Help conflicting JSA advise

andyinlondon

Hi all

Sorry about the long post but I need some advise.

I got a letter on the 31st of dec 2013 telling me that I was made redundant that day and as the company had gone bust there was no redundancy money or notice money and that the expenses I was owed were lost,I had worked for this company for over 9 years.

I tried to apply for JSA online and got a phone call to attend an interview but then got another phone call later the same day telling me that they were cancelling my application and that I should apply again but for contribution based JSA instead.

I then got another phone call asking that I attend an interview with my wife and that they would not process any application from meat all, but would instead do an application for my wife to top up her benefits instead.



I have to say I am completely confused by all this,



We have two children and the oldest is registered disabled and my wife is his carer and gets care allowance and child benefit and my son gets some dla but only the care component.

She is also attending university and gets a student loan.

The job centre staff seemed to fixate on the student loan, completely ignoring the fact that it is a loan and must be paid back and is not an income and also that as a student she would not be available for work, ignoring the fact that as a carer she was not available for work anyway. We had been juggling the care between us as he got older so that now she could go to uni without missing too many lectures, not something an employer would tolerate.



The job centre staff said that this was the best way forward for us but could not give any figures to support that or tell us how it was best or why?



So would we be better off doing something different?

Thanks

Andy

marliepanda

You should be able to apply for JSA yourself, but you will need to declare your wife's income etc. Maybe it's got confused with it needing to be a joint claim?

They will take into account her loan though. It is income. Otherwise people wouldn't take the loans and take non repayable benefits instead.

alexjonsson

Even so, given that he worked for the company for nine years could it not be assumed that the OP would qualify for contributions based JSA anyway - therefore the wife's income would not be relevant.

The more important issue however, and i haven't checked the OP's other posts, is this:

andyinlondon wrote: »

Hi all

I got a letter on the 31st of dec 2013 telling me that I was made redundant that day and as the company had gone bust there was no redundancy money or notice money and that the expenses I was owed were lost,I had worked for this company for over 9 years.

Isn't that illegal? My understanding is that the government will pay up if the employer can't?

I'm sure someone with more knowledge will be along in a minute to clear this up.

andyinlondon

Thanks for the replies, and to answer some of your questions and comments.
i should be able to get some redundancy and a payment in lieu of notice from the government eventually, but the reciever has to do his bit first then the application has to go to the gvmt dept to be processed and then i should eventually get something, but that all takes time and i need to live, pay bills and mortgage ect untill then.

The jobe center staff said i qualified for contribution based jsa but said they would not process it and insisted on making a top up application for my wife but would not say why. and would not give any figures to support their decision.
So i am left high and dry worried and more than a bit confused by it all.

sammyjammy

You need to insist on making a claim for JSA, they cannot refuse to let you do this, make the claim online.

Sam

mikey_bach

andyinlondon wrote: »

Hi all

The job centre staff seemed to fixate on the student loan, completely ignoring the fact that it is a loan and must be paid back and is not an income and also that as a student she would not be available for work, ignoring the fact that as a carer she was not available for work anyway. We had been juggling the care between us as he got older so that now she could go to uni without missing too many lectures, not something an employer would tolerate.
Thanks

Andy

If your wife is in full time education with a student loan should she be claiming carers allowance.
Do they know about this ???

Also as said make a claim for JSA conts, your wfes student loan would mean that you probably wouldnt be entitled to JSA IR for her anyway

andyinlondon

mikey_bach wrote: »

If your wife is in full time education with a student loan should she be claiming carers allowance.
Do they know about this ???

Also as said make a claim for JSA conts, your wfes student loan would mean that you probably wouldnt be entitled to JSA IR for her anyway

What are you trying to imply?

everything we have done has always been above board and honest, It is not my fault that I have been made redundant, and applying for benefits is most certainly not a lifestyle choice or whatever else you are trying to imply, but simply a little help until I find work again, very soon I hope.

If anything we are to honest and declare everything including the student loan and that is what is causing the confusion and problems, I am sure that if we were trying to scam the system as you imply then we would have a much easier time of it.

But thanks for your helpful input anyway it is always heartwarming when people pull together to help each other.

andyinlondon

I don't know blondebubbles, we gave all the details when the claim for carers allowance was made and the annual renewal, as i said before we are totally above board and as i have not made any claim for unemployment benefits before i am completly baffeled by all the inns and outs of it all and i cannot get a strait answer from anyone as to what i can claim for or not.
i do not intend to be unemployed for long but i do need some help right now.............
why is it so difficult?

andyinlondon

Well now that i am unemployed it would make sense to tranfer the carer status to me, as i will be doing most of it anyway, that would simplify things perhaps?

as for the CAB the nearest one is 15 miles away and only open on tue and thursday, but i will go next tue good idea thanks

mikey_bach

andyinlondon wrote: »

What are you trying to imply?

everything we have done has always been above board and honest, It is not my fault that I have been made redundant, and applying for benefits is most certainly not a lifestyle choice or whatever else you are trying to imply, but simply a little help until I find work again, very soon I hope.

If anything we are to honest and declare everything including the student loan and that is what is causing the confusion and problems, I am sure that if we were trying to scam the system as you imply then we would have a much easier time of it.

But thanks for your helpful input anyway it is always heartwarming when people pull together to help each other.

I am not trying to imply anything.
Its just usually the case if someone is in full time education and in receipt of a grant then they are not usually entitled to Carers Allowance.

You said in your opening post the Job center seemed VERY interested in this I was only pointing out, why this they may be.
I am not saying you haven't informed CA at all about this,

As said you can claim JSA conts for yourself just make the claim on line.
Good luck with your job hunting and hope you have luck soon

or you can transfer the CA to yourself, usually you could then claim I.S as a couple but as your wife has a student loan then you may not be entitled to I.S.
but this will not stop you getting the CA

andyinlondon

mikey_bach wrote: »

Its just usually the case if someone is in full time education and in receipt of a grant

She is not in reciept of a grant.......... student loan is not a grant it is a loan and must be paid back ?