EDD showing 'disqualification' after eligibility interview - what does this mean?

Yes, unfortunately "disqualification" means exactly what it sounds like - EDD determined you're not eligible for benefits for those weeks. You should be getting a notice in the mail explaining why you were disqualified (could be something about your availability for work, voluntary quit, insufficient earnings, etc.). The system still tells you to check back to certify because technically you can still certify for future weeks, but unless you appeal and win, those will probably also be disqualified for the same reason.

same thing happened to me in February!! the letter took almost 2 weeks to arrive explaining why they disqualified me. keep certifying anyway while u appeal

Yes, absolutely keep certifying even while disqualified. You have 30 days from the mail date on the disqualification notice to file an appeal. The appeal process is actually pretty straightforward - there's a form on the back of your disqualification notice that you fill out and mail back explaining why you think the decision is wrong. However, be prepared - the appeal hearing might take 6-8 weeks to get scheduled.

Former EDD employee here. The disqualification could be for a variety of reasons. Most common after interviews: 1) they determined you quit without good cause, 2) you were fired for misconduct, 3) you're not available for work, or 4) there was an issue with your identity verification or work authorization. My advice: don't panic until you get the letter explaining why. Sometimes it's a simple misunderstanding that can be cleared up easily on appeal. And absolutely keep certifying for your weeks as normal - if you win your appeal, they'll pay all those weeks retroactively.

I've been trying to call EDD to ask about my disqualification for TWO WEEKS because I never received any letter. Impossible to get through! Finally tried Claimyr.com after someone here recommended it - they got me connected to an EDD agent in about 20 minutes. Best $20 I've spent! The agent explained exactly why I was disqualified and what evidence I needed for my appeal. Check out their video demo if you want to see how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km

KEEP CERTIFYING!!!!! I got disqualified after my interview because they claimed I was "not available for work" (total BS, I was available). I appealed, won my case after 2 months, and got BACKPAY for all those weeks I kept certifying even while disqualified. If I hadn't kept certifying, I wouldn't have gotten that money!

i got disqualified last year and it turned out they confused my interview answers... i said i COULD work weekends but PREFERRED weekdays and they marked me as "restricted availability" which isnt allowed. when i appealed i just explained that i was willing to work ANY day and got approved. sometimes they just misunderstand what you say in the interview

To directly answer your original question - the system telling you to check back after 5/07 to certify is just the automated message everyone gets. It has nothing to do with your disqualification status. The system is basically saying "your next certification period opens on 5/07" regardless of whether you're currently disqualified or not. As others have said, get in touch with EDD directly to understand the exact reason for disqualification rather than waiting for the letter. The appeals process has a strict deadline, so you don't want to waste time.

did you have ANY hesitation in your answers during interview? I got disqualified because I paused for too long when they asked if I was looking for work and they interpreted that as me not being "ready and willing" to work. So stupid!

Update: I FINALLY got through to EDD this morning after trying for hours! The agent said I was disqualified because during my interview I mentioned I was taking an online course, and they determined this meant I wasn't "available for full-time work." But the course is completely flexible and doesn't prevent me from working at all! The agent said I should definitely appeal and bring evidence that the course has flexible hours. Just wanted to update everyone in case it helps someone else!

Wow, thanks for the update! That's such a ridiculous reason to disqualify someone - taking an online course shouldn't automatically mean you're not available for work. I'm actually in a similar situation where I'm doing some freelance work on the side while looking for full-time employment, and now I'm worried they might use that against me too. Did the agent give you any tips on how to word things better for situations like this? It seems like EDD interprets everything in the worst possible way. Really glad you got through to them though - that's half the battle right there!

Just wanted to add my experience to help others - I got disqualified after my eligibility interview because I mentioned I was caring for my elderly parent a few hours each day. EDD interpreted this as me not being "available for work" even though I clearly stated I could arrange alternative care if I got a job offer. The whole system seems designed to find reasons to disqualify people rather than help them. I'm currently waiting for my appeal hearing (been 7 weeks now) but staying positive. The key thing I learned is to be VERY specific about your availability and emphasize that any personal commitments are flexible if employment is offered. Don't give them any room to misinterpret your situation!

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this stress! Reading through everyone's experiences here is both helpful and terrifying - it seems like EDD has a pattern of misinterpreting perfectly reasonable situations during these interviews. What really strikes me is how many people got disqualified for things that shouldn't prevent them from working (online courses, caregiving that can be arranged around work, etc.). For anyone else facing eligibility interviews, it sounds like the key is to be extremely explicit about your availability and repeatedly emphasize that you're "ready, willing, and able to accept full-time employment immediately." Don't give them any wiggle room to misinterpret your situation. And definitely keep detailed notes of exactly what you said during the interview in case you need to reference it later for an appeal. The silver lining seems to be that many of these disqualifications can be successfully appealed if you have the right documentation and can clearly explain the misunderstanding. Hang in there everyone - this system is frustrating but don't give up on getting the benefits you're entitled to!

Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly eye-opening! I'm currently going through the unemployment process myself and haven't had an eligibility interview yet, but now I'm definitely going to prepare much more carefully if/when that happens. It's shocking how many different ways EDD can misinterpret completely reasonable situations - taking online courses, caring for family members, even just pausing too long when answering a question! The common thread seems to be that they're looking for any reason to question your "availability" for work, even when these things wouldn't actually prevent someone from accepting employment. For anyone preparing for these interviews, it sounds like the key takeaways are: 1) Be extremely specific about your availability (mention exact hours/days), 2) Repeatedly emphasize that you're "ready, willing, and able to accept full-time employment immediately," 3) If you have any side commitments, stress that they're flexible/supplemental and wouldn't interfere with accepting a job, and 4) Take detailed notes of what you say during the interview for potential appeal purposes. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories - this kind of real-world advice is so much more valuable than the vague information on EDD's website!

I'm a newcomer to this community but wanted to share something that might help others preparing for eligibility interviews. After reading through all these experiences, I realized I should probably start documenting my job search activities much more thoroughly in case I ever need to prove my availability for work. I've been keeping a simple spreadsheet of jobs I've applied to, but now I'm thinking I should also document things like what days/times I'm available to work, any networking events I attend, and even screenshots of job search websites I use. It seems like EDD wants very specific evidence that you're "actively seeking" work, not just that you're available for it. Has anyone found that having detailed documentation helped during their interview or appeal process? I'm particularly curious about whether showing a robust job search log might prevent some of these availability misunderstandings from happening in the first place.

Just wanted to thank everyone for sharing their experiences here - this thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm actually scheduled for my eligibility interview next week and was feeling pretty unprepared until I read through all of these stories. Based on what everyone has shared, I'm now planning to: - Write down specific days/hours I'm available to work (including weekends if needed) - Prepare clear explanations for any activities that might be misinterpreted (I'm also taking an online course) - Practice emphasizing that I'm "ready, willing, and able to accept full-time employment immediately" - Bring documentation showing my course has flexible scheduling - Take detailed notes during the interview It's really concerning how many reasonable situations EDD has twisted into disqualifications, but at least now I know what to expect. For anyone else preparing for these interviews, this thread is a goldmine of practical advice that you won't find on EDD's website. Thanks again to everyone who took the time to share - hopefully we can all help each other navigate this frustrating system!

As someone who's completely new to this whole unemployment system, reading through everyone's experiences here has been both incredibly helpful and honestly pretty terrifying! I had no idea that EDD eligibility interviews could be such a minefield. What really stands out to me is how they seem to interpret completely normal life situations (taking courses, caring for family, even brief pauses in conversation) as reasons to question your availability for work. It's like they're actively looking for reasons to disqualify people rather than help them get the benefits they need and deserve. The good news is that this thread is full of practical advice that you definitely won't find in EDD's official materials. For anyone else who might be facing an eligibility interview, it seems like the key is to be extremely explicit about your availability and repeatedly emphasize that you're "ready, willing, and able to accept full-time employment immediately." Don't assume they'll give you the benefit of the doubt on anything! I'm also taking notes on everyone's documentation suggestions - keeping detailed job search logs, having course schedules ready to show flexibility, etc. It shouldn't be necessary to be this defensive about proving eligibility, but clearly that's the reality we're dealing with. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories, especially those who provided updates on their appeals. It gives hope that even when EDD gets it wrong initially, there's still a path forward. This community support makes navigating this frustrating system so much more manageable!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm absolutely floored by everyone's experiences shared here! I've been unemployed for about 6 weeks now and haven't had an eligibility interview yet, but reading through all these stories has me both grateful for the heads up and honestly pretty anxious about what might be coming. What strikes me most is how EDD seems to operate from a position of suspicion rather than support. The fact that people are getting disqualified for things like taking flexible online courses or caring for family members (with backup plans!) really shows how they're twisting normal life circumstances into "availability issues." It's like they're trained to find problems rather than help people. The practical advice in this thread is invaluable though - I'm already starting to document everything much more carefully and prepare specific language about being "ready, willing, and able to accept full-time employment immediately." The tip about being extremely explicit with availability hours instead of just saying "I'm available" is something I never would have thought of but clearly matters a lot. For those who successfully appealed - thank you for sharing that there's hope even after an initial disqualification! And Arjun, I'm glad you got some clarity on your situation even though the reason was frustrating. Hopefully your appeal goes smoothly with the course documentation you're preparing. This community support is making what feels like an impossible system much more navigable. Thanks to everyone for sharing your real experiences!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm shocked by how many people are sharing similar stories of getting disqualified for completely reasonable situations! Reading through everyone's experiences has been eye-opening - it really seems like EDD is looking for any excuse to deny benefits rather than actually helping people who legitimately need unemployment assistance. The pattern I'm seeing is that they take normal life circumstances (flexible online courses, family caregiving that can be worked around, even just natural pauses in conversation) and twist them into "availability issues." It's so frustrating because most of these situations wouldn't actually prevent someone from accepting a job offer if one came along. What's been really valuable though is learning about the specific language that seems to work better in these interviews. The advice about repeatedly emphasizing that you're "ready, willing, and able to accept full-time employment immediately" and being super explicit about your availability hours makes so much sense after reading everyone's stories. I'm definitely going to start documenting my job search activities much more thoroughly and prepare specific talking points if I ever have to do one of these interviews. It's unfortunate that we have to be so defensive about proving our eligibility, but at least this community is sharing real strategies that actually help people navigate this broken system. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - especially those who provided updates on successful appeals. It gives hope that even when EDD gets it wrong initially, there are ways to fight back!

As someone completely new to this community and the unemployment system, I'm honestly blown away by how many people are sharing nearly identical experiences of getting disqualified for what seem like totally reasonable life situations. Reading through all these stories has been both incredibly educational and frankly pretty scary - I had no idea that EDD eligibility interviews could be such a trap! What's particularly striking is how they seem to take normal circumstances that millions of working people deal with every day (taking flexible courses for professional development, having family responsibilities with backup plans, even just taking a moment to think before answering a question) and somehow twist them into evidence that you're "not available for work." It's like they're actively looking for reasons to deny benefits rather than help people get back on their feet. The silver lining is all the practical advice shared here - especially the emphasis on being extremely explicit with language like "ready, willing, and able to accept full-time employment immediately" and providing specific availability hours rather than general statements. I'm definitely going to start preparing much more thoroughly for any potential interview, treating it almost like I'm defending a legal case rather than having a casual conversation. Thanks to everyone who took the time to share their experiences, both the frustrating disqualifications and the successful appeals. This kind of real-world insight is invaluable for navigating what seems like a deliberately confusing system. At least we have this community to help each other prepare for and fight back against these unfair determinations!

As someone who just joined this community after finding myself in a similar situation, I wanted to add my experience and thank everyone for sharing such detailed insights! I'm currently waiting for my eligibility interview (scheduled for next week) and honestly, if I hadn't found this thread, I would have walked into it completely unprepared. What's really eye-opening is seeing the pattern of how EDD interprets perfectly normal life situations as "availability issues." It seems like they're trained to find problems rather than solutions, which is so backwards for an agency that's supposed to help unemployed people get back on their feet. Based on everyone's experiences here, I'm now preparing by: 1) Writing down exact hours I'm available (including being specific about weekends), 2) Practicing the phrase "ready, willing, and able to accept full-time employment immediately," 3) Preparing documentation for anything that might be misinterpreted (I volunteer at a local nonprofit but only on evenings/weekends), and 4) Planning to take detailed notes during the interview itself. It's frustrating that we have to approach these interviews like we're defending ourselves in court, but at least this community is giving us the real strategies that actually work. For anyone else preparing for interviews, this thread is honestly worth more than all of EDD's official guidance combined. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories - both the frustrating disqualifications and the successful appeals give us a roadmap for navigating this broken system!