The Maine Wire
  • News
  • Commentary
  • Maine Wire TV
  • Podcasts
  • About
  • Contact
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending News
  • Maine Dad Says High School Clinic Sent 17-Year-Old Daughter Home with Secret Baggy of Zoloft, Sicced Child Protective Services on Him For Complaining
  • Mills: “Please Vote No On Question 3”
  • Mills Backs Goal of Increasing Heat Pump Installations Four-Fold By 2030 In Her Role As Co-Chair of the US Climate Alliance
  • Unanswered Questions After South Portland Cops Called to Human Rights Commission Chair’s Home: 911 Transcript
  • Children’s Book in Maine Schools Tells Kids to Trust Corporate Media — Not Their Parents: News Literacy Project
  • Maine’s Workforce Participation Rate Remained Below National Average in August: MDOL
  • Biden Admin Extends Temporary Protected Status to 472,000 Venezuelan Nationals Living in the US
  • Sam Bankman-Fried’s Fraudulent FTX Crypto Scheme Funneled Cash to Left-Wing Groups Through Arabella Advisors: Lawsuit
Facebook Twitter Instagram
The Maine Wire
Login
Friday, September 22
  • News
  • Commentary
  • Maine Wire TV
  • Podcasts
  • About
  • Contact
The Maine Wire
Home » News » 7,400 Mainers fail to provide proof of employment to continue receiving unemployment
News

7,400 Mainers fail to provide proof of employment to continue receiving unemployment

Katherine RevelloBy Katherine RevelloAugust 10, 2021Updated:August 10, 2021No Comments3 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Reddit
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

On August 6, the Maine Department of Labor (DOL) announced that approximately 7,400 unemployment claimants receiving federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) failed to provide retroactive proof of employment by the August 4 deadline and may be required to repay benefits.

On December 27, 2020, former President Trump signed a law that affected eligibility requirements for federal pandemic unemployment assistance. The Continued Assistance for Unemployed Workers Act of 2020, part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, created new rules requiring those filing for PUA benefits to provide proof they were employed, self-employed or had plans to become employed or self-employed that fell apart as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, to prove their eligibility for the program.

Individuals who filed a new claim for PUA benefits on or after January 31, 2021 were required to provide proof of employment within 21 days of applying, or within 21 days of receiving notice from a state agency of the need to submit documentation, whichever date is later.

Individuals who were receiving PUA benefits prior to January 3, 2021 and received benefits before December 27, 2020 had 90 days from either the date they applied for benefits to submit proof of employment, or 90 days after they were notified by a state agency of the need to submit documentation, whichever date was later.

To provide proof of employment, applicants can submit paycheck stubs, earnings and leavings statements that include an employer’s name and address, or W-2 forms. To provide proof of self-employment, applicants can submit state or federal employer identification numbers, business licenses or receipts, tax returns, or signed affidavits that verify the claimant is self-employed. 

The Maine DOL provided both written and electronic notice to claimants who were required to provide proof of employment in early May. The 90-day period to provide proof of prior employment expired on August 4.

Anyone who received notice that their claim has been denied because they failed to provide documentation can appeal the decision within 15 days of receiving notice to appeal.

A judgment that an individual wrongly received PUA benefits would mean the individual must pay back any money they received through the PUA program, but also any benefits they received through the federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (PUC) program.

The PUC program, which provides a $300 weekly supplement benefit, had expired on July 31, 2020, but was reauthorized under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. 

The state agency which dispensed payments to ineligible individuals is responsible for recovering funds. Under the law, that means the Maine DOL is responsible for collecting funds paid out to ineligible recipients. 

The Maine DOL did not respond to a request for comment about what the process of recovering funds will look like or about the amount of money it estimates will need to be recovered.

But, according to the law passed by Congress, anyone who obtained PUA benefits to which they are not entitled as a result of false statements or representations, or because they failed to disclose facts which would have made them ineligible to receive benefits, is ineligible to receive further unemployment compensation and may be subject to federal prosecution.

The Maine DOL did not respond to a request for comment about whether individuals who did not provide proof of employment will face penalties beyond repaying benefits they were not eligible to receive.

coronavirus COVID-19 Department of Labor Featured federal unemployment benefits Labor Maine Department of Labor news Opinion pandemic Unemployment Unemployment Benefits unemployment compensation workforce
Previous ArticleGovernment is supposed to exist to protect our rights
Next Article What’s for Maine in the Senate’s compromise infrastructure bill?
Katherine Revello

Katherine Revello is a reporter for The Maine Wire. She has degrees in journalism and political science from the University of Maine. Her writing has appeared in Reason, The Washington Examiner, and various other publications. Got news tips? Contact Katherine at krevello@mainepolicy.org.

Related Posts

Maine Dad Says High School Clinic Sent 17-Year-Old Daughter Home with Secret Baggy of Zoloft, Sicced Child Protective Services on Him For Complaining

September 21, 2023

Mills: “Please Vote No On Question 3”

September 21, 2023

Mills Backs Goal of Increasing Heat Pump Installations Four-Fold By 2030 In Her Role As Co-Chair of the US Climate Alliance

September 21, 2023

Leave A Reply

Recent News

Maine Dad Says High School Clinic Sent 17-Year-Old Daughter Home with Secret Baggy of Zoloft, Sicced Child Protective Services on Him For Complaining

September 21, 2023

Mills Backs Goal of Increasing Heat Pump Installations Four-Fold By 2030 In Her Role As Co-Chair of the US Climate Alliance

September 21, 2023

Unanswered Questions After South Portland Cops Called to Human Rights Commission Chair’s Home: 911 Transcript

September 21, 2023

Children’s Book in Maine Schools Tells Kids to Trust Corporate Media — Not Their Parents: News Literacy Project

September 21, 2023

Maine’s Workforce Participation Rate Remained Below National Average in August: MDOL

September 21, 2023
Newsletter

News

  • News
  • Campaigns & Elections
  • Opinion & Commentary
  • Media Watch
  • Education
  • Media

Maine Wire

  • About the Maine Wire
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Submit Commentary
  • Complaints
  • Maine Policy Institute

Resources

  • Maine Legislature
  • Legislation Finder
  • Get the Newsletter
  • Maine Wire TV

Facebook Twitter Instagram Steam RSS
  • Post Office Box 7829, Portland, Maine 04112

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

Sign In or Register

Welcome Back!

Login below or Register Now.

Lost password?

Register Now!

Already registered? Login.

A password will be e-mailed to you.