RALEIGH, N.C. — Governor Roy Cooper announced today his office would increase weekly unemployment payments following Hurricane Helene through the North Carolina Department of Commerce.
According to a release from the governor's office, the decision came after Cooper traveled to western North Carolina and was made aware of small business owners' concerns for their employees.
Many residents over the west are left without jobs as their workplaces were forced to close temporarily after Helene.
Cooper hopes to lessen the financial burden for victims of Helene through this executive order.
"As I've traveled for days around western North Carolina I've heard concern from many small business owners about their employees who are unemployed because their businesses are temporarily closed," Cooper said. "This Executive Order will increase unemployment benefits and help ease the financial burden for impacted North Carolinians as they work to recover from the storm."
As a result of this Order, weekly unemployment benefits will increase from a maximum of $350 a week to a minimum of $600 a week. Before the Order, many low-income and part-time workers would have gotten less than the $350 weekly maximum.
To ensure that these workers receive necessary benefits in the wake of Helene, the order will also increase benefits by $250 a week, which is up to a $600 cap, for all eligible workers.
This order is tied to the State of Emergency for Hurricane Helene and will remain in effect until the end of the Emergency or until it is rescinded.
State unemployment benefits will still be capped at 12 weeks, but workers who lived or worked in the impacted North Carolina counties and are out of work due to the disaster will qualify for up to 26 weeks of federal benefits, to be paid through March 29, 2025, under the federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance program.
To provide relief to employers impacted by Helene, and due to the extraordinary size of the trust fund balance, employers would not see any increase in unemployment taxes due to the increased benefit.
Many currently unemployed workers will likely return to work before receiving the full benefit they are entitled to claim, so the actual fiscal impact of the increased benefits is expected to be lower.
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