Do I qualify as a postal claimant for JSA?

soundbox

Hi everyone,

Currently, I am claiming JSA, and live a 15-20min walk from my nearest Jobs & Benefits office. However, my lease is up on 9th September, and I'll be moving back in with my (retired) father - in a small village 21 miles away from where I am now. As such, I will be switching signing-on from my current office, to another, closer office. This nearest office is still 12miles from my home. Working out travel times, it would take me an hour to walk to the nearest bus stop, travel to the town where the office is located, and walk around to the office itself to sign on. To complicate things, the bus timetable can have 1-2 hours between available buses to return home. So I could end up having to wait a considerable time to get the bus home, plus the hour it takes walking and travelling on the bus itself.

I'm pretty certain that, these circumstances - coupled with the fact I'm currently 5 months pregnant - mean I would qualify as a postal jsa claimant. (And I'm told by a friend, would also qualify for aid with travel expenses because of the remote location). Can anyone in the know or with similar experience confirm this?


The reason I'm looking for assurance, is that I was signed on at an office a few years ago, whilst I lived at my dad's. This office was actually further still - 15miles away by car, and two bus changes, meaning an hour travel to one town, at least a 10min wait for another bus, then an added 50min journey to arrive at the office to sign on. That didn't include the waits and the journey home! In the interview when I first came in, I asked about postal signing or signing on by phone due to living so far away & the travel over. She told me a flat "no - you have to come and sign on in person". At this stage, I was also not informed about aid with travel expenses. Since, I've been told different stories saying I should have qualified, including one by my sister who at the least, got travel expenses aid.

For my own peace of mind so I can argue my case if need be, however, I would like the assurance. I'm not sure how far away you need to be for postal claiming to become applicable, and googling hasn't turned up anything official or helpful at all.

Thanks for any responses

thegirlintheattic

No one can tell you but the Job Center as they assess each application for postal signing on individually. The criteria is pretty much that the journey would be expectionly difficult or expensive. So you'd need to present your case to the job center. Does anyone else in the village sign on? Do they have postal signing on?

As for travelling expenses, I've never heard these given for signing on, only for job interviews. Again, check with your adviser.

soundbox

I'm sure there are others in the village who sign on, but I'm not aware of who they are - the friends I have who I grew up with there have moved, are students, or have jobs. So I'm not in a position to question that specifically in regards to others in the same location. However - I am aware of a friend of mine, who lived half the distance I do (6, not 12 miles) from her office with a more regular bus timetable, who was able to apply for postal signing. I would assume that means I more than qualify?

I forget the correct term, but the travel expenses aid I know is meant to be issued from your initial interview, in form of a card pass you show to the bus driver for a discount on your public transport.

I should mention - I live in Northern Ireland, not England, so it's possible some of these things differ.

thegirlintheattic

I don't know the situation in NI, probably a lot different to England. Hopefully someone will be able to come along and fill us all in.

Notmyrealname

The nearest signing on to my town is 15 miles away and the last time I claimed benefits, I was not offered postal signing.