Maine has a step most people do not expect. Disputes go first to a troubleshooter, then to mediation and only after that to a formal hearing. The Board also runs a Worker Advocate Program that provides legal representation at no cost to qualifying injured workers.
That leaves you with a real choice. To use a worker advocate, you must have gone through the troubleshooter program and not hired a private attorney. If you want your own attorney from the start, decide early, because hiring one rules out the advocate.
Weekly benefits in Maine
For total incapacity, meaning you cannot work at all, the check is 2/3 of your gross average weekly wage for injuries on or after January 1, 2013. Gross means before taxes come out.
For checks paid from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 on injuries from January 1, 2020 onward, the Board's notice sets the maximum at $1,561.40 a week.
The first 7 days of incapacity are unpaid. If you are out more than 14 days, payment goes back to the first day. Our payment calculator gives a starting estimate.
| Weekly check for total incapacity (injuries on or after January 1, 2013) | two-thirds (66 2/3%) of your gross average weekly wage |
|---|---|
| Weekly cap for checks paid July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 (injuries on or after January 1, 2020) | $1,561.40 |
| Waiting period | first 7 days unpaid unless you are out more than 14 days, then paid from the first day |
Maine dates you cannot miss
- Notice to your employer: within 60 days of the injury, for injuries on or after January 1, 2020.
- The employer's answer: it must pay your lost time within fourteen days or send a Notice of Controversy, its formal written dispute of the claim.
- Petition with the Board: within 2 years of the injury or of the employer's first report of injury, whichever is later. If the insurer has paid benefits, the limit becomes 6 years from the most recent payment.
- Appeal a judge's decision to the Appellate Division: within 20 days of notice of the decision.
Seeing a doctor after a Maine work injury
If your employer has chosen a health care provider, you go there for the first ten days of treatment. After that you may switch to another provider once you tell your employer.
Got a Notice of Controversy or another letter you cannot decode? Paste it into our letter explainer. The Board itself can be reached at 207-287-3751.
What a Maine workers comp lawyer is allowed to charge
The Board sets attorney fee limits by rule. In a case tried to completion, the fee may not exceed 30% of the benefits accrued, which means benefits owed up to that point. Ask any attorney you talk to how the fee would be figured in your case and get it in writing. Our page on fees explains how these arrangements usually work.
People also ask
What is a Notice of Controversy?
It is how a Maine employer or insurer disputes your claim instead of paying within fourteen days. The next step is the troubleshooter, then mediation if needed.
Is the worker advocate really free?
Yes, the program provides legal representation without cost, but only to workers who went through the troubleshooter and did not hire a private attorney.