RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina has reached a $10 billion milestone, according to North Carolina Division of Economic Security.
The state has given people $10 billion in unemployment benefits since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, the NCDES said.
960,000 North Carolinians have qualified for unemployment benefits in the year as well, officials said.
Based on federal guidelines, North Carolina's extended benefits will end on Feb. 20, 2021. Claimants who are eligible for Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation under the recent federal extension of benefits may return to the PEUC program when the EB program ends. PEUC benefits are available through the week ending March 13, 2021.
Extended benefits is a federal program that extends state unemployment insurance benefits during periods of high unemployment in a state.