me and my benefits

[Feebee_71]

I previously posted about receiving a letter telling me they were looking into my claim and it could result in a sanction.

 

This morning I checked the bank account and found my JSA (cont) hadn't been paid in as expected - I signed on last wednesday - and so I rang them to find out what happened.

 

They told me that my claim has been disallowed due to misconduct but effective from the 23rd June (this coming thursday) and runs until October - I though she said 13th but, as my award letter mentions paying it until October 30th, it could have been the later date - but that she can't see any reason my payment hasn't gone in this morning. The lady was really helpful and told me to get JSA10 form filled in and sent off as soon as possible but said I didn't need to apply for JSA (IB). I got myself down to my usual signing centre and picked up not only the JSA10 form but also a JSA3 form on the advice of the lady on the front desk as she thought I would need to fill both forms in.

 

The lady on the phone has said she will email through to find out why the money hasn't gone in this morning and has requested a call back to me - and advised that, if I don't receive a call back by 12:35pm to ring them again (only an hour to go but no call yet). But she did say that the disallowance decision shouldn't affect my money going in today.

 

So, now I have filled in the 2 forms, have got a doctors appointment tomorrow anyway so will get proof of my arthritis to see if I qualify as being in the vulnerable group for hardship payments or not - have read through the links I was given before and don't really understand it if I'm honest.

 

In addition to this going on, I hurt my back 2 weeks ago (have been having varying levels of problems with it for over a year now) and was referred for physio and to the pain clinic but not got appointments through yet. When I went in to sign on last week the JCP advisor suggested seeing if my GP would sign me off (if I was still working I wouldn't be able to work at the moment because of my back). He (the advisor) said that, if I were signed off for more than 2 weeks then my claim would have to be converted to ESA and he gave me a number to ring.

 

Now I'm even more confused about what I'm doing with the forms and need some advice.....

 

 

How funny, in the middle of writing all this, I got a phone call back from a very nice chap in Newcastle to say he has processed my payment that should have gone through this morning and it will be transferred to my bank account after 2:30pm today (Phew, relieved am I). He confirmed the dates of sanction are 23/6/11 until 20/10/11 and that, I will get the money for between 15/6 (last sign in date) and 23/6.

Finally, he suggested I wait until I see the doctor tomorrow about whether I am signed off with my back before filling in the JSA3 & JSA10 forms as, if I'm signed off sick for more than 2 weeks a better benefit to claim would be ESA.

I'm sure I will be back later with more questions but it's not quite so desperate for now.

 

Feebee_71

[Feebee_71]

Another quick question....

 

Is ESA liable for sanction in the same way that JSA is?

 

Feebee_71

[flumps1976]

Just a couple of things. If you claim ESA and then your sanction will not be transferred to that claim but the sanction will still be applied to any furture claims to JSA up to the date the sanction ends, so if you claimed ESA for 1 month and then reclaimed JSA you would still be sanctioned until 20/10/11.

As well as completing the forms JSA3 and JSA10 I would recommend writing a letter requesting a reconsideration of the decision however you will need to provide further and additional information than already provided to have the decision looked at, you can also include a paragraph at the end of the letter to state that should the reconsideration not be favourable that you wish to pursue an appeal.

Reconsiderations ae usually determined within a couple of weeks but appeals can take months which I why I advise this course of action.

 

I will not be around again until Weds evening as I have a funeral to attend tomorrow but let me know if I can help further

[Feebee_71]

Hi Flumps,

 

Many thanks for the advice.

 

I have worked out that the sanction is for 17 weeks from thursday - not the worst they could have imposed but not the least either. I knew from the documents previously provided by yourself and Erica that I would suffer some sort of sanction, I'm not sure that an appeal against the sanction would workor that they would reduce the length of the sanction.

 

I have been to the doctors today and been signed off for 4 weeks initially and then to go back to see if there has been any improvement or if I've got dates through for the physio and hospital team I've been referred to. The doctor did say that getting on top of the pain was the important thing first and has given me stronger pain killers to see if they make any difference.

 

When I got home from the doctor's I rang the 0800 number I was given for transferring over from JSA to ESA and was left hanging on for an hour and 1/2 when I gave up waiting for them to answer the call (thank goodness it was a free call) as it was gone 6pm and they were playing the same message about being sorry for keeping me waiting and they will answer my call when they've got someone free or if I want to call again later their working hours are 8am to 6pm. I will be back on the phone at 8am tomorrow morning - though I will look at the direct.gov.uk website this evening to see what it says on the matter.

 

At least I can relax and try to get better rather than trying to fight the pain to manage to job hunt at the moment.

 

I hope all goes with the funeral (or as well as it can do with these things),

 

Feebee_71

[Feebee_71]

Hi there,

 

I was signing on for JSA and, just under 2 weeks ago, I was signed as unwell by my GP and put in a telephone claim for ESA. I received the forms through the same week and sent off the medical certificate from my GP - they had given me until the 22nd July to get the documentation to them.

 

I took my green JSA sign in book back to the JCP last monday as I was going to physio and it's on the way back home and they said they would process the closure of the account so the other claim could be activated. My sign in day should have been last Wednesday but the claim should have been closed before then.

 

Today should have been my day for receiving benefits and I was expecting 1 week of JSA (up to 21st when ESA claim was accepted) and, hopefully, some ESA as well.

 

I have checked my bank account this morning but there's nothing been paid in - I had a similar problem 2 weeks ago as a sanction had been put on my account from a future date (23/06/11) but they hadn't told the payment people to pay my money 2 weeks ago.

 

Am I going to have to chase them again to get the last week's JSA money through?

 

How long am I likely to have to wait before I get any money through for the ESA? Incidently, I've not had through the medical questionnaire that I was told would arrive but have had the initial paperwork through about the ESA claim.

 

Sorry for there being more questions,

 

Feebee_71

[leemack]

ESA can take anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks to process on average.

 

If you haven't received payment of JSA - chase it up straight away.

 

Your ESA50 will not be sent out until several weeks after your claim is processed, sometimes several months - you then have 6 weeks to send it back.

[Feebee_71]

Hi Leemack,

 

Firstly, apologies for not replying before now, things are a bit hectic round here at the moment with my mum in hospital.

 

Thanks for the advice. I did chase up the JSA yesterday and was told that, although they've had my green signing book for more than a week, they've not yet fully closed the claim and I won't get the last week's money until that is done. Another knock on from that is that they cannot complete my claim for ESA until the other claim has been successfully closed. The chap on the phone did also say that he wouldn't be able to investigate until the claim is 3 weeks old (which will be Wednesday of next week) so, if I've not had any money by then to get back in touch.

 

This is all well and good but now I've got no money and no-one can say when I will have any!! They did say that the money will be backdated to when my claim started.

 

Feebee_71

[flumps1976]

That is not acceptable. In the office where I work we aim to close claims the day following receiptof the paperwork unless of course there is something that prevents that action (usually a system fault on the payments programme or someone has declared an incorrect date). The strike last week had an impact on our closures but even then they were still actioned within 3 working days.

I would contact the jobcentre and request to speak to the customer service manager to make a complaint and request that the required action is taken with immediate effect.

[Feebee_71]

Thanks for the reply Flumps,

 

I have now had the 6 days of JSA paid into the bank - found it yesterday - also had p45 and letter confirming closure of JSA claim. Now just got to wait for them to move forward and get to a point eith the ESA claim that they will pay me some money!

 

With mum on hospital for 10 days and it being a 30-40 mile round trip, although she's home now, and dad having investigations at another hospital every day - with me having to take him there - I've used £70 worth of diesel since the 21st of June!

 

At least now I can pay some bills that are due - when next lot of money arrives I can buy food!

 

Feebee _71

[flumps1976]

If you are communting to see ill family members have you considered claiming for some help through a community care grant. There are no guarantees you would receive any help but if you don't ask then you will never know especially if you are the person having to take your father to the hospital for the medical examinations and appointments.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/Caringforsomeone/DG_10018921

[Feebee_71]

Thanks for the link flumps, I will look at it when I get time - dad has full body CT scan today and then consultant appointment tomorrow and hopefully we will get some answers as to what's going on with him (other than old age)!!

 

Feebee_71

[Feebee_71]

Got home to 2 identical letters saying my ESA claim is accepted and it'll be paid from June 22nd. Both letters dated the 7th July not sure why they sent 2 copies!

 

Also don't know when they will actually pay me the money - tomorrow will be 3 weeks worth - I presume it will come on what would be y usual day

[Feebee_71]

Sorry, double post.

Edited July 12, 2011 by Feebee_71

[Feebee_71]

Hi,

 

I applied for and was awarded ESA (contribution based) from the latter part of June this year. I was sent out a WCA form to complete and send back by this week. In August I received a letter from the Croydon ATOS people to say I'd not returned the form to them (this letter was dated a Sunday in August and was a good 2 weeks before the WCA was due back to them). I completed the WCA and sent it in recorded first class (paid for postage myself as they had sent 2nd class postage paid envelope) and tracked the form to find it was delivered on 5th September.

 

What I want to ask is how long is it likely to take before I hear back from them?

 

I am waiting to go into hospital for an operation and, where it asks on the form of any dates you cannot attend their appointment, I have put in the date I am supposed to go into hospital (though as always with the NHS this could change) and that the surgeon has given an expected recovery time of 6-8 weeks).

 

Will this be taken into consideration when they decide when to invite me for assessment?

 

I know it's soon to be worrying about how long it will take for them to complete the next part of the process but, with hospital appointments and being due to go into hospital for this operation, I want to know what to expect time wise.

 

Many thanks in advance,

 

Feebee_71

[Feebee_71]

Can no-one give me any idea about this please?

 

Feebee_71

[Rover87]

It varies. Depends on their workload etc. Anything from a couple of weeks to a couple of months!! they should take into account the fact you're going into hospital - do you know how long you will actually be in hospital for? Will it be the full 6-8 weeks?

[Feebee_71]

Hi Rover87, no I will only be in hospital for up to a week (having major+ abdominal surgery) but have been told it's 6-8 week recovery time. This is in addition to back problem & sciatica as well as rheumatoid arthritis.

 

I fully intend getting back into work when everything's sorted but it's not a short haul so far!

 

Feebee_71

[Feebee_71]

Just a quick question which may seem daft to others............

 

Just who is entitled to Cold Weather Payments while on benefits?

 

I realise that the elderly will automatically get an extra sum of money if there is a period of at least 7 days of temperatures of 0c or below. What about people who are on benefits? I have looked on the direct.gov website but that only mentions cold weather payments on their section for retired people.

 

I am terrified of putting on the heating for fear of running up a huge gas bill but even with jumpers on and sat under 2 blankets my hands and feet are like blocks of ice!!

 

Feebee_71

[feelingsad]

I got it last year and I'm on income based ESA

 

eta pleased I read this as although I know I am eligible I couldn't remember what the criteria was ie how many days etc and even though my children are pleading with me to turn the heating up and we are in several layers and still very cold I haven't. Maybe a few more cold days and I will actually use the heating then!

[Feebee_71]

Thanks feelingsad,

 

I got the qualifying criteria from the direct.gov website but, as I said it was under benefits for retired people.

 

As I am currently on ESA (CB) I am assuming I'm not going to be entitled to the payment even if the qualifying criteria are met.

 

Feebee_71

[sillygirl1]

I'm on JSA and hoping they might pay out, I am freezing this morning, waiting for a delivery for the fire gel for my small outdoor heaters to use indoors (smokeless and puts out nice heat) as well as the heating in the living room.

 

I've got teeshirt under jumper with a big cardigan over and I am still freezing despite heating being on for an hour...

 

Going to clear out the airing cupboard to help keep warm.

[Nystagmite]

You need to be on:

IS with a disability premium / IS and CTC with a disability premium

JSA with a disability premium

 

There is stuff about pension credit too.

[Feebee_71]

Thanks Nystagmite,

 

So nothing for people on ESA!!

 

Feebee_71

[flumps1976]

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/moneytaxandbenefits/benefitstaxcreditsandothersupport/inretirement/dg_10018668

 

Income Support and income-based Jobseeker's Allowance

 

If you receive Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, you will get Cold Weather Payments if you also have any of the following:

• a disability or pensioner premium included in your benefit
  
• a child who is disabled
  
• Child Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element
  
• a child under five living with you
  

Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

 

If you get Income-related ESA, you will usually receive Cold Weather Payments if you also have any of the following:

• the support or work-related component of ESA
  
• a severe or enhanced disability premium included in your benefit
  
• a pensioner premium included in your benefit
  
• a child who is disabled
  
• Child Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element
  
• a child under five living with you
  

this is copied from the link above for those on IS, Income Based JSA and Income Related ESA.

[Feebee_71]

I am single, currently on benefits - had to come off ESA (0 points at ATOS) and new claim in for JSA (IB) put in to start from date ESA discontinued.

 

Currently living in local Housing Association Key Worker property but on housing list to move to cheaper property - rent is approx 20% below market rates but at least 50% higher than it would be in social housing. Full cost of rent and council tax met by Housing & Council Tax Benefit.

 

What I want to know is, as and when I get somewhere new to live (am waiting to hear about 8 different properties at the moment that I've put bids in for) is there anyway I can get assistance with moving costs?

 

Also, most of the properties are older and I am guessing don't have white goods provided, is there any assistance with purchasing these necessary items? I realise washing machine and tumble dryer are likely to be seen as luxury goods but what about cooker and fridge/freezer?

 

Sorry for all the questions I just want to start exploring my options for as and when I do get a new place.

 

Feebee_71