Maine Unemployment Claim System Going down for a Week

Mainers are going to be unable to file unemployment claims for a week because of a computer software system upgrade.

According to the Associated Press, the Maine Department of Labor is joining the ReEmployUSA partnership to streamline processing of claims through a new system. The current system will be down from 4 p.m. Thursday through the following Wednesday, Dec. 6, when the new system comes online.

Republican Gov. Paul LePage says the new system is the result of years of work in collaboration with other states "to create a modern, efficient unemployment system." He calls the system a "national model."  Mississippi, which originated the new system, launched on Aug. 30. Maine will be second, followed by Rhode Island and Connecticut within the next two years, according to AP.