF they deem your overpayment was due to fraud or an intentional act to lie and collect Unemployment that you were not qualified for.

More information about overpayments can be found:

• On the Maine DOL website here
• On pg. 19 of this Unemployment Guide
• More information about the definition of fraud here