The Recovery Act made $7 billion in incentive payments available for states that update their Unemployment Compensation (UC) programs to reflect the nature of the 21st century economy and workforce. This is important because many of today’s workers who need to balance work and family responsibilities often do not qualify for UC, due in part to eligibility restrictions in state law. The UC Modernization provisions eliminate barriers to benefit receipt affecting recent entrants to the labor force, low-wage workers, women, and part-time workers. These eligibility provisions are not novel or radical; in fact, many state laws already contained the qualifying provisions prior to the enactment of the Federal UC Modernization provisions.