Urgent Question

A_Couple_In_Love

Can the job centre stop your money if you fail a work activity without informing you first?

Eg. Do they have to send you a letter for you to explain why you didn't attend, and if it your reason wasn't good enough, they THEN stop your benefits.

Or is it the other way around, they stop your money first, then you appeal?

HappyMJ

If you didn't attend a work activity then get onto them to give them a reason before they stop your payments. They will send a letter telling you they will be stopping the payments but if you get onto them first then they might not.

A_Couple_In_Love

HappyMJ wrote: »

If you didn't attend a work activity then get onto them to give them a reason before they stop your payments. They will send a letter telling you they will be stopping the payments but if you get onto them first then they might not.

When they send you a letter, don't you have to reply with your reason for not attending before they stop it?

pmlindyloo

A_Couple_In_Love wrote: »

When they send you a letter, don't you have to reply with your reason for not attending before they stop it?

You have to be proactive about this.

Have you told them why you didn't attend? This is only good manners.

You seen to be saying that you haven't contacted them and are waiting for them to ask youwhy you didn't attend. Is that right?

You should have contacted them on the day or the day after to give good reason why you didn't attend.

They do not send a letter asking you why you didn't attend. It is your responsibility to let them know. They are not so caring that they will continue paying you until they find out why. It doesn't work like that

For all they know you have found a job!

They will stop your benefits and then you can appeal the decision if you disagree with it.

rogerblack

In principle, generally yes, you need to be sent a letter, and then you have a period to respond before the sanction.
However - letters can be lost in the post.

Morglin

You should receive a letter first, telling you how to appeal, if you disagree etc., but it would be best if you contacted them first, with your reasons.

Lin

epitome

If you fail to attend they will send you a letter as soon as the relevant department becomes aware, they will give you 5 days to respond and then make a decision on the evidence at hand, which is usually no evidence other than the referral form provided by the people who you were supposed to attend - but did not, but maybe you spoke to them on the phone about it and so they might have written some comments about what you had said over the phone. So with no written reasons from you they will go ahead and make a decision, usually the decision will be to sanction you. So a letter will then go out to you to inform you that you have been sanctioned, and they will inform the BC to start the sanction. If your reasons are subsequently received (in answer to the first letter) they will look at them and make a new decision.

If it is FTA Work Program the department who write to you is called the LMDM. If you want to not wait for the letter but wish to supply your reasons before the letter comes, just make sure you put name, address, nino, and the date you missed an appointment, and what it was for, and mark on the letter that this is for the attention of LMDM.

And re-book a new appointment ASAP so that your sanction can be lifted after you have attended.