JSA or SICK?

swingaloo

My son has an appointment to sign on for JSA this afternoon.
His situation is not so straight forward though. He has just been diagnosed with cancer and had a tumour removed. We know he is going to have a course of chemo but this is going to start after Xmas. He also has a heart condition for which he is having tests done.

Between now and Xmas he has 4 hospital appointments already booked and there may be more to come. He is still having problems from the operation and on some days he feels generally unwell.

However he does want to get back to work.

So with this in mind, is it right to sign on for jobseekers as if he gets a job he will need to keep taking time off for appointments and will need quite a bit of time off when he has the chemo.

He says he feels a bit of a fraud just getting a sick note and claiming sick because if they asked him to work tomorrow he could manage it but at the same time he knows he is going to be in for a rough few weeks which wouldnt go down well with a prospective employer.

Any thought on which approach would be best?

McKneff

As long as he is honest with a prospective emplloyer I cant see the problem, they will employ him knowing he has to tke time off.

Good for him for being so honest saying he could manage, lots wouldnt bother and just get a sick note.

Perhaps a word with the doctor might help. The Doctor may think that work will make things worse for him, ie maybe needing more rest than he realises after his appointments.

Hope all goes well for him. Hard to see your children in pain, I know

Regards
Annie

outofmoney

Not quite the same but many years ago I had to give up my work when I fell pregnant with twins. My Dr had put me on bed rest for a week but would not sign me off for longer. Due to this I had to sign on. Now, like your son, I was reasonably fit for some jobs, but I knew many hospital appointments were to come and there would be days when I really wasn't going to be up to working. After signing on for some weeks they decided to put me on IB (ESA now?) This was because apart from what I already mentioned, no one wanted to employ someone pregnant with twins.

With your son, I'm guessing many employers may be reluctant too. Would he be able to handle the constant knock backs, would it affect his confidence?

My advice would be to get a sick note for the time being, if he can, and rest as much as possible. I think he is going to need all his strength. He can always do some volunteer work if he feels up to it. That will always look good on a CV.

Hope all goes well for him.

Killmark

Best option is to speak to CAB on welfare and Dr regarding side effects of treatments and then make an informed decision.