JSA about to run out?

Biggsy6845

I have been out of work now since July last year and have been receiving JSA. Today I received a letter from Jobcentre Plus about my benefits, below is what is written.

"Jobseekers allowance based on National Insurance contributions is payable up to a maximum of 182 days based on one set of tax years. Our records show that you have received 165 days allowance, including payment up to 7 January 2014.

Your jobseekers allowance based on National Insurance contributions will soon run out.

You may still be able to get Jobseekers allowance if you do not have enough money to live on. Ask at this office about Jobseekers allowance based on your income."

Does this mean that they are stopping my money? I did try to phone them but with it being a Saturday they are closed. I am absolutely fuming about this right now. What is the point of paying in my National Insurance for all these years if I don't get anything back from it when I need the help? Also I am on medication and obviously at the moment I don't pay for it, does this also mean that my free prescription will stop? If I come off this medication then I will end up extremely poorly and close to suicide.

How do they expect me to live on nothing? If I do not have any money then I will not be able to go for job interviews because I won't have money to pay the travel costs.

Anybody with any help please. I'm totally confused, angry and just do not know what to do.

Thanks.

jacques_chirac

Do you have a partner that works, or capital over £16,000? If not you should apply for income based JSA.

I'm sorry to say you were not entitled to free prescriptions whilst on CB JSA, unless you were also claiming a means tested element?

Caz3121

If you do not have a working partner or savings over £16k you will receive JSA income based. Contributions based last 26 weeks after which time it stops and, if you have a partner/savings there are no further payments but if not you should receive the same amount but classed as income based

jobseeking_help

Biggsy

Don't start panicking yet.

You are currently recieving Contribution Based JSA because you have presumably paid sufficient NI contribs over the past 2 tax years.

However JSA C only lasts for 6 mths.

Your JCP adviser should have made you aware that your entitlement was due to cease. It is clearly stated when you are signed on. Also it is clearly stated whether the Benefit Delivery Centre who send you the JSA have also assessed you for Income Based JSA.

Please ask to see the screen when you are signed on and if it is not explained what is happening then ask for an explanation. It is your claim and you should be made aware of what is happening.

On Monday you need to contact either the BDC -0845 377 6001 or JCP and find out what your situation is. If you have not been assessed for JSA IB then you will need to complete a JSA 3 for BDC to assess your current financial status.

If you have been assessed for JSA IB then whatever amount you are eligible for should commence automatically when JSA C ceases. You may still want to complete a JSA3 if you are not receiving on JSA IB the same amount you were on JSA C. This will then reassess your current financial status - it is likely that you have less savings etc then when you were assessed at the beginning of your claim.

PS - On JSA IB you are automatically eligible for 'free' / reduced costs on prescriptions etc which you are not on JSA C.

Good luck

Biggsy6845

Thanks for the advice guys. I understand now about the contribution based JSA. It's coming up to the 6 month mark of receiving this payment so I'm thinking that it will go onto the Income Based JSA. I do not have partner who is not working (we don'e live together) and I have a total of about 10 pence in savings (in an old building society book.) I was starting to get worried.

I signed on last Tuesday and they said nothing at the job centre, mind you they are totally useless in that place. I went one time and the guy threatened to stop my money, saying I wasn't doing enough to look for work, so applying for roughly 3 jobs a week isn't enough? Will give them a call on Monday morning and see what is going on. I do remember years ago I was out of work for about 2 months, had moved towns, and my money didn't go in the bank one week. I ended up having to threaten them with a visit to my local MP which worked and the money was in my account straight away.

jacques_chirac

Biggsy6845 wrote: »

I went one time and the guy threatened to stop my money, saying I wasn't doing enough to look for work, so applying for roughly 3 jobs a week isn't enough?

No, it's not. Expect your agreement to be amended in the near future to reflect a far higher amount of job seeking activities.

sniggings

normally when you apply for JSA the form you fill out is also the form for JSA income based so the transition from contribution based JSA to income based JSA is seamless, I believe with some it was the case or still is the case that some people are only given the contribution based JSA form at the start of a new claim, so the move to income based JSA requires you to fill out a new form, they should have explained this to you when the date is near at the job center.

Chances are you will have a seamless transition, but it's worth ringing up and asking, you could ask your adviser but when I was in this position around 6 months ago, my adviser said I had to fill in the form, so I got stressed as you have, so I rang up to get the form and luckily the woman on the phone stopped I didn't need it, as I had filled in the joint income/contribution JSA form at the begining, so if I were you I would ring and not rely on your adviser.

Biggsy6845

sniggings wrote: »

normally when you apply for JSA the form you fill out is also the form for JSA income based so the transition from contribution based JSA to income based JSA is seamless, I believe with some it was the case or still is the case that some people are only given the contribution based JSA form at the start of a new claim, so the move to income based JSA requires you to fill out a new form, they should have explained this to you when the date is near at the job center.

Chances are you will have a seamless transition, but it's worth ringing up and asking, you could ask your adviser but when I was in this position around 6 months ago, my adviser said I had to fill in the form, so I got stressed as you have, so I rang up to get the form and luckily the woman on the phone stopped I didn't need it, as I had filled in the joint income/contribution JSA form at the begining, so if I were you I would ring and not rely on your adviser.

Thanks for that advice. They are totally useless at my job centre and when you want something explaining all they do is tell you to phone the regional office, they never explain it themselves. It doesn't take 5 minutes to just go through it with you and tell you what is happening, I thought that is what they are there for?

sniggings

Biggsy6845 wrote: »

I thought that is what they are there for?

that's your mistake, what they are there for is to get you out of the house every 2 weeks, and put pressure on you to find work, they are not there to help you, what ever gave you the idea an adviser was there to advise :rotfl:

Biggsy6845

sniggings wrote: »

that's your mistake, what they are there for is to get you out of the house every 2 weeks, and put pressure on you to find work, they are not there to help you, what ever gave you the idea an adviser was there to advise :rotfl:

Could have something to do with the job title.

I wouldn't mind but I am on their site and other employment sites every day, I even had a look on Christmas day. There is only one guy there who seems to know what he is doing and is very helpful from what I've seen, but I never get the chance to see him.

I'm still owed 5 days pay from the agency I worked through before but I was told I wasn't due any. When I threatened to take it further I was warned off by them, they basically said I wouldn't work for them ever again if I did, but that's another story.

sniggings

Biggsy6845 wrote: »

Could have something to do with the job title.

I wouldn't mind but I am on their site and other employment sites every day, I even had a look on Christmas day. There is only one guy there who seems to know what he is doing and is very helpful from what I've seen, but I never get the chance to see him.

I'm still owed 5 days pay from the agency I worked through before but I was told I wasn't due any. When I threatened to take it further I was warned off by them, they basically said I wouldn't work for them ever again if I did, but that's another story.

I hope you replied "and that's a threat, I can't work for you again :rotfl:"

I know how you feel, I have just got a job after a year, start soon, will not be much better off, if at all, time I pay my travel costs and council tax etc but at least it will ge me out of the house and get them off my back, and hopefully will lead to something better.