JSA when hospitalized.

SuziQ

My ex husband telephoned me last night to say he had been admitted to hospital with a pulmonary embolus, quite a serious situation (he also has some smaller clots in his legs). He has worked all his life until a couple of months ago when the work dried up due to bad weather, lived off saving for a while and eventually signed up for JSA and HB. He is supposed to sign on,on monday morning and is panicking about not being able to get there-even talking about discharging himself monday morning which would be a real risk to his health. I have told him it's not worth risking your life for and to phone the job centre on monday-the sister on the ward has even said he can phone from her office.

I have a feeling though,that he is now unavailable to work anyway as he is sick? What will he have to do,as I am concerned he will speak to someone on monday who isn't comprehensive about his situation.His PE is due to a long term conditon, Lupus,but as I say apart from being off work for 7 months 14 years ago when he was diagnosed (I was working 3 jobs then to keep us going so he never signed on for any sort of benefit) he has managed to work even when the Lupus was active.It's just that this could be life threatening if the clot moves and blocks something before the drugs dissolve it. I'd like to be able to tell him what the situation is about this tomorrow if possible as he will only fret until monday.

Many thanks for any answers I get.

richard9991

SuziQ wrote: »

My ex husband telephoned me last night to say he had been admitted to hospital with a pulmonary embolus, quite a serious situation (he also has some smaller clots in his legs). He has worked all his life until a couple of months ago when the work dried up due to bad weather, lived off saving for a while and eventually signed up for JSA and HB. He is supposed to sign on,on monday morning and is panicking about not being able to get there-even talking about discharging himself monday morning which would be a real risk to his health. I have told him it's not worth risking your life for and to phone the job centre on monday-the sister on the ward has even said he can phone from her office.

I have a feeling though,that he is now unavailable to work anyway as he is sick? What will he have to do,as I am concerned he will speak to someone on monday who isn't comprehensive about his situation.His PE is due to a long term conditon, Lupus,but as I say apart from being off work for 7 months 14 years ago when he was diagnosed (I was working 3 jobs then to keep us going so he never signed on for any sort of benefit) he has managed to work even when the Lupus was active.It's just that this could be life threatening if the clot moves and blocks something before the drugs dissolve it. I'd like to be able to tell him what the situation is about this tomorrow if possible as he will only fret until monday.

Many thanks for any answers I get.

a hospital dr can give him a sick note so he can claim employment support allowance.

SuziQ

Thanks Richard,but how many days would he have to be sick/do they give any lee-way that wouldn't necessitate him changing benefit and starting all over again with the application process? I have looked on the government sites,it must be somewhere but I just can't find it!

dookar

He can be treated as capable of work for up to 14 days

Tobiwan_Kenobi

He can self certificate his sickness by completing a JSA28 (available from JCP) - He won't be paid his JSA until they receive the completed form back at his JCP though. One of you will need to inform the JCP of the situation and collect a JSA28.

If he is likely to be unfit for work at his next signing he should make a claim for ESA as soon as he can and ask the doctor for a sick note to cover him. ESA can be claimed on the same 0800 number as JSA.

SuziQ

Thank you Tobiwan,I ill tell him. He is being a real bonehead at the moment,says he is going to 'dissapear off the ward' for an hour,hop on a bus and sign on,then go back to hospital! I don't know whether to warn the staff as he is risking his health doing this,but they will probably say they can't force him to stay. At least if I tell him what you have posted he has an alternative-cheers!

SuziQ

I don't if anyone can give me any further advice for my ex on this subject?

His doctor phoned up on the normal signing on day,and they were on strike. My ex got put that day anyway,and went down the following day and filled in the JSA28. He was told that as soon as it was processed his money would continue as normal,and that he had to be sick for 14 business days before he needed to change benefit. He is much better,but HAS to go to hospital every wednesday to have his warfarin levels checked and his doseage adjusted. He and I have both checked and there is no where else in that health authority where he can get this done,later in the day or whatever:it's a no appointment clinic,everyone turns up at 8.30 and they just take people in the order they arrive. No matter what time he gets there there is a huge queue and he never gets out before one, as he has the blood test (after a long wait) and then has to queue again to see the doctor. He went back last week to sign on,and was honest with the advisor about this. He not only told him that he was misadvised wit his JSA28 form (this advisor said it had to be submitted on the day he couldn't attend the office,even though they were on srike and the doctor couldn't even tell them he was in hospital and neither could I!) He has said he has therefore lost 2 weks payment, plus the HB and CTB, yet at the same time he has said he has used up his 14 days sick during that period (even though he isn't being paid for that) and that he now has to reapply-but he is effectively unavailable for work, so cannot apply! He is confused, and so am I. What is he supposed to do now,having been badly advised to start with,lost money he could ill afford to lose,he still has to attend hospital on wednesday for at least 6 weeks but is willing to work every other day,nights etc-he always has done anyway, in his line of work. I feel so sorry for him-he has had a really bad attack f Lupus but at the age of 49 this is the first time he has ever asked for help and is now being messed about by being told different things by different people.

For clarity, is the 14 days allowed sickness on JSA 14 days (including weekends) or 14 working days?

Many thanks for any advice anyone can give, as he is not computer savvy, the centre he goes into just keeps telling him different things,his CAB has a long waiting list and he has very little credit on his phone to keep ringing the advice lines.

oldmotherreilly

The advisor your ex husband spoke to is talking nonsense. Your husband has up to five working days from when he was due to sign on to notify the JCP of the reasons why he could not attend to sign. He could then complete the JSA28 but as you were told before, payment will not be processed until the form is received back in the JCP. If they had referred the claim to a Decision Maker on the basis that your ex was not available for work, he would have been asked to say why he was not available. However, I think you need to clarify a few things with him-has he had any JSA28s before? You are only allowed two in a year from the First Effective Date of the Jobseeking Period (a date that JCP use). If he has had two already, a third would close his claim and then he would need to reapply for benefit. Also, did he contact the JCP within the five working days-if he did not, JCP would close his claim. Has he got to make a new claim through the Contact Centre (a rapid reclaim) or has he got to fill a form called a JSA3?

SuziQ

Thanks oldmothereilly- he had only started recieving benefita few weeks before he was ill,his first ever claim in his life, so this was his only period of illness. He had used up his £900 savings before he signed on as he thought you weren't entitled to anything at all until all his savings were gone (unfortunately I didn't know any of this until he got ill-he's pretty reclusive tbh.) He went in the day after he was supposed to sign on and filled in the paperwork there and then,they took the completed form from him.That's why I am so confused as to how it has all gone so badly wrong. I would like to clear up this 14 day thing for him-does that include weekends, or if he went sick the friday the 5th, does the 14 days include that day and then finish on the 18th March? He had a weeks money come through after all this so though everything was ok, but I believe you are paid in arrears anyway? And he has had no money since. I want to help him as much as I can but unfortunately I am ill myself and on income support so I don't exactly have money to throw around-I can lend him a bit but not enough to pay his rent etc.

He has just rung me to tell me they have told him to put in another JSA28 and to back date it? I am really confused now-they obviously lost the original one he filled in!

SuziQ

Does anyone else know aboutbthis 14 day thing,please?

oldmotherreilly

The fourteen days DOES include weekends and starts from the date that he says he was unwell. After the first signing you sign for the previous fortnight so JSA is paid fortnightly in arrears. What dates did your ex put on the form? Did you ask him what they have asked him to do regarding starting his claim up again? f they are asking him to complete another JSA28 for the same period, he must make sure that he writes DUPLICATE on it and that the dates are the same as before. Have they said anything else to him?
Re-reading your post, if your ex thought that the JSA28 could be used to cover him for 14 WORKING days, did he put dates down to reflect this? If he did, then this would close his claim so it is vital he knows what dates he wrote down first of all.