JSA sanction

Marisco

I've been asked by a friend of mine, who knows I'm a member of MSE, about sanctions. I told her I've not got a clue what happens, but I know people who do!! Her daughter has been sanctioned for, IMO nowt, apparently she was supposed to do 25 "actions" and she only did 23! (Whatever that means!!) I know this lass well and she is a genuine work seeker, anyway she got sanctioned and she wants to know if it affects her LHA or council tax benefits.

I've heard conflicting reports about this, and none of are clued up, so I thought I'd ask the "experts" If it does affect her LHA what is the course of action she needs to take? I think she said her sanction will last for 3 weeks? Unless they can find some other non reason somewhere down the line!! :mad:

richard9991

Marisco wrote: »

I've been asked by a friend of mine, who knows I'm a member of MSE, about sanctions. I told her I've not got a clue what happens, but I know people who do!! Her daughter has been sanctioned for, IMO nowt, apparently she was supposed to do 25 "actions" and she only did 23! (Whatever that means!!) I know this lass well and she is a genuine work seeker, anyway she got sanctioned and she wants to know if it affects her LHA or council tax benefits.

I've heard conflicting reports about this, and none of are clued up, so I thought I'd ask the "experts" If it does affect her LHA what is the course of action she needs to take? I think she said her sanction will last for 3 weeks? Unless they can find some other non reason somewhere down the line!! :mad:

she needs to go to the council and make a claim for Housing/LHA Whichever applies and council support on grounds of a low income.

HB58

As above. DWP with notify the housing peeps that JSA is no longer in payment, but not give a reason, so housing benefit will be suspended to avoid an overpayment. The first many claimants know about this is when there housing benefit is not paid I believe it is easy enough to make a claim on the grounds of low/no income.

RAS

the basics are

Protect her entitlement to LHA and CTB status urgently as the JC will tell them she is no longer entitled to JSA.

Ask for reconsideration or appeal depending on what stage she is at http://www.advice-birmingham.net/How-to-challenge-your-benefit-sanction.pdf

Only about 2% appeal and 85% of those are accepted.

Unfortunately they can insist that she makes 25 actions to get work and they do NOT accept that a really good focused application and CV can take more than 2 hours to complete. If she can evidence that she has made complex applications, then they may reconsider.

Apply for hardship payments after two weeks as well (if they applies).

For the future

1. People have been sanctioned for crazy things like going to a job interview at signing on time, being told to do 10 different actions and not using 10 different sources of employment opportunities etc.

2. On-line application systems provide automated acknowledgement records which she can use to boost the numbers if she needs to spend time researching other opportunities.

Marisco

Thanks for the replies folks, I'll let her know what she needs to do ASAP.

rogerblack

In addition, she may be entitled to hardship payments.
Many do not realise they may be, and don't claim.
JSA may pay something, even though sanctioned, in this case.

SailorSam

I know they're trying to weed-out those that don't want to work and prefer to sit on their bums, but falling short of 25 'actions' by only 2 seems to be like using a sledge hammer to crack an egg.

whodathunkit

SailorSam wrote: »

I know they're trying to weed-out those that don't want to work and prefer to sit on their bums, but falling short of 25 'actions' by only 2 seems to be like using a sledge hammer to crack an egg.

On the other hand, 25 actions in a week (or was it a fortnight?) isn't a lot to ask.

SailorSam

whodathunkit wrote: »

On the other hand, 25 actions in a week (or was it a fortnight?) isn't a lot to ask.

I presume an action is to write a job application, well i think to send off 25, (or 23) within a short period is quite a lot. I'd be interested to know how many replies the young lady got. A thanks-but-no-thanks by Email costs almost nothing.
Going back to the number of applications what do you do when there are just that number of jobs out there. Or should people write for any job no matter what their qualifications., then you'd have someone who'd been serving pints behind a bar expected to apply to be a Brain Surgeon; Airline Pilot or Premiership Footballer just to keep her numbers up.

martinthebandit

whodathunkit wrote: »

On the other hand, 25 actions in a week (or was it a fortnight?) isn't a lot to ask.

Is the right answer.

........and really it should be seen as a minimum target.

Marisco

SailorSam wrote: »

I presume an action is to write a job application, well i think to send off 25, (or 23) within a short period is quite a lot. I'd be interested to know how many replies the young lady got. A thanks-but-no-thanks by Email costs almost nothing.
Going back to the number of applications what do you do when there are just that number of jobs out there. Or should people write for any job no matter what their qualifications., then you'd have someone who'd been serving pints behind a bar expected to apply to be a Brain Surgeon; Airline Pilot or Premiership Footballer just to keep her numbers up.

She does do that Sam, she comes here to print off CV's, and takes them around, as well as online applications. She gets very few replies, not even a "sorry on this occasion........." Which is all wrong IMO. I don't know what "actions" really mean TBH, apart from the above, and she does plenty of those!!

This is exactly what I told her to do!! Nuclear physicist? chemical engineer? artic driver? No problem!! This is how daft it's gone!! Now the cynical half of me is saying that as she has recently (2 weeks ago!) turned 25, and her JSA has gone up from £56 to £71, they are trying to save a few quid, as she is doing nothing less than she did before her birthday!!