Need advice about missing jsa appointment

Morlock

ArtoDeeto wrote: »

You are wrong. If it's a one off there is loads of digression, some people in the Jobcentre have claimed at the Jobcentre and know what it is like.

"Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) claimants who have failed to do enough to find work, turned down jobs offered to them, or not turned up to appointments have had their benefits payments suspended 580,000 times since new tougher rules were introduced in October last year...

...20% were sanctioned because they didn’t have a good reason for missing a meeting at the Jobcentre."

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/benefit-sanctions-ending-the-something-for-nothing-culture

I very much doubt that 'forgetting' is considered a good reason to miss an appointment at the Jobcentre.

trukdiver

ArtoDeeto wrote: »

You are wrong. If it's a one off there is loads of digression, some people in the Jobcentre have claimed at the Jobcentre and know what it is like. If you can demonstrate you had an interview an advisor would have to be a Pshycho to refer it as it would never be sanctioned.

The advisors don't have any discretion (not digression...). They are not the ones who decide - it's done by another centre. They used to be able to , but not under the new system.

kizzie_nikita

Right, this happened to me 2 weeks ago. If you miss your signing on appointment, they immediately close your claim (as they did with mine). So ring them, they will tell you your claim has been closed, and then you need to do a rapid re-claim and take things from there.

kizzie_nikita

Morlock wrote: »

Go to the Jobcentre as soon as you feel better (within 7 days otherwise you will need a medical certificate from the doctor), tell them you were ill and fill in a self-certification sick form.

This is wrong, even though you can be ill for upto 7 days, you only have 5 days to inform the JC that you have been ill, otherwise once again they will close your claim.

osdset

"Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) claimants who have failed to do enough to find work, turned down jobs offered to them, or not turned up to appointments have had their benefits payments suspended 580,000 times since new tougher rules were introduced in October last year...

IDS commented yesterday at the Work and Pensions Committee that 'sanctions are a last resort'. That's a heck of a lot of last resort cases.

trukdiver

osdset wrote: »

IDS commented yesterday at the Work and Pensions Committee that 'sanctions are a last resort'. That's a heck of a lot of last resort cases.

The trouble with missed "appointments" is that they don't actually give a list of signing dates - they tell you the first time/date + every 2 weeks thereafter but leave you to work out the dates yourself. That leaves plenty of room for error if you're not well organised... Or maybe they do it hoping people will make mistakes?

I had my JSA stopped a few months ago. During a 4 week period, I'd had 8 interviews and attended a 3 day course (which they had paid for). I went in to the JC a couple of days before my signing day to tell them about an interview and, while I was there, had been reminded I had an appointment with my advisor the following week. This would normally be on my usual signing date but on this occasion my advisor had been on holiday and scheduled it for the following week, in addition to (not instead of) my normal signing. after being excused on my previous signing day (because of the course and interviews) I'd lost track of my signing dates and turned up for the new appointment only to find I should have signed, as usual, the week before! Being stupid is not an acceptable reason and I lost 4 weeks JSA:rotfl: