JSA claims taking 6 weeks?

Rich44_2

Went to sign on today and lo and behold still no info on their system so that's SEVEN weeks today and no claim

Back on the phone to them tomorrow and I will be asking for a payment!

It's not just the cost of travel once a fortnight so far i've racked up over 200 miles toing and froing to the job centre.

Signed on again today and what comes in the post today they want me to attend a "back to work session" next Tuesday as well.

When I signed on it was a Weds I then had to go back the following day to sign on for the first time despite it being only 24 hours later, then I had to go back again and see someone from NextStep and on and on it goes i've been to that JC so often much more than once a fortnight that's for sure.

What's the deal with my claim being with the clerical DEX team is that bad?

NASA_2

In my experience a 'DEX' is a 'Dialogue EXpert' and they usually work on a claim where the computer system just isnt playing ball. Its not ideal to say the least - it means its possible your claim will be held on paper for a time. So the claim is open to human error rather than computer error.

If its with them then it might explain, in part, the delay in processing your claim.

Buddingblonde

Contact them and ask for an interim payment - you are allowed to do this if:

there is a delay in making the claim and it is "impracticable" for the claimant to do so immediately

a claim has been made but not in the correct way, for example, on the wrong claim form, and the claimant cannot immediately make a correct claim

a claim has been made but the benefit office is not able to deal with it immediately

benefit has been awarded but cannot be paid immediately

The benefit office has a discretion whether or not to make an interim payment.

blue_ashleigh

URGH!!!!!!!
I am convinced whenever I ring the processing people up they just stare into space rather than do anything.

Me and my OH live together and so had to put in a joint claim even though he's a student and now he has to go and sign on until they send an expemption through or I won't get any money (as it is clearly logical to have to jump through hoops in order to NOT claim any money from the government). Every time I ring up they say they can't find an exemption and promise me they have sent an email to whoever and I should get a phone call from them very shortly. :rolleyes:

Meanwhile my OH is expected to miss lectures and exams (although I've told him to just not bother turning up to the JCP instead of exams for his degree!) until they can sort this whole mess out.

:eek::eek::eek:


I'm going steadily insane... waiting for the men in white coats to come...

Rich44_2

Well 8 weeks on and STILL nothing from them.

Didnt get a chance to speak to them last week and have another bloomin appt at the job centre tomorrow for a "back to work session" where I shall say I am waiting to start a ltd company but until I receive the JSA money they owe I cannot get leaflets, biz cards etc done so ball is in their court!

porrahman

Rich 44, Have you asked your adviser about The Adviser Discretion Fund to allow you to get your leaflets etc printed. The qualifying conditions have changed from 6mths unemployed to 1 day unemployed and can fund up to £300 per person.

Sorry for the trouble your having with your claim and hope this helps.

forestpagan

I'm interested to discover that others are having problems...my partner and I had to sign on onthe 11th May, due to the partnership business we run having had no work since the beginning of the year...we have now signed on for six weeks or more and had nothing...I rang the social security place to find out and she told me there had been an adverse decision...I got really upset and she said to send in all our bank statements, accounts etc again and she would look at it again. We signed on again today, the claim is still live...and when we got home there were letters from the social saying we were not entitled to...wait for it...CONTRIBUTIONS BASED JSA!!! WE KNOW...we are a self employed partnership, paying class 2 contributions, which only entitle us to income based JSA...and we have no income now!! We thought they had based their decision on the fact that we had not made it clear that the money we got from the business last year was taken as drawings to pay for food, heat, light etc etc...but it appears that they have made a major cockup. We are now having terrible trouble paying any bills, buying food etc, and have been chasing this up for all this time, to find out that they can't even get the claim right!!!Plus we also have the council after us for council tax:(

OUr jobcentre have been great,very understanding and friendly, but the fact that the decision makers are 15 miles away in a building where they no longer see anyone...they base their decision on the stuff sent through by the jobcentre..rather than in the old days when they also interviewed you.....means that this mess has just got worse.
Im going to ring them tomorrow and try and sort this out, plus send in ALL the info AGAIN (actually we will take it...if we can find money for petrol)..and also ask about interim payments.

We are nearly up to the limit on our overdraft...when we are, we will have nothing, and huge debts:(

Rich44_2

porrahman wrote: »

Rich 44, Have you asked your adviser about The Adviser Discretion Fund to allow you to get your leaflets etc printed. The qualifying conditions have changed from 6mths unemployed to 1 day unemployed and can fund up to £300 per person.

Sorry for the trouble your having with your claim and hope this helps.

Yup going to do this but you need to pay first then claim back only very rarely will they pay upfront for things (you can see why I suppose you may just blow the cash I suppose) but that'll be my leaflets, business cards and advertising paid for, they keep telling me it's £200 though has it changed recently?

Rich44_2

forestpagan wrote: »

I'm interested to discover that others are having problems...my partner and I had to sign on onthe 11th May, due to the partnership business we run having had no work since the beginning of the year...we have now signed on for six weeks or more and had nothing...I rang the social security place to find out and she told me there had been an adverse decision...I got really upset and she said to send in all our bank statements, accounts etc again and she would look at it again. We signed on again today, the claim is still live...and when we got home there were letters from the social saying we were not entitled to...wait for it...CONTRIBUTIONS BASED JSA!!! WE KNOW...we are a self employed partnership, paying class 2 contributions, which only entitle us to income based JSA...and we have no income now!! We thought they had based their decision on the fact that we had not made it clear that the money we got from the business last year was taken as drawings to pay for food, heat, light etc etc...but it appears that they have made a major cockup. We are now having terrible trouble paying any bills, buying food etc, and have been chasing this up for all this time, to find out that they can't even get the claim right!!!Plus we also have the council after us for council tax:(

OUr jobcentre have been great,very understanding and friendly, but the fact that the decision makers are 15 miles away in a building where they no longer see anyone...they base their decision on the stuff sent through by the jobcentre..rather than in the old days when they also interviewed you.....means that this mess has just got worse.
Im going to ring them tomorrow and try and sort this out, plus send in ALL the info AGAIN (actually we will take it...if we can find money for petrol)..and also ask about interim payments.

We are nearly up to the limit on our overdraft...when we are, we will have nothing, and huge debts:(

Apart from the self employed bit (my partner is I was not) same as us, I emailed my MP and he's gone bananas at them and apparently they started processing my claim within minutes of him speaking to the man at the top at Norwich job centre so I should hear tomorrow.

Thing is I told them today at my "back to work session" (and btw what a waste of time and effort that is, here you go sir a leaflet and a little scrap of badly photocopied paper for you to fill in and bring to your 13 week review.) Oh and you need to take any old job that comes along you know not just where you have skills and experience.

Well yes Mr JCP but it doesn't bloody work like that does it:

I apply for min wage no skill job along with 50 other people they look at my IT skills and experience and hang on he's not going to stay here long he's overqualified - NEXT

Honestly these people are they really that dense, I haven't found a job because i'm not looking widely enough, get real the simple fact is there's at least 20 applicants for every unskilled/low skilled job why are they going to employ me LOL

Rich44_2

Well today I waited in for my guaranteed 48 hour call back over my JSA claim, I was promised by THREE members of JCP staff that it was on the computer and that I would definitely get a call today about my JSA claim (despite being promised this 3 times already) and what happened???

NOTHING

Back on the dog n bone to them tomorrow morning AGAIN!!!! The thing is it's the same dept/people you speak to each time so nothing changes/happens all that happens is yet another note gets put on your record that you called blah blah blah

Hopefully Norman Lamb is on the case now as am rapidly losing the will to live dealing with this system (I hasten to add it's not the people and I have nothing but respect for the poor sods who have to work with it as frustrating as it is for me it must be hell for them every day...)