Department of Labor Open for Business Wednesday, July 5; Information Regarding Unemployment Claims Bookmark and Share

July 4, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 4, 2017
Contact: Julie Rabinowitz, 207-621-5009

AUGUSTA?With the signing of the state budget early this morning, all Department of Labor offices including the CareerCenters and SafetyWorks! will be open for business Wednesday, July 5, 2017, resuming regular operations.

All Department of Labor online services remain available at http://www.maine.gov/labor/ .

All pending unemployment claims filed after 5 p.m. on June 29, through 5 p.m. on July 5 will be processed on July 6. Use the online service to check the status of your claim beginning July 6 to avoid calling the department. We anticipate long wait times on the phones.

The Unemployment Customer Service Claims Centers will be open for calls during its regular schedule, 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. If claimants have to speak to a customer service representative after State government reopens, expect long wait times on the phones. The department anticipates high call volumes when State offices reopen.

To avoid waiting, we recommend that initial claims for benefits, meaning that a person has never filed for unemployment benefits in Maine or has not filed for unemployment in the previous 12 months, as well as reopening a benefit year, be filed via the website at http://www.maine.gov/labor/unemployment/benefits.html .

Claimants currently filing for weekly unemployment benefits can use the automated telephone service at 1-800-593-7660 or the website to file a continued claim.

For any person who had a meeting, counselor appointment, hearing, recruitment or other event that was canceled by the department in anticipation of the shutdown, a representative of the department will contact you to affirm the original time or to reschedule.

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