PUA ID and Employment Verification

The Federal Continued Assistance for Unemployed Workers Act of 2020 requires that the Maine Department of Labor verify the identity of all new PUA applicants before the claim is processed. It is also a federal requirement that PUA recipients provide proof of employment. MDOL will be sending out letters to PUA claimants who have not yet been asked to provide this information.

Along with states across the country, the Department has partnered with trusted technology partner ID.me to help bolster current fraud prevention measures and protect unemployment claimants.

If you are required to submit ID verification through ID.me, a notification will be added to your ReEmployME account, and instructions for completion of the process would be found under ‘Correspondences,’ as well as sent via regular mail.

Who will be asked to verify their identity?

A claimant may be selected to provide proof of their identity through the secure portal for one of two main reasons:

  1. Their claim was reviewed and contains elements that have been seen in confirmed ID Theft claims. To ensure the claim is legitimate and benefits will be paid to the actual claimant, providing proof of their identity through the ID.me portal may be required.
  2. Per federal guidance in the Continued Assistance Act of 2020, all new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claims filed after January 31, 2021 are subject to identity verification.

Employment Verification:

Claimants who must provide proof of employment will receive a ‘Request for Proof of Employment’ letter with either a 21-day or a 90-day deadline.

  • Per the instructions, log into Reemployme.maine.gov, and select “Provide PUA Proof of Employment” prior to the deadline date provided in the correspondence.
  • Failure to respond to this request may lead to a denial of benefits starting with the week ending January 2, 2021 and may result in an overpayment of benefits received since that time.
  • Acceptable documentation to provide proof of employment are:
    • In general:
      • paycheck stubs
      • earnings and leave statements showing the employer’s name and address
      • W-2 forms when available
    • Proof of self-employment:
      • State or Federal employer identification numbers
      • business licenses
      • tax returns
      • business receipts
      • signed affidavits from persons verifying the individual’s self-employment
    • Proof of employment with organizations such as the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, and educational or religious organizations:
      • documentation provided by these organizations and signed affidavits from persons verifying the individual’s attachment to such organizations (could be contract, etc.)
    • Proof of the planned commencement of employment:
      • letters offering employment, statements/affidavits by individuals (with name and contact I-11 information) verifying an offer of employment
    • Proof of the planned commencement of self-employment:
      • business licenses
      • state or Federal employer identification numbers
  • Walk through information