The Division of Employment Security is ready to help federal government workers affected by the government shutdown.
Employees in North Carolina who are furloughed or lose their jobs due to the temporary federal government shutdown may apply for unemployment benefits as soon as the first day the shutdown occurs.
“Anyone can apply for unemployment benefits if they have lost their jobs through no fault of their own,” said DES Assistant Secretary M. Antwon Keith. “These benefits exist to help people cope with financial uncertainty until they find work. Federal employees who choose to take unemployment benefits during the shutdown may have to repay benefits if they receive backpay from their agency.”
Unemployment eligibility criteria for federal employees
During a federal government shutdown, some federal employees may be required to work without pay. Those employees may not be eligible for unemployment benefits if they are working full time during the shutdown.
Applying for Unemployment Benefits
1) You can apply for state unemployment benefits online at des.nc.gov. You will need to create your MyNCUIBenefits account first.
2) You will need the following to file for unemployment:
Name and address of all employers you worked with within the last 18 months.
Your Social Security number or your Alien Registration number.
W-2, LES, or pay stubs from the past 18 months.
Standard Form (SF)-50 Notification of Personnel Action (not required but strongly encouraged)
SF-8 Notice to Federal Employee About Unemployment Benefits (not required but strongly encouraged)
3) Submit a Form ETA-935 Affidavit of Federal Civilian Service, Wages and Reason of Separation: This form explains your federal job and why you were separated
4) During the application process, you may be asked to verify your identity. Visit des.nc.gov/need-help/identity-verification for more information. Federal workers who already have an ID.me account may skip full verification. They just need to go into their ID.me account, use a valid email address (i.e., not their government email) and give consent to share information with DES.
In North Carolina, the first eligible week of any claim is a “waiting week.” You will not get benefits for this week; it is not included in your weeks of payment. After you have applied for benefits, you must file a certification for each week that you want to get benefits.
If you need help, call the dedicated Federal and Grant Worker UI Hotline at 855-435-7969 between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to apply for unemployment benefits. For more information, go to: des.nc.gov/federalworkers.
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