Unemployment law changes to take effect this weekend will make North Carolina the first state ineligible from a federal compensation program for the long term jobless. An effort to fund-raise repayment of a $2.5 billion federal debt incurred during the 2008 recession, the package will cut benefits for new unemployment claims. It will also decrease the compensation period from six months to no more than five. North Carolina has the fifth highest jobless rate in the country.
See "With changes to its unemployment law, NC becomes 1st state to drop federal jobless funds", The Washington Post, June 27, 2013