Appeals

Claimants and Employers have the same right to appeal an unemployment decision to grant or deny unemployment benefits under federal and state law. Our goal is that all appeals conclude with the parties feeling they had a fair opportunity to present their case.

To process your appeal you will need the Deputy's Decision and the following information:

  • Deputy's Decision Number
  • Claimant's Social Security Number
  • Benefit Year Ending (BYE)

You must provide this information during the appeal or the appeal cannot be filed. For a timely appeal, you must file the appeal within 15 calendar days of the MAILING date of the Deputy's Decision. If you are unemployed, continue to file your Weekly Certification.

Due to the risk to community health posed by the novel coronavirus, the Maine Department of Labor is strongly encouraging the use of electronic and telephonic communication.

If you wish to file an appeal of a decision, please do so in the following ways:

Please do not: send your appeal through the postal service or hand deliver your appeal form to any Maine Department of Labor location.

Our services and means of communication are subject to change. Thank you for your cooperation during this time of public health emergency.

To process your appeal you will need the Assessment/Determination and the following information:

  • Type of Determination/Assessment
  • Date of the Determination/Assessment
  • Employer Account # (SEIN)

You must provide this information during the appeal or the appeal cannot be filed. You must file the appeal within 30 calendar days of the MAILING date of the Assessment/Determination.

Due to the risk to community health posed by the novel coronavirus, the Maine Department of Labor is strongly encouraging the use of electronic and telephonic communication.

If you wish to file an appeal of a decision, please do so in the following ways:

Please do not: send your appeal through the postal service or hand deliver your appeal form to any Maine Department of Labor location.

Our services and means of communication are subject to change. Thank you for your cooperation during this time of public health emergency.

You must make every effort to attend the hearing:

  • If you do not appear and you are the appealing party, your appeal will be dismissed.
  • If you do not appear and you are the non-appealing party, the hearing will continue without you.
  • If you have a very serious conflict and cannot attend the hearing, let us know immediately at (207) 621-5001 or by email admin.hearings@maine.gov

Be prepared to present your case thoroughly:

  • The Administrative Hearing Officer and all parties receive a hearing packet, including a copy of the Deputy’s Decision and all of the documents in your file.
  • If you have additional documents you would like the Hearing Officer to consider, you should submit them to the Division of Administrative Hearings prior to the hearing at admin.hearings@maine.gov.
  • If there are witnesses with firsthand knowledge of the circumstances surrounding your case, make sure they will be available to attend your hearing to present their information.
  • If you ask someone to appear as a witness and they refuse, you may request that they be subpoenaed. This means they will be required by law to appear.

Accommodations:

  • Please notify us in advance if you need services that will assist you in presenting the facts at your hearing. These may include, but are not limited to, accommodations for people with disabilities, foreign language interpreters for people whose first language is not English, or sign language interpreters for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. We will make the necessary arrangements for your hearing.

If you do not agree with the Administrative Hearing Officer’s decision, you may appeal that decision to the Unemployment Insurance Commission in writing within15 days of the MAILING date. Send to:

  • Unemployment Insurance Commission
    57 State House Station
    Augusta, ME 04333-0057
    Tel: 207-623-6786
    Fax: 207-287-4554

The Commission does not hold hearings except on rare occasion. The Commission may affirm, modify or set aside the decision of the Administrative Hearing Officer based on the evidence already presented at the hearing before that Hearing Officer.

Questions regarding how the appeals decision affects your benefits should be directed to the Benefits Division at 
1-800-593-7660.

Publications

  • Request for Commission Hearing for Income Tax Refund Offset: Used to request a commission hearing when an Income Tax Refund is being offset. 
    (Download Word) (Download PDF)
  • Overpayment Waiver Information: Information on how to request a waiver of an unemployment benefit overpayment through the Unemployment Insurance Commission. 
    (Download Word) (Download PDF)

Resources

Frequently Asked Questions