NYS Department of Labor fact finding interview scheduled - what should I expect?

Fact finding interviews are pretty standard when NYS Department of Labor needs to clarify details about your separation from work. They'll ask about why you left your job, any disciplinary issues, whether you quit or were fired, stuff like that. Bring any documentation you have - termination letter, emails, performance reviews. Be honest and direct in your answers. The whole process usually takes 15-30 minutes.

had mine last month, they asked about my work schedule, if i had any warnings, and whether i was able to work. pretty straightforward but the interviewer was nice about it

The fact finding interview is NYS Department of Labor's way of determining if you're eligible for benefits based on how your employment ended. If you were laid off due to lack of work, that's typically not disqualifying. However, if there were performance issues or misconduct involved, that could affect your claim. Make sure you understand exactly why you were separated and can explain it clearly. Also, double-check that all the information on your claim matches what actually happened.

OMG I'm freaking out about mine too! They scheduled it for next week and I keep thinking about every little thing that happened at my last job. Did I call in sick too much? Was that one time I was late going to count against me? I can't afford to lose these benefits!!

Here's the deal - if you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to ask questions before your interview, there's a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that can help you reach an actual agent. They have this demo video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI. I used them when I couldn't get answers about my adjudication and actually got to talk to someone within a few hours instead of calling for days.

Just be prepared to wait. Mine was scheduled for 2pm and they didn't call until almost 4pm. Make sure you have a quiet place to take the call and your Social Security number ready because they verify your identity first.

This whole fact finding thing is just another way for them to deny benefits to people who deserve them. I went through THREE of these interviews for one claim because they kept saying they needed more information. Each time I had to repeat the same story about being laid off. The system is broken.

I had my fact finding interview about 3 months ago when I was laid off from my marketing job. The interviewer was actually really professional and understanding. They asked me to walk through exactly what happened on my last day, whether I received any warnings beforehand, and if I had any documentation. Since you were laid off due to budget cuts, you should be in good shape - that's typically considered "no fault" separation. Just stick to the facts, don't volunteer extra information, and have that layoff notice handy. The whole thing took about 20 minutes for me and my benefits were approved a few days later. You've got this!