Won EDD appeal but benefits withheld for eligibility interview - makes no sense!

Unfortunately, this happens more often than you'd think. EDD operates in separate departments that don't always communicate well with each other. The appeals board is actually separate from the regular EDD eligibility department. What's likely happening is that while you won your appeal, the eligibility department still has flags on your account that need to be cleared through their standard process. The eligibility interview is their way of reviewing your specific weeks and making sure nothing else disqualifies you from those particular benefits. Different issues can affect different weeks, so winning one appeal doesn't automatically clear everything.

same thing happened 2 me last yr!! won my appeal in december and still had to do phone interview in january before i got paid. its stupid but thats how they do things

The eligibility interview is actually a separate process from your appeal. Appeals focus on a specific disqualification issue, while the interview might be checking other eligibility factors for those specific weeks. For example: 1. You might have won an appeal about whether you were fired for misconduct 2. But they still need to verify you were able and available for work each week 3. Or they might need to verify any earnings you reported during those weeks The interview is standard procedure when back payments are involved. Make sure you have documentation ready showing you were searching for work during those weeks and any income verification they might need. The good news is that since you won your appeal, the major hurdle is behind you.

I've been through the EXACT same thing!! The EDD system is completely BROKEN and they do this ON PURPOSE to wear people down so they'll give up. It's a DISGRACE how they treat people who are just trying to get benefits they're entitled to!!!! I waited SIX MONTHS after winning my appeal to actually get paid because they kept coming up with new "eligibility issues" every time I called. The system is DESIGNED to frustrate you!!!!

I went through something similar back in February. Won my appeal and then had to wait for an eligibility interview. I was going CRAZY trying to reach someone at EDD to explain the situation but kept getting the "we're experiencing high call volume" message for days. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an EDD rep in about 25 minutes. They have this demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km The EDD rep I spoke with was actually helpful and explained that even though I won my appeal, they still needed to verify my work search activities for each of the weeks I was claiming. They expedited my interview and I had it 2 days later. Worth checking out if you're stuck in the same loop I was.

Am I the only one who thinks its crazy how the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing at EDD??? Like why even have judges if the regular staff just ignores their rulings?? Makes no sense

To clarify what others have said: the appeal specifically addressed the disqualification issue, but each week's certification still needs to meet basic eligibility requirements. Here's what you should prepare for your interview: 1. Documentation of your work search activities for each week (at least 3 job contacts per week) 2. Any medical documentation if you claimed unable to work for any weeks 3. Records of any income you earned during those weeks 4. Your availability details (any days/hours you couldn't work) The interview is usually 10-15 minutes. Be direct and factual in your answers. Since you already won the appeal, they're mainly checking these routine eligibility factors. As long as you were actually looking for work during those weeks, you should be fine.

My neighbor had this happen and she said the eligibility interview was just a formality. They're mostly checking if you were able to work and looking for work during those weeks. Don't stress too much!

i dont see why everyone is so confused here? an appeal and eligiblity are totally different things. appeal is about if you were fired for good reason or quit with good cause etc. eligibility is about if your looking for work, available to work, etc. its not that complicated?

One thing to keep in mind is that you have the right to reschedule the eligibility interview once if the scheduled time doesn't work for you. Just make sure to request the reschedule at least 24 hours before the appointment. Also, if you miss the interview, you can request a new one within 7 days by showing good cause for missing it. Based on your timeline, I'd guess you'll have your interview within the next 2-3 weeks. Once that's completed successfully, they typically release funds within 3-5 business days. Since you've been waiting so long already, I hope they expedite your case.

When I had my eligibility interview last month, they barely asked anything! It was like 5 minutes tops. The lady just verified my identity, asked if I was able to work during each of the weeks, and if I'd been looking for work. I said yes to everything and got paid 2 days later. Probably just depends which interviewer you get though.

I'm dealing with almost the exact same situation right now! Won my appeal three weeks ago but still stuck waiting for this eligibility interview. It's so frustrating because like you said, the judge already went through everything thoroughly during the appeal hearing. What's really getting to me is that I've been without income for over 4 months now while they keep adding more hoops to jump through. I understand they need to verify things, but it feels like they could have done this verification process while the appeal was pending instead of making us wait even longer after winning. Has anyone had luck calling the eligibility interview line directly? I keep getting transferred around when I call the main number and no one seems to know when my interview will actually be scheduled.