Help! Jobseekers Claim looked at for Work Refusal

Kirri

dookar wrote: »

um, saying no is a refusal. Your post really isn't helpful in the slightest

If the adviser gives out a totally unsuitable job, ie different job type or something, min wage when you have a mortgage etc, you can say no. I am being helpful, I am advising the best way around it having had the misfortune to deal with those idiots who spend their lives ticking boxes rather than actually providing useful help.

kamecutie

Thank you all for your responses. Glad I have received a considerable amount of advises here.

dookar wrote: »

OP, I'm afraid it is unlikely you will escape without a sanction.

I don't suppose the vacancy is still open?

I'm sorry but what is a sanction? No I don't think the job is still open since it was supposedly given to me more than a month ago.

Am I completely understanding the letter? That after 7 days a decision will be made whether or not I will still be on benefit or not? What exactly is payability vs. entitlement?

@Kirri: I'm afraid that if I say 'yes, i've applied for the work' they'd ask for proof which I don't have. It's a bit scary seeing that they actually do monitor if I apply for the jobs or not.

dookar

kamecutie wrote: »

Thank you all for your responses. Glad I have received a considerable amount of advises here.



I'm sorry but what is a sanction? No I don't think the job is still open since it was supposedly given to me more than a month ago.

Am I completely understanding the letter? That after 7 days a decision will be made whether or not I will still be on benefit or not? What exactly is payability vs. entitlement?

@Kirri: I'm afraid that if I say 'yes, i've applied for the work' they'd ask for proof which I don't have. It's a bit scary seeing that they actually do monitor if I apply for the jobs or not.

A sanction is when they determine you have not done what you should have and they stop payments to you (this is what I meant by payability, terrible language, sorry) so the claim continues, you just don't get money. Entitlement is entitlement, a bad decision on that and the claim is ended.

You have 7 days to reply, no reply means they must make a decision, if you do reply then it could take longer if they have further enquiries.

If you say 'yes' they will look further into it, they work on the balance of probabilities. If you say 'yes' but the employer says 'I have all the applications here and there isn't one for kamecutie' then the balance of probabilities falls against you.

Conversely, I once dealt with a case where the claimant insisted they had applied and provided the CV with which they applied. I sent the CV to the employer and the reply was 'I don't recall seeing this, but it's so bad I wouldn't remember it'. So I had one definite and one wouldn't remember, balance of probabilities suggusts the claimant is correct.

kamecutie

dookar wrote: »

A sanction is when they determine you have not done what you should have and they stop payments to you (this is what I meant by payability, terrible language, sorry) so the claim continues, you just don't get money. Entitlement is entitlement, a bad decision on that and the claim is ended.

Sorry it's my fault I should have googled it first before asking. So basically I'm looking at a sort of 'suspension' of benefit money from JSA from 1 to X weeks for the refusal. Thanks it's a lot clearer now. Also, I think I'm going to follow the advises telling me to just be honest and write down my original reasons. (That I didn't know I couldn't refuse jobs and that I had applied for better jobs during that time.)

One last question though, is this a regular check-up? Since this was last month (more than even) I am afraid that another one of these letters will make way to me as I tend to not apply for all the jobs they gave me - mostly because they're ridiculous and sometimes, I honestly, just want to get out of the JC as fast as I could. (Yeah I know it's a bit ungrateful but I find looking for jobs myself better than sharing that monitor with my adviser.)

Kirri

kamecutie wrote: »

Thank you all for your responses. Glad I have received a considerable amount of advises here.



I'm sorry but what is a sanction? No I don't think the job is still open since it was supposedly given to me more than a month ago.

Am I completely understanding the letter? That after 7 days a decision will be made whether or not I will still be on benefit or not? What exactly is payability vs. entitlement?

@Kirri: I'm afraid that if I say 'yes, i've applied for the work' they'd ask for proof which I don't have. It's a bit scary seeing that they actually do monitor if I apply for the jobs or not.

They never seem to actually check, the main thing they regularly check is that people say yes or no to whether they applied. From everyone I spoke to in a similar situ they all said they never check with the company - anyway cv's can get lost in the post, how can they ever prove this. I know there will be a backlash on here but you have to put yourself first, you made an honest mistake over something they weren't clear about but now you need to make sure you still have food on the table, and money to heat your house etc... so don't bother this once to be honest as it really won't do you any favours.. as logic doesn't come into it with them, believe me I tried that and it got me nowhere but up against argumentative jobsworths. I was even told my one adviser just to say 'yes I've applied'. Just make sure you always apply for anything they give you in future or say no if it's very unsuitable.

kamecutie

@Kirri: Thank you very much for the advise. I think I'll have a chat with my adviser next week about this and see if he can help me. He looks like an amiable fellow enough.

Now I'm looking at past printouts to see what I have and have not applied for. Gosh. Lesson learned. Now I only need to wait for next week till I can pass the refusal letter back and wait for the outcome.

Say I get sanctioned however for X weeks. Do I need to sign-on or not anymore? With these sanctions it feels like signing off is a better option! (Which I might just do If I would be sanctioned.)

juliethemuse

my son was sanctioned and still had to sign on, he tried to get a hardship payment but was refused, as he lives with us, but its all ok as he's now got a job, but has had literally no money for 2 months,

kamecutie

@julietthemuse: that sounds horrible. at this rate i might as well sign off. i wouldnt want to go my JC for 2 months doing the same thing all over again and not getting paid.

can anyone tell me why i should stay even if sanctioned and not sign off? which is better?

Indie_Kid

You may not be sanctioned for 2 months.

kamecutie

sh1305 wrote: »

You may not be sanctioned for 2 months.

So sanctioned basically means no money for X weeks but I still need to sign on weekly (as i am currently in my 2nd week of the stage 3 6-week review)?