$31.5M in unemployment claims paid out after Web site glitch

Raleigh, N.C. — The North Carolina Employment Security Commission paid out more than $31.5 million in unemployment benefits Monday night, following technical issues that delayed thousands of people from filing their weekly claims online.

Nearly 130,000 people tried accessing the agency's Web site Sunday and Monday, agency spokesman Andrew James said. The record number crashed the system, which was used to handling about 23,000 people in the same time period.

The agency was able to add an additional Web server Monday afternoon. James said the system handled more than 106,000 transactions and that customers were able "in record fashion" to get on the Web site.