AUGUSTA — The federal Continued Assistance for Unemployed Workers Act of 2020 requires 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.

What do claimants need to know?

If they need to provide ID verification or employment verification, they will receive a letter in the mail and in their account correspondence with instructions.

ID Verification:

Claimants will need to provide two forms of identification – one must be a government issued photo ID

Log into maine.gov, select “Upload documents for identity verification”

Experienced ID verification staff will review the documents in the order that they are received. Once a claimant’s identity is verified, the hold on their claim will be released and payment will be sent within 7-14 days, as long as there are no other eligibility issues.

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 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

More information and walk-through guides of how to upload ID and proof of employment documents are available on the website: maine.gov/unemployment

If someone receives correspondence from the Department about unemployment and did not file an unemployment claim, they should report this to us immediately at maine.gov/unemployment/fraud