Fired from job - what happens during EDD eligibility phone interview?

I went through this exact situation last year. The phone interview is actually pretty straightforward - they're trying to determine if you were fired due to misconduct or just laid off/terminated for other reasons. Have documentation ready showing your schedule changes if possible! The EDD rep will ask about the circumstances of your termination, how long you worked there, and your side of the story. Be honest but frame things in your favor. If you're having trouble getting through to EDD before your interview date, try Claimyr (claimyr.com) - they helped me get through to an actual person when I had questions before my interview. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km. Good luck!

Make sure you're available 15 minutes before and after your scheduled time. EDD calls can come early or late! They'll ask specific questions about your termination - why you were fired, if you received warnings, your job performance, etc. The key is to be HONEST but explain any extenuating circumstances. If your schedule kept changing, mention that. Your employer will also be contacted for their side, so don't make stuff up. If approved, benefits are typically processed within 7-10 days after the interview.

they denied my claim after my phone intrview because they said i was fired for misconduct but i appealed and won!!! just be super clear about what happened and dont get flustered when they ask questions. if your boss kept changing schedules without notice thats on THEM not you. my interviewer was nice but asked alot of detailed questions so try to remember specific dates of incidents if you can

I HAD MY INTERVIEW LAST MONTH And it was a disaster!!! The EDD lady called 45 mins LATE and I almost missed it because I was in the bathroom! They only ask like 5-6 questions but they get very detailed about why you were fired. If your boss said you were consistently late you need to have a good explanation ready with PROOF if possible. My determination took 2 whole weeks after the interview which was super stressful.

will they record the phone interview? i have mine coming up too and im worried about saying the wrong thing

Here's what you need to know about eligibility interviews for termination cases: 1. Have your termination date ready 2. Be prepared to explain the specific reason you were given for termination 3. If attendance/tardiness was the stated reason, you'll need to explain any extenuating circumstances 4. Document any schedule changes that contributed to attendance issues 5. Know if you received any written warnings (and when) 6. Understand that being fired doesn't automatically disqualify you - only termination for misconduct does For schedule changes specifically, if you can prove your employer didn't provide adequate notice of schedule changes that led to your tardiness, that strengthens your case significantly. The interviewer is trying to determine if your actions rose to the level of misconduct, which has a specific legal definition in unemployment cases.

i had my interview and got approved even tho i was fired! just be ready to explain everything without contradicting yourself and you'll be fine

A key point nobody's mentioned: California uses a "willful or wanton disregard" standard for misconduct. Tardiness only counts as misconduct if it was deliberate or you showed no concern after warnings. If your tardiness was due to schedule confusion or circumstances beyond your control, clearly explain that. Also, prepare a brief timeline of events leading to termination - EDD interviewers appreciate organized responses. Don't volunteer negative information, but never lie. The interviewer will likely contact your employer after speaking with you, so inconsistencies will be noticed.

good luck with your interview i hope you get approved right away

One more thing - after your interview, your UI Online account won't update immediately. It might show pending for several more days even if the interview went well. If you need to check on the status and can't get through on the regular number, that's when Claimyr really helped me (claimyr.com). Got me through to a rep who could tell me my claim status when the website wasn't updating. Totally worth it for peace of mind.

Remember to answer only what's asked during the interview. Many claimants talk too much and accidentally say things that hurt their case. The interviewer isn't trying to trick you, but their job is to gather facts. Be concise and factual. If your tardiness was due to schedule changes, simply state that without elaborating on unrelated workplace issues. The determination typically takes 7-10 business days after the interview, and if approved, payment usually processes within 48 hours of that determination.

Just wanted to add - bring up the schedule changes proactively during your interview! Don't wait for them to ask. Something like "I was terminated for tardiness, but this was directly related to frequent last-minute schedule changes that made it difficult to arrange reliable transportation/childcare." The key is connecting your tardiness to circumstances beyond your control rather than just admitting fault. Also, if you have any documentation (texts, emails, schedule printouts), mention that you have them available even if they don't ask to see them during the call. Shows you're prepared and taking it seriously. You've got this!

I went through this same situation about 6 months ago - also fired for tardiness due to constantly changing schedules. The interview was honestly less scary than I expected! The EDD representative was professional and just wanted to understand the facts. They asked me about the specific incidents that led to my termination, whether I received any warnings, and what steps I took to address the attendance issues. When I explained that my schedule was changed frequently with short notice and showed how this impacted my ability to arrange childcare, they seemed to understand. I was approved within a week after the interview. The key thing is to stay calm, be honest about what happened, but make sure you explain the circumstances that were beyond your control. Having documentation like those texts with your manager will definitely help your case. You're going to do great!

I just had my eligibility interview last month after being fired for attendance issues and wanted to share what helped me get approved! The interviewer asked about 6-7 questions total: when I was terminated, the reason given, if I received warnings, what led to the attendance problems, and whether I tried to resolve the issues. The most important thing is framing your response around circumstances beyond your control. I said something like "I was terminated for tardiness, but this occurred because my work schedule was frequently changed with little notice, making it difficult to arrange consistent childcare." They also asked if I had any documentation, and when I mentioned I had saved text messages showing the last-minute schedule changes, they seemed interested in that. The whole call took about 15 minutes and I got my determination letter 8 days later - approved! Just remember they're trying to determine if you were fired for misconduct vs. other reasons, so focus on how external factors contributed to the situation.

I'm going through a similar situation right now - got fired for tardiness but it was definitely related to my employer constantly changing schedules at the last minute. Reading through all these responses is so helpful! I have my phone interview scheduled for next week and was really worried about what to expect. It sounds like the key is being honest but making sure to explain how the circumstances were beyond your control. I've been keeping screenshots of all the schedule change texts from my manager, so I'll definitely mention those during the interview. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's really reassuring to know that people in similar situations have gotten approved!

Just went through this process myself about two months ago - also terminated for attendance issues related to schedule changes. Here's what I wish someone had told me before my interview: Write down a simple timeline of events beforehand so you don't forget important details when you're nervous. Include dates of any warnings you received, examples of short-notice schedule changes, and what steps you took to try to resolve the attendance issues (like talking to your manager about the scheduling problems). The EDD interviewer was actually very understanding when I explained that my tardiness stemmed from my employer giving me different shifts with only a day or two notice, making it impossible to arrange consistent childcare. I had screenshots of the schedule changes and mentioned that during the call - they didn't ask to see them but seemed to take note that I had documentation. Got approved about 10 days later. You're going to do fine - just stick to the facts and emphasize how the scheduling issues were beyond your reasonable control!

I just had my eligibility interview two weeks ago after being fired for tardiness issues - very similar situation to yours! The interview was way less intimidating than I expected. The EDD representative asked about 5-6 questions: when I was terminated, the specific reason given by my employer, whether I received any warnings, what caused the attendance problems, and if I made any attempts to fix the situation. The key is explaining how circumstances beyond your control contributed to the tardiness. I mentioned that my manager frequently changed my schedule with less than 48 hours notice, making it nearly impossible to arrange reliable childcare and transportation. When I told them I had text messages documenting these last-minute changes, they made a note of it. The whole call took about 12 minutes and I got my approval letter 9 days later. Just be honest about what happened but emphasize how the scheduling chaos made consistent attendance really difficult. You've got this - having documentation of the schedule changes will definitely work in your favor!

I went through this exact same situation about 8 months ago - fired for tardiness but it was totally due to my manager constantly changing our schedules with barely any notice! The phone interview honestly wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The EDD representative was actually pretty understanding and professional. They asked me about 6 questions: when I was terminated, the specific reason my employer gave, if I got any warnings, what caused the attendance issues, whether I tried to resolve it, and if I had any documentation. The most important thing is to clearly connect your tardiness to the schedule changes being out of your control. I said something like "I was terminated for being late, but this happened because my work schedule was frequently changed with very short notice, which made it impossible for me to arrange consistent transportation and childcare." When I mentioned I had saved text messages showing the last-minute schedule changes, the interviewer seemed really interested in that. The whole call was only about 10 minutes and I got approved 8 days later! Just stay calm, be honest about what happened, but make sure you explain how the constantly changing schedule made it really difficult to be on time consistently. Having those texts with your manager about schedule changes will definitely help your case. You're going to do great!

I'm actually scheduled for my eligibility interview this Friday after being terminated for similar attendance issues! Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful and reassuring. Like many of you, my tardiness was directly related to my employer constantly changing schedules at the last minute - sometimes I'd get a text at 11pm telling me my shift was moved from afternoon to morning the next day. It made arranging childcare and transportation nearly impossible. I've been documenting everything and have screenshots of all those last-minute schedule change texts. Based on what everyone's shared, it sounds like the key is being honest but clearly explaining how the circumstances were beyond our reasonable control. It's encouraging to see so many people in similar situations get approved when they could show their tardiness wasn't just carelessness but a direct result of unreasonable scheduling practices. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - you've all helped calm my nerves about Friday's interview!

I went through this same process about 6 months ago and got approved even though I was fired for tardiness! The interview really isn't as scary as it seems - the EDD representative was professional and just focused on getting the facts. They asked me about when I was terminated, the specific reason given, if I received warnings, what caused the attendance issues, and whether I tried to address them with my employer. The key is explaining how external circumstances contributed to your tardiness rather than just accepting blame. Since your manager kept changing the schedule, definitely mention that - it shows your tardiness wasn't due to negligence but rather unreasonable working conditions. I had similar documentation (saved texts about schedule changes) and when I mentioned having them, the interviewer took note. The whole call was about 15 minutes and I got my determination 10 days later. Just stay calm, be honest about what happened, but make sure you clearly connect your attendance issues to the constantly changing schedule making it impossible to arrange reliable transportation/childcare. Having those text messages will definitely strengthen your case. You're going to do fine!

I just went through my eligibility interview last week for a similar situation - terminated for tardiness due to constantly changing work schedules. The interview was actually much more straightforward than I expected! The EDD representative asked about 7 questions: termination date, reason given by employer, any warnings received, what caused the attendance issues, steps I took to resolve them, whether I had documentation, and if there were any other factors that contributed. The whole call took about 12 minutes. What really helped my case was clearly explaining how the last-minute schedule changes made it impossible to maintain consistent attendance despite my best efforts. I mentioned having text messages documenting the schedule changes and the interviewer made a note of that. Got my approval determination 9 days later! Just remember - they're trying to determine if you were fired for misconduct vs. circumstances beyond your control. Focus on how the unpredictable scheduling created impossible conditions for maintaining attendance, and definitely mention those texts with your manager about schedule changes. Be honest but frame it around how external factors contributed to the situation. You've got solid documentation which will definitely work in your favor. The anticipation is honestly worse than the actual interview - you're going to do great!

I had my eligibility interview about 3 months ago after being fired for attendance issues - very similar to your situation! The most important thing I learned is that EDD distinguishes between being fired for "misconduct" versus being fired for other reasons. If your tardiness was due to circumstances beyond your reasonable control (like constantly changing schedules), that's NOT considered misconduct. During my interview, I made sure to emphasize how my employer would change schedules with little to no notice, making it nearly impossible to arrange childcare and transportation consistently. The interviewer asked about 6 questions total and the whole call was maybe 15 minutes. I mentioned I had text messages documenting the schedule changes and they seemed to take that seriously. Got approved about a week later! Just remember to stay focused on how the unpredictable scheduling created impossible working conditions rather than accepting full blame for the tardiness. Having those texts with your manager will definitely help your case. The interview really isn't as intimidating as you think - just be honest and explain how the circumstances were out of your control. You've got this!