There is a new online short-form questionnaire that is designed to help Mainers who have not been able to start an unemployment claim, for any number of reasons.
“They might not have access to a computer or the internet regularly. They might not have enough minutes on their phones because they don't have enough income to stay on the line and start a claim,” says Alison Weiss of Maine Equal Justice.
The nonprofit has teamed up with the State Department Of Labor and the Maine AFL-CIO to provide the three-question form, which asks for contact information. She says it should take less than 5 minutes to fill out, and, once submitted, the Department Of Labor will call the applicant to get a claim started.
"What the form does is it provides the contact information and whatever information the person has provided about what language they speak or what trouble getting started, and sends that directly to the Department of Labor."
The online tool is available on the Maine Equal Justice website. The form is not intended for Mainers who have already started a claim.
