It appears that the Maine Department of Labor that handles unemployment claims is in need of an overhaul. People who are entitled to receive unemployment benefits are not receiving their checks as expected on a weekly basis.

This is supposedly stimulus money, but it certainly won’t pay the bills of our neighbors or family members who have been laid off from their jobs at the most difficult time of the year.

It should not take six weeks to begin receiving benefits. Nor should weekly payments be erratic or nonexistent.

How are families supposed to pay for food, housing, heating oil, medical necessities and other needs if they do not receive weekly unemployment checks?

It is almost impossible to reach a real human being on the phone to try to resolve these problems.

I know the state of Maine is in financial trouble, but surely it can do better for people who are entitled to a weekly unemployment check. Lack of this entitlement would surely result in the request for assistance from other state agencies, costing the taxpayers money.

The Department of Labor should be doing a better job of providing for people entitled to these benefits.

Brenda Theriault, Greene

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