Información sobre cuales son los beneficios para trabajadores desempleados, como cualificar para los beneficios, y como obtenerlos si usted ha perdido su trabajo.

Can you explain the MaineCare Deductible? Do I actually have to spend all that money before MaineCare can help me? Will Medicaid pay the deductible once I meet it?

This year, you won’t have to worry about losing your benefits if you get a big tax refund. Starting in 2011, any tax refunds you get will not affect most public benefits, or how much you get! Under the law passed in December 2010: Any Federal Tax Refund (including the Earned Income Tax and Child Tax Credit) WILL NOT count as income in determining:

Maine DHHS is offering this online tool My Maine Connection as another way to apply for benefits.  You may still apply in person, if you prefer, or over the phone (in programs that allow phone applications).  But this is now the most streamlined way to apply.  "Sign up" You can apply online for:

This document is for U.S. citizens only. It is not meant to be legal advice. For more help with this issue, tribal members may call PTLA Native American Unit at: 1-877-213-5630.   Please Note - If you are from a country other than the United States or Canada, or if you have more questions, go to the Canadian Citizenship and Immigration website.

Learn how to prepare for hearings and appeals if you have been denied unemployment. What are the rules and what evidence is important to present to a hearing officer? 

¿Está Ud. preocupado por la sanidad y seguridad de un menor de edad? De acuerdo con las leyes de Maine los padres biológicos o adoptivos de un menor de edad son los tutores naturales de el. Los tutores naturales son los responables para la atención, custodia, control, servicios y ganancias de un menor de edad hasta que el menor de edad cumpla 18 años.

This guide is here to help you through the process of changing or enforcing your Maine family law order. We hope it will help you feel more confident about dealing with the legal system.

We provide legal services to members of the Micmac, Maliseet, Penobscot and Passamaquoddy Tribes and to other Indians residing in Maine.  We publish the Wabanaki Legal News and the Quinnehtukqut Legal News (for tribes in Connecticut) once a year.

Liste des crédits d’impôts et de prestations du Maine. English Español العربية Arabic

قائمة مرجعية بالخصوم الضريبية والإعانات في ولاية مين

Important Notice: Doing your own court case without a lawyer is hard and not always a good idea. Before going ahead, we advise you to read How to: Change or Enforce your Maine Divorce or Parental Rights Order. To get your case into court, you must fill out, file, and serve certain court forms. Here is a list of the forms you will need to get your case started.

Maine court form for acknowledging that you have received a Summons and Complaint or Post-Judgment Motion

This is not a form, but an informational sheet about what to do with the forms for a Motion to Modify a divorce or parental rights and responsibilities judgment

This is not a form, but an informational sheet about what to do with the forms for a Motion to Enforce a divorce or parental rights and responsibilities judgment

This is not a form, but an informational sheet about what to do with the forms for a Motion for Contempt of a divorce or parental rights and responsibilities judgment

The form used by the court to set a hearing on a Motion for Contempt. Not interactive.  The Maine Court website states that you must purchase a hard copy from the Court Clerk. We post this for informational purposes only.

A fill-able .pdf of Maine court form PB-03, the Jurisdictional Affidavit that must be filed in District court with any adoption, minor guardianship, or minor name change case.

The Maine court form for determining the jurisdiction for certain family law and name change cases

Wabanaki Legal News, Fall 2010 by: WLN Staff Maine Human Rights Commission Agrees That Case Worker Discriminated We are representing a Penobscot woman who had a problem with the Maine Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS). Our client reported that a couple of years ago, a case worker from DHHS visited our client's home. While there, the case worker made several racist remarks. Our client told us that the case worker said that Native people are dishonest.

Fall 1996 Facts About The Jay Treaty For Canadian-Born Native Americans NOTE: If you live in Maine and have more questions, you can contact Maine's Native American Unit of Pine Tree Legal Assistance. 

Wabanaki Legal News, Fall 1996   by Hon. Chief Tribal Judge Gary Growe Table of Contents Introduction Where Do I Start What Kinds of Cases Are Heard in Tribal Court?

Wabanaki Legal News, January 2009

Wabanaki Legal News, Winter 2005 By J. Peter Sabonis, Esq. There is one set of criminal laws for all persons in Maine. If a person under 18 years of age violates them, it is considered a juvenile crime and is handled under the Juvenile Court system. If a violator is 18 years of age or older, he or she will be charged and tried as an adult. At times, crimes are so serious that the state may ask that a juvenile be charged as an adult. (Transferring those types of cases to the adult court is called "bind over.")

Wabanaki Legal News, Fall 1996 Native Americans may have problems getting jobs, government benefits or services because their rights under existing U.S. law are misunderstood. Many of those rights arose out of the "Jay Treaty". The "Jay Treaty" is an agreement signed by the United States and Great Britain in 1794 to allow Canadian born Native Americans to travel freely across the U.S./Canadian border. The "Jay Treaty" recognized that,

Wabanaki Legal News, 2007 edition On February 19, 2007 the Passamaquoddy Appellate Court upheld the dismissal of an eviction action filed by the Housing Authority at Indian Township. The tenant was represented by the Native American Unit.

Wabanaki Legal News, Winter 2009 by Paul Thibeault

Wabanaki Legal News, Winter 1998   By Mark A. Chavaree, Esq. Mark is a member of the Penobscot Nation. He is a graduate of Old Town High School, Dartmouth College and Cornell Law School. Mark is currently Tribal Staff Attorney for the Penobscot Nation. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Pine Tree Legal Assistance.

Wabanaki Legal News, Summer 2004 By Nancy Lewey Coordinator Passamaquoddy Peaceful Relations Program Pleasant Point Teens are seriously at risk for dating violence. Research shows that physical or sexual abuse is a part of 1 in 3 high school relationships. Teen dating violence is just as serious as adult domestic violence. In dating violence, adolescents and adults engage in a pattern of abusive behaviors against their partner to gain and maintain control over them.

Wabanaki Legal News, Summer 2011 In September 2007 the United Nations passed the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). It covers 46 issues important to Native people, including: Self-determination, or the right of a people to decide their political status and government Culture and language Education and health Housing, land, resources and environment Indigenous law

Wabanaki Legal News, Summer 2011 Pine Tree Legal has been able to help several tribal members who received Notices of Overpayments from Social Security. There are several things you can do about overpayments, but it is very important to take action quickly when you receive a Notice. It becomes harder for us to help if you wait. If you ignore the notice, SSA will start taking money out of your payments. Contacting SSA promptly can stop the collection of the overpayment until a decision is made by SSA.

Wabanaki Legal News, Winer 2011 The Legal Aid Society of Mid-New York, Inc. and Pine Tree Legal Assistance in Maine work with the United States Department of Justice's Office of Special Counsel (OSC) for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Discrimination to protect immigrant and citizen workers from being discriminated against by employers. The Immigrant and Nationality Act's anti-discrimination provisions protect immigrant workers from the following types of employment discrimination:

Wabanaki Legal News, Spring 2012 What is a Truth and Reconciliation Commission? A TRC is a group of people chosen to investigate a problem and make suggestions about how to make the problem better.  This TRC is focusing on what happened to Wabanaki people involved with the Maine child welfare system. What are the goals of this TRC?  There are three goals:

Last year, MITSC began to consider how UNDRIP ( United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People ) might affect the Maine Indian Land Claim Settlements. After several months of work, the Commission presented a letter to James Anaya, UN Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

According to Penobscot Tribal Elder Charles N. Shay, Maine is the first state in the country to recognize June 21st as Native American Veterans Day. There are currently 831 Native American Veterans living in Maine. In honor of Native American Veterans Day, here are some resources that we hope you find helpful.

Certain families can get extensions of TANF beyond 5 years for certain reasons such as disability in the household. Certain Native American families may never lose their TANF, even after 60 months. Under federal and state law, there is an exemption for people who get TANF who live on Indian Reservations where at least 50% of the adults are not employed.

A school suspension means your child is temporarily removed from school programming.  It can be an out-of- school suspension (not allowed at the school building) or an in-school suspension (sent to a room at school).  An expulsion in Maine means that your child is not allowed to go to school or get any services, like tutoring, during the expulsion.

by Paul Thibeault, Esq. Wabanaki Legal News, Spring 2009 edition The State's highest court has made a final decision in the long legal battle between Pamela Francis and the Pleasant Point Passamaquoddy Housing Authority. On December 11, 2008 the Supreme Judicial Court (also known as the Law Court) held that the state courts had no jurisdiction and that the tribal court had exclusive jurisdiction over the case because it involves internal tribal matters.

The controversy over regulating the Passamaquoddy fisheries is part of a larger problem that arises under the Maine Implementation Act. The question is whether the state of Maine has jurisdiction to limit subsistence practices in open waters.

New Rules Allow Tribal Members to Gather Plants on National Park Land Wabanaki Legal News, Fall 2016 By James Mitchell, Esq.