Missed job centre appointment yesterday

crazyshady

And it was a genuine mistake! I sign on this week again but the last time I signed on I signed on a bit earlier due to having an interview and this interview was me leaving the work programme. The person I saw was 15 minutes late so by the time the interview started it was near enough my normal signing time anyway and that lasted another 20 minutes. I explained that my Mum had died 4 weeks ago and that I would be applying for carer's allowance for my Dad which she agreed with, she said JSA was not the benefit for me but until I got a letter back saying when the start date of it was and when I'd be signed over to Income Support I still had to sign on as usual and do all the other JSA related things.

She said because she was later than expected that she didn't have the time to explain everything to me so booked me in for a Helping You Back To Work group session and it would be people just like me and she looked through the diary and found one for Friday morning at 9.30 and asked if that was ok which I did and told me to ask for my busfare money because it was on a day I don't sign on but she wanted me in for another interview soon afterwards so she booked me in for a interview on Tuesday, she wanted a half hour one but the person she booked it with only had 20 minutes free the entire day so I was booked in then and again I've to ask for the cost of my busfare. Then on the Wednesday I sign on as usual. Basically everyday we've been doing different things, we are trying to get a new house so we're at the local housing offices, my Dad's got his own benefits to sort out, everyday we are filling in forms or I'm having to phone people up on behalf of my Dad and it literally just slipped my mind until I went to fill in my job diary on Friday afternoon and by that time the Job Centre had closed. It's also closed today as I tried phoning.

Do you think I am better phoning the number on the letter for the group session and explaining or waiting till the interview on Tuesday and explaining face to face what happened? I've never ever missed any appointment before, not even with the 2 year Work Programme and I don't want my money to get sanctioned. It is my fault. I know with the interview 2 weeks ago they did send me a text message reminding me of it and the woman did say to me if Friday at 09.30am was going to be ok for me and I was the one who said yes. It does say on the letter that if you fail to attend the interview and do not have a good reason you could lose your JSA and National Insurance contributions. I haven't had a chance to explain myself yet so what I'm wanting to ask is if any of you have had this appointment before or maybe missed it and what happened? Would someone already have made a decision on my benefit being sanctioned or not? Am i better talking on the phone to someone and them maybe making a decision over the phone or speaking to the advisor on Tuesday face to face. I don't know who makes the decisions, i know it used to be someone in the actual Job Centre that did it, a decision maker. Should I phone on Monday and explain and ask for another appointment? I don't know the best way to go about it.

pmlindyloo

Sorry for your loss. It must be a very difficult time for you trying to sort everything out.

To prevent a sanction being applied to need to show 'good cause' for missing your appointment.

From what you say, your caring duties, recent bereavement and resulting upheaval may come under the category of 'good reason'.

However, as you know, it is the Decision Maker who will make that call.

Personally I would call them on Monday and explain. If they say it will be going to a Decision Maker then ask if you can write a letter to support your 'good cause'. Then put your reasons, emphasising your caring duties down on paper. If you can hand it in at the Job Centre.

You should apply for Carer's Allowance asap. This can be 'topped up' by Income Support. You can make both claims at the same time. I presume your dad is receiving DLA at the middle/high rate of DLA?

If you are sanctioned then I believe you should appeal as being a carer you should be exempt form Job Seeking. At least that is my understanding.

You might want to ask for some support from CAB.

crazyshady

Thanks for your reply. When I signed on at the interview 10 days ago I was given the form and that was filled out and posted the next day. I haven't heard anything back yet, I'm not sure how long it takes but my Dad is on high rate DLA as my Mum was his carer, they didn't see any reason why I would be refused but said I still had to fulfill my JSA duties which I've never had a problem with. I always get told how detailed my job diary is. Also, I felt like there was some give with that appointment. It wasn't like this is your appointment, you must be here or else. She did say to me if 9.30 was ok and she had a thing on her desk with the different things they have going all week so it seemed like something they do regularly and it just so happened that Friday morning was the next date for me.

I know from seeing other people go through it in the past and I'm sure it happened to me once when I was ill and had to fill a form out that it did go to a decision maker. I don't know how it is now, I know things are much more strict but back then the decision maker was in the actual building and funnily enough the advisor did say to me that I shoudld attend this group session and then the meeting on Tuesday or else a decision maker would decide whether a sanction was necassary and when she said it she pointed up giving the impression that it is infact somewhere there that does it. She said to me if I can't make it to give the number on the letter a call and she understands that things happen in life, i remember her saying something about boilers bursting lol and she said just to give them the courtesy of knowing you can't make it just like you would be if you were working in a job and couldn't make it in.

I don't have that luxury because I didn't remember until the place had closed. My sister who has recently started signing on and I think is close to signing off due to maybe getting a job, she got sanctioned and she missed an appointment with the Work Programme. I think when that happened they didn't stop all her money, they took some off it. I know she got sanctioned again and it was for 2 weeks. She said because it's my first time nothing would happen but I'm not sure. If I phone up on Monday, probably speak to someone in a completely different city from me, would they pass my claim onto a decision maker or if I waited till the Tuesday morning for my meeting and spoke to them face to face, would it be like it used to be and it would be someone upstairs who makes the decision because I feel like if I can speak to someone face to face I can come across a lot better, it's been put on my claim file that I am applying for carer's allowance. The lady told me that last week, she said anytime you speak to someone in here they should be asking you how that is going and if you have had any word.

I just hope they haven't made a decision yet regarding my money because I would like to get my point across and I'm hoping that it is someone in the building that makes the decision because I can show that I've never missed any appointment at the job centre or the work programme and that my Mum has passed away and I have applied for Carer's Allowance and it is a genuine mistake, it just slipped my mind until it was too late.

Shiloe

They won't have made a decision yet

It is not someone in the building that makes the decision regardless if you phone or go in face to face they will probably ask you to write your reasons for failing to attend

And lastly it doesn't matter if its your first time or tenth time if you don't show good reason you will get a sanction (and it will be for 4 or 13 weeks)

crazyshady

That's what I thought. My sister says not to even worry about it because the form was sent away 11 days ago and at that point I had marked the Carer's Allownce to start 6 weeks ago so right away that money adds up and then from the 11 days since then and then when they start paying me officially so that will cover anything I lose if I do get sanctioned and all I can do is just do what's required for JSA until the letter comes through like I was advised to, show up to the group sessions even though I wont be working any full time job nor will I be applying for any but not to mention that at any meetings and just keep signing on and filling the job booklet in as normal. The woman said to me not to sign off JSA until I get the letter telling me when my own start date for Carer's Allowance is.

People seem to think I should just wait and explain at the interview on Tuesday rather than calling tomorrow because the person on Tuesday was supposed to talk to me about the group session on Friday. I can explain why I never attended it and I'll certainly be writing an awful lot if I do get a chance to give my reasons then the next day when I sign on I can ask them if a decision has been made and if it has to tell me what I'm getting paid on Monday.

FlyingDodo

My son missed his appointment, which was a genuine mistake, he has mild learning difficulties and genuinely wrote it on the wrong week on his calendar, so turned up the week after he should have signed on. He had a letter from the job centre at the week end to say that he wouldn't receive any money from 15/11/13 to 12/12/13, personally I think its abit harsh how do they expect people to survive!?

crazyshady

It's terrible the way they do things. I got a txt message today reminding me of my appointment tomorrow. I wonder why they never sent me a txt reminding me of the group session on Friday.

The only way they get away with the 4 week sanctions like that is for people to speak up. But it's typical Britain and no one says anything and things just get worse and worse. I need to keep claiming JSA but that group session on Friday would have been no use to me anyway, just like the interview tomorrow and when I sign on on Wednesday my job diary will be full of lies because I'm not taking a full time job or applying for any full time jobs, I can't but I can't live with no benefits until my Carer's Allowance starts and i switch to Income Support.

FlyingDodo

I called into the job centre after work to question the length of the sanction and was told that he could write a letter to ask them to reconsider, but that the response would probably take a couple of weeks!! By which time the sanction would nearly be up!

osdset

Essential reading for anyone facing a sanction.
http://slutocracy.wordpress.com/2013/11/21/interview-with-a-job-centre-advisor-sanction-targets-corruption-revealed/