DWP !!!!-up leads to JSA sanction

patman99

Got a letter yesterday informing me that as the good people at Basildon BDC had not received back the questionnaire about my PPI policy that covers my mortgage, they have stopped my JSA.
Phoned my mortgage co. and they confirmed form MI12 had been filled-in and returned in Feb. phoned DWP and was told form MI12 had been received, but this was not the form they wanted.
Told them that this was the only form they had sent me, so they have agreed to send another mortgage protection policy questionnaire out.

This really winds-me up. I've had to tell the management company that I pay my flat's service charge to that they won't be getting their money until this is sorted out as I will be needing the cash to put fuel in my car to get to the job I start on Monday week.

Adereterial

You've not been sanctioned, your benefit has just been suspended until they get the information they need.

You can request a Crisis Loan for food/fuel etc if that will help.

patman99

I know about crisis loans, just do not need the hassle of applying, then having to pay it all back out of my first months wages. What with knowing I will lose 10 hours pay when I start my new job in just over a week due to 2 hospital appointments in April (luckily the day after my eye op, it is the Royal Wedding, so a bank holiday).

bestpud

patman99 wrote: »

I know about crisis loans, just do not need the hassle of applying, then having to pay it all back out of my first months wages. What with knowing I will lose 10 hours pay when I start my new job in just over a week due to 2 hospital appointments in April (luckily the day after my eye op, it is the Royal Wedding, so a bank holiday).

They will pay you the money you would have received in a lump sum once it is sorted, so surely you could use that to repay any loan?

Adereterial

A Crisis Loan will pay you about £100 max, I guess, from Monday.

They'll set up deductions from your benefit initially, so when that's paid some of it will be taken to pay back the loan.

When you start work you won't have to pay it all back in one go, you can pay it back in instalments and they don't have to be large.

NASA_2

If benefit is suspended then they wont pay a crisis loan at all.

tcr_3

Problem is that the MPP policy might not just cover the mortgage, for all they know it might also give you an income after your housing costs have been paid from it ... and that will affect the amount of JSA you receive/have received. So benefit's been suspended because they can't work out how much you're entitled to ... they don't have the information they need to do the calculation.

Get the paperwork together then book yourself into the Job Centre to hand it in. Tell them it's urgent, you're starting a new job and that you need the information faxed to the Benefit Centre asap. It's quite a lot of paperwork you'll need to gather, your service charge bills, mortgage statement (it'll need to show the interest rate you're being charged), buildings insurance statement, endowment statement (if appropriate), details of the MPP policy itself ... how much it pays out, to whom the payments are made, how much the policy premium is each month.

I agree with NASA. Crisis Loans will be wary about making an award if benefit's suspended, although it all depends on the individual decision maker & how they view things. They might cut you some slack for a one off crisis loan considering the amount of documentary evidence you need to gather together.

Adereterial

NASA wrote: »

If benefit is suspended then they wont pay a crisis loan at all.

You're mistaken.

If benefit is SANCTIONED or DISALLOWED Crisis Loans won't pay.

This does not apply in this case, the OP is not sanctioned, the BC have determined without certain information they are not in a position to determine benefit entitlement.

NASA_2

Adereterial wrote: »

You're mistaken.

If benefit is SANCTIONED or DISALLOWED Crisis Loans won't pay.

This does not apply in this case, the OP is not sanctioned, the BC have determined without certain information they are not in a position to determine benefit entitlement.

I'm quite certain you are right as far as the regulations etc. go.

My experience is that the Social Fund officer will refuse the application on the basis of the suspension because the claimant has either deprived themselves of an income or has other income available ie. if they provide the information to get the suspension lifted.

tcr_3

Crisis Loans regularly cough up when a customer can't get a medical certificate on time & benefit payment is delayed ... so I suspect they'd do the same here & make a one off award, to give the OP time to get their paperwork sorted out.

Tbh you might as well toss a coin with C/L decisions nowadays. It's now all telephone based & the certainties of a few years ago have gone by the wayside.