Why is NY unemployment making me do monthly eligibility interviews when others never get one?

Its random. I never had a single interview the whole time I was on unemployment for 9 months last year. My roommate had like 4 interviews in 6 months though...seemed like they were targeting him specificly for some reason.

After struggling to reach NY unemployment for weeks about my eligibility interviews, I finally found an app called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real agent in less than 30 minutes! Saved me from endless redials and hours on hold. The agent explained that these random eligibility interviews are just part of their process now, but talking to someone directly helped me get everything sorted out quickly. Best decision I made - got my benefits released right after the call! Check out their video too: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

They've really ramped up the job search requirements lately. I had 3 interviews in 4 months. The first two were fine but the third one the lady was super rude and tried to disqualify me because I didn't apply to enough jobs one week when I was sick with covid! Had to appeal and everything 🤮

The whole system is broken AF. They do this to make it harder for people to stay on unemployment. They hope you'll miss an interview so they can cut you off. It's all about reducing their numbers - less people collecting = better stats for the department. Same reason the website mysteriously crashes every sunday night when everyone's trying to certify 🙄

I work in HR and can tell you NY unemployment has been dealing with unprecedented fraud since 2020. They're doing more eligibility interviews now as part of their fraud prevention measures. Even legit claimants are getting caught in these extra verification steps. Just keep good records of your job search activities (screenshots of applications, confirmation emails, etc) and you'll be fine.

The whole ny unemployment system is literally designed to be frustrating. Making you prove over and over that your looking for work when there aint no jobs out there that pay enough to live on 🤡

In my experience, if you had any kind of issue with your initial claim - even something small that got resolved - they tend to flag your account for more frequent reviews. Did anything unusual happen when you first applied?

Here's what I've learned after being on NY unemployment twice in the last few years: - The frequency of eligibility interviews varies widely and seems somewhat random - Some regions/offices conduct more interviews than others - Higher benefit amounts sometimes trigger more verification (just my theory) - If you worked in industries with high fraud rates (like certain gig work), you might get flagged more often - Being on unemployment during peak filing periods can lead to more scrutiny The best thing you can do is be SUPER organized with your job search documentation. I used a spreadsheet with dates, company names, position titles, application method, follow-ups, and results. When they called me for interviews, I could quickly answer any questions with specific details. If you're struggling to reach someone at unemployment to discuss your situation, I highly recommend using Claimyr.com - it's a service that connects you with a live agent without the endless hold times. Totally worth it when you need answers fast. Just keep doing what you're supposed to be doing and don't stress too much about the interviews - they're part of the process now.

I had the EXACT same experience! First interview after 3 weeks of benefits, then another one just a month later. The second interviewer actually told me they have internal quotas for how many compliance checks they need to do each month, and sometimes people just randomly get selected multiple times. It's not personal - just bad luck.

in my experience, These interviews are actually a GOOD thing because they're actively reviewing your claim. I had 2 interviews in 3 months, then none for the next 5 months until my benefits ran out. Better than being ignored when you have an actual problem!

they've been cracking down HARD on job search requirements lately. you need to be applying to AT LEAST 3 jobs per week and keeping detailed records. if you're doing that, the interviews should be no problem. but they will cut you off in a heartbeat if they think you're not actively searching.

The government always targets the little guys while the rich get away with actual fraud. The amount of hoops we gotta jump through just to get the benefits we EARNED and PAID INTO is ridiculous. Meanwhile corporate welfare flows freely with zero oversight 🤬

Actually just went thru this!! Had 3 interviews in 4 months. The secret is to be SUPER prepared. Have all ur job search records organized by date with screenshots ready to email. I even had a script ready with all my answers. Each interview got shorter - first one was 40 mins, second was 20, third was literally 5 mins cause they could see I was on top of everything.

I'm on month 6 of unemployment and never had a single interview. My neighbor got laid off the same time as me from the SAME COMPANY and she's had two interviews already. Makes zero sense how they decide who to check up on.

I've been dealing with the same thing! Got my first eligibility interview after just 4 weeks on unemployment, then another one scheduled 6 weeks later. It's definitely frustrating when you hear about people who collected for months without any contact. From what I've gathered talking to others, it seems like there might be certain triggers - like if your initial claim had any delays or verification issues, or maybe certain industries get flagged more often. I keep meticulous records of every job I apply to with screenshots and confirmation emails, which has helped make the interviews go smoothly. Still annoying though when you're already stressed about being unemployed and they keep making you prove you're doing what you're supposed to be doing!