North Carolina Restores Extended Benefits

I did a search and I couldn't find this posted anywhere so I made a new thread.

I went to print out some more work search forms today and I saw a notice on the Unemployment commission website saying that due to the decline in the unemployment rate that North Carolina no longer qualifies for extended benefits. The last week payable will be 4/16.

The unemployment rate went down from 9.8% to 9.7%. It has never been below 9.5% which I thought was the cut off rate. Something seems wrong here.

Does anyone else have any more information?

NC Democrats seek to pressure GOP on unemployment

What?? I thought Eb was anything over 7%

It should be. You get the full 20 weeks if it is above 9.5%.

It is supposed to be done on a rolling three month scale. The unemployment rate has never once dipped below 9.5% in the last two years or more.

I am trying to find the qualifying rules but they seem to be alluding my search.

Here are the rules that SHOULD apply.

North Carolina residents who receive unemployment compensation are eligible for Extended Benefits if they have exhausted regular and federal emergency benefits and have not yet found work. The Extended Benefits program lasts 20 weeks as long as the state's unemployment rate remains at 8 percent or higher. If the rate drops below 8 percent, but remains at or above 6.5 percent, Extended Benefits last 13 weeks. When the rate drops below 6.5 percent, Extended Benefits cease. In November 2010, the unemployment rate in North Carolina was 9.7 percent.

The rate is at 9.7% right now which is it's lowest ever. I wonder if our republican controlled state house passed a law that made it 10%.

Are there any links in this thread that will help you. It was updated March 31 and states that NC qualifies for EB.

http://www.nojobsurvivor.com/No-Job-Advice-and-Help/does-your-state-qualify-for-us-federal-extended-benefits.html

It seems like this made news three hours ago. I guess they put it on their website today. It sucks because I was just called today for a part time one day per week job. If I got another part time job I would be fine but now I am going to have to move back in with my family in another town and start over again. I can't even pay my rent for may.

Here are other sources:

http://workforcesecurity.doleta.gov/unemploy/claims_arch.asp

http://unemployedworkers.org/sites/unemployedworkers/index.php (NELP)

http://www.careeronestop.org/reemployment/ (A NELP Affiliate)

Good luck!

If you think about it, this especially doesn't make sense for a number of reasons.

#1 being that it doesn't mention tier 4 but that should be cut out too if you follow their reasoning. The extended benefit program is written into state law but even if it wasn't it should be covered under the federal extension that just passed.

lendmeflight2 wrote:I did a search and I couldn't find this posted anywhere so I made a new thread.

I went to print out some more work search forms today and I saw a notice on the Unemployment commission website saying that due to the decline in the unemployment rate that North Carolina no longer qualifies for extended benefits. The last week payable will be 4/16.

The unemployment rate went down from 9.8% to 9.7%. It has never been below 9.5% which I thought was the cut off rate. Something seems wrong here.

Does anyone else have any more information?

There was a thread about this on the other forum for the last two days. If I understood it correctly it has to do with the two year lookback for the EB triggers.
Instead of a two year lookback many states have passed legislation for a three year lookback. That would allow the EB to continue.
There were links on the other forum to the info I will try to find it for you.
This is affecting several states right now, not just NC.
Good luck

http://www.nelp.org/page/-/UI/2011/nelp.eb.trigger.analysis.pdf?nocdn=1

Of the 36 states eligible for federal EB in Jan 2011.....according to NELP's projections* most of them lose EB by May 2011.....6 will lose EB during the summer & 3 will lose EB in Oct......ONLY NEVADA WILL HAVE EB IN NOV. 2011.

Yeah, you are right. I am not sure how the two year look back works but under that rule it would eliminate most states by summer. This is going to create hundreds of thousands more 99ers, at least.

lendmeflight2 wrote:Yeah, you are right. I am not sure how the two year look back works but under that rule it would eliminate most states by summer. This is going to create hundreds of thousands more 99ers, at least.

This just came up in our Google News section. Unbelievable with an unemployment rate of 9.7%

Drop in NC unemployment rate means drop in jobless benefits

http://l.wbx.me/l/?instId=96fe2678-90a4-4f3a-b33b-274faca0728e&token=30373b2c41c7fe8a1ccef33984fb47c7bd8cac260000012f1967af85&u=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.google.com%2Fnews%2Furl%3Fsa%3Dt%26fd%3DR%26usg%3DAFQjCNGO3driz0n83mDGcTv4dBV7G6XJfw%26url%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.wral.com%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fstory%2F9384245%2F

The guy at the unemployment office said that it would impact 36,000 people in the state. This seems awfully low but even with that estimate there will be 36,000 more 99er's, including me, in two weeks.

So this is what I propose. They should take the money that this would save and add weeks for people who are long time exhaustees. For the plan to work it couldn't include people like me that just lost Eb but that would have to be the sacrifice. I think it could help people who have been out for 6 months or a year though. They right the law so that the cut is April 1st to qualify for the new added weeks. What do you guys think? Surely this will saves hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars

I cant believe what Im reading here. This makes NO sense whatsoever. 9.7% and you are going to cut off 10's of 1k's right away, never mind all the ones behind them???

I hope all NC resident rise up and take notice to this. There are going to be a lot of shocked unemployed people in NC on the 16th!

Even more reason why 589 has to pass!

Yeah it has to do with some kind of two year index which has to be over 110. I have no clue what that even means but the unemployment rate itself is not the problem. The state unemployment agency has no choice. Although here is my question:

Unless they have changed it recently, extended benefits is written into our law. Even if the feds didn't help pay for EB, NC would STILL have EB. But now they are saying that the federal government triggers then on and off.

I don't understand it all. I just know that If I don't find something in the next two weeks I'm out of my house.

From what I gather its the state of NC's fault, they never changed their law like a lot of states and are going by a 3 yr average for unemployment.
This is ABSURD and why legislators in NC didnt see this coming is beyond me!

If I lived in that State I would be infuriated. Im sorry you are going through this lendme, its not right at all! Your stated average is higher than the National average.

But I think I remember you saying it was a GOP controlled state? So this would tell me why no one rewrote this law!

Unreal.

Yeah, that is what I am guessing. If they had to re-write a law to keep people from dropping off unemployment benefits then they just didn't do it. This saves the state a lot of money that the GOP doesn't want to pay out in the first place. I hope I am wrong but I could not imagine them fixing it.

Our Senate has 19 Democrats and 31 republicans.

The State house has 62 republicans and 52 democrats.

NC is also notorious for creating Blue Dogs so you can't even count on all the dems to vote for you. Our governor, Bev Perdue is a democrat though.

I am writing her now to see if she is willing to do anything. North Carolinians have forgotten their fine history of protesting for their beliefs so these days they usually just accept whatever happens. NC was actually one of the first states for fight for union rights back in the 20's and maybe it is time for the spirit to return.

What a load of chicken crap. Now they re-write the rules. I hope people get real angry down there and start storming the castle. You would think it came out of there pockets. I have one word RECALL!

i don't think a recall vote can happen in North Carolina. I heard that SC may get it. I am not sure what those people will do with that though.

Oh by the way lendme, I edited the title of your post to gain more attention and made it a sticky in NC forum for now.
This needs to be noticed by ALL unemployed really.

Ok cool, thanks. I just sent you a PM asking if you did that. I don't know how many people here this would effect but everyone needs to know so they can at least prepare.

This is awful, just awful....sorry to those of you this applies to. My prayers are with you all.

37,000 more 99ers (even though they didn't get 99 weeks) in a state with a 9.7% Unemployment Rate.

That is 37,000 more forgotten unemployed who will not be counted in next month's BLS unemployment stats.

I am speechless. This is just plain cruel.

Not counted hell! I am going to continue to file every week it will let me whether I get paid or not.

lendmeflight2 wrote:Not counted hell! I am going to continue to file every week it will let me whether I get paid or not.

Glad to hear you can still claim. In RI, once you exhaust your benefits, you can't claim anymore. You become a so-called "discouraged worker" who has "given up" looking for jobs. Basically, we become invisible and forgotten.