There’s $19M in unclaimed Maine pandemic and energy relief payments – Bangor Daily News

Theres roughly $19 million in unclaimed COVID-19 and energy relief funds for Mainers.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many workers were laid off or quit their jobs at the height of the public health crisis, and inflation rose drastically after the fact, pushing up costs for many.

Gov. Janet Mills and the Legislature implemented several programs to provide financial assistance to Mainers affected by their losses at the onset of the pandemic.

In 2021, 524,912 Mainers who worked during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic were issued a $285 disaster relief payment. In 2022, 876,283 Mainers were issued $850 to help them combat pandemic-driven inflation, and just last year, 877,129 qualified for $450 energy relief payments.

But about 40,000 checks, equivalent to nearly 2 percent of the 2.3 million payments, remain unclaimed through the Maine Unclaimed Property Program overseen by Treasurer Henry Beck.

Mainers may claim their benefits and find out if they have any at maineunclaimedproperty.gov.

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There's $19M in unclaimed Maine pandemic and energy relief payments - Bangor Daily News