US Department of Labor awards nearly $2.3M to promote equitable access to Maine’s unemployment insurance system

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of $2,282,982 in American Rescue Plan Act funding to the Maine Department of Labor to help identify and address barriers workers face accessing state unemployment insurance benefits.

Administered by the department’s Employment and Training Administration, the grant will enable Maine to promote and expand awareness and understanding of unemployment insurance programs and services, while simplifying instructions for underserved communities.

The department awards states funding to implement projects that seek to remove barriers related to race, age, ethnicity, language proficiency, disability status, geographic location or other systemic issues that make it difficult for people to access unemployment insurance benefits.

Today’s award is the latest equity grant issued since the department’s August 2021 announcement of up to $260 million in available grants for states to promote equitable access to unemployment insurance benefits. To date, the department has announced awards of nearly $207 million in funds to 41 states and the District of Columbia.