North Carolinians who are furloughed or lose their jobs due to the temporary federal government shutdown may apply for unemployment benefits as soon as they are affected, the state Commerce Department said Monday.

Applications are filed through the state Division of Employment Security.

Affected employees can apply for state unemployment benefits online at des.nc.gov . A MyNCUIBenefits account is required.

In North Carolina, the first eligible week of any claim is considered as a “waiting week.”

"You will not get benefits for this week; it is not included in your weeks of payment," according to the division. "After you have applied for benefits, you must file a certification for each week that you want to get benefits."

The Office of State Human Resources cautioned Wednesday that u

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