AUGUSTA — The Maine Department of Labor announced Monday the State Extended Benefit (EB) program, which provides an additional 13 weeks of benefits, will be available for Maine people who have exhausted their 13-weeks of federal Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) by the end of this week.

Individuals who have exhausted their benefits will not need to take any additional action, a news release noted.

Those being enrolled in the EB program will receive a monetary determination letter in the mail and in their ReEmployME account. The self-service correspondence feature of ReEmployME allows claimants to check on changes to their account 24/7.

Individuals who are permanently separated from their employer must engage in work search activities each week in order to be eligible for benefits.

EB will follow the same work search guidelines as regular state unemployment insurance, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), and PEUC.

In response to the circumstances caused by the pandemic, the Department expanded possible work search activities to include opportunities to enhance individual’s marketability during these challenging economic times.

Work search activities are:

Attending a job fair/virtual job fair hosted by a CareerCenter

Participating in CareerCenter virtual reemployment services

Participating in a CareerCenter virtual workshop

Applying for a job for which you are reasonably qualified

Interviewing for a job for which you are reasonably qualified

Contacting an employer to inquire as to whether the employer is hiring

Participating in professional job-related education or skills development

Participating in networking events related to a job or occupation for which you are reasonably qualified

More information and answers to frequently asked questions on the work search requirement can be found at: maine.gov/unemployment/faq/worksearch.