Late ESA payment - Lost medical certificate?

Monkeyballs

Hi,

The last doctors certificate which I sent to Jobcentre + seems to have gone astray (I sent it almost 2 weeks ago) which means my ESA payments have stopped (first missed payment was on Monday this week).

I have called and spoken to Jobcentre + and they have told me to keep calling back on the off chance it has arrived and they'll ensure a same day payment...

Surely if it's been a couple of weeks this isn't the best course of action as I could be doing this for days? Is this standard process or have I just had a duff advisor?

Cheers,

MB

nannytone_2

go to your GP and get a duplicate sick note, take it to your JC and they can fax it over.
then send the original RECORDED delivery

rogerblack

It hasn't been two weeks.
It often takes 10 days or so for mail to get to them.

To quote a lengthy but relevant freedom of information request.

The amount of time it takes to receive a letter varies. Typically the process for a second
class business reply letter addressed to the new Mail Opening Units is as follows:

Working day 1
• Customer posts envelope in local post box (Pre last collection time)
• Envelope collected by Royal Mail Group (RMG) and delivered to local delivery
office and then sent to the Mail Centre (regional mail sorting centre) and is
mechanically sorted
Working day 2/3
• Envelope processed and delivered to Wolverhampton sorting office by Royal Mail
– 2nd class delivery aim is a three working days, though non priority can take up
to 5 days to be delivered
• Wolverhampton then sort the mail into postcodes
Working day 4
• Mail is sorted and delivered by RMG to the New Mail Opening Units.
• Envelope opened by Cofely and sorted using sortation plan, ready for collection
by TNT.
• TNT collect mail and deliver to their distribution centre and then forward to
delivery depot by geographical location
Working day 5
• Receipted at TNT delivery depot. TNT deliver mail to relevant offices (Timings
dependant on existing agreed delivery times)

You will see from the description in “Working day 2/3” that Royal Mail can take 3-5 days
and accordingly this may delay the final delivery by 1-2 days. In addition, if the letter is
addressed to the geographical address rather than the Mail Opening address there will
be an extra day added in as the letter has to be diverted though the Royal Mail system.

We do not hold statistics on delays because there is no way to capture this information
due to the variable nature of the delivery service.

Loss of mail would only come to light if the customer contacted us to query why they had
not heard about their claim and we do not hold data specifically about this.

So, it takes _at least_ a week to get to where it can be looked at.
Then there are additional delays internally.

Monkeyballs

Hi,

Thanks for the replies, my brother gave me the same info - done and done

The frustrating thing is that without fail I get a reminder on the day my last certificate ends asking for it to arrive no later than the following day and my GP refuses to give me another before my last one runs out!

It's not been a problem in the past but this time I called as I had to change my address and the guy I spoke to warned me that it should be there a week before to avoid any delays but he 'noted' my details after advising there should be no problem... Sods law it's got lost

I just need to figure out how to convince my GP to sign me off again before my old one runs out... Or am I missing a trick here?

Thanks,

MB

nannytone_2

i had a similar issue, but my payment wasnt held up fortunately.
my sicj note ran out on a saturday, but i couldnt get a new one until the monday.
i phoned DWP and told then and they said to get the fit note as soon as possible and to have it faxed over and so it probably arrived far sooner than it would have by post

Monkeyballs

Hi Nannytone,

That's a good idea, I wish they'd suggested it LOL oh well, I'll call and ask for a fax number or I might just swing by the Jobcentre and ask them to fax/scan it next time.

Cheers for the advice!

MB

theyre-all-lies

Monkeyballs says


Jobcentre + and they have told me to keep calling back on the off chance it has arrived and they'll ensure a same day payment...


Yesterday I had to send a sick note via my local jc advisor. normally I would get a same day payment as my payment was due Monday, however...... I have had a callback this morning from the payment section who said..

We are unable to recall the three day payment. We have been instructed that any sick noted that come in and are due are paid using the three day payment. System... We don't have the same day payment facility anymore...all payments are three day.


I have read the law today and it says, in summery that as soon as a payment is duebit must be paid by the fastest administrative method.


I believe I have been lied to regarding the ceasement of the same day payment option.


I would love to challenge it legally but can anyone confirm,deny or add anything.


five day late payment=missed direct debits, fees and charges. Total cost to me of them refusing same day payment is around £75 + no electricity till Friday..nice

theyre-all-lies

MB.... Incidentally, only the jc can fax your sick note. To get appt for this you must have the sick note then ring the enquiry line for an appt.

Monkeyballs

Hi Tal,

I did get the impression that they were making it up as they went along... Luckily I'm still getting some occupational sick pay (I have one month more left before it's stopped) on Friday and I still have some cash in the bank but I'd like to know what to do in future if it comes to it...

MB

theyre-all-lies

Best thing to do is when you get sick note ring up for appt at local jc to hand in sick note. They may try to tell you to post It at this point, don't let them fob you off. Insist That you have an appt or say an advisor told you to make the appt due to previous problems, no need to Sa more.


when you go in, make sure they have everything they need, ask for a photocopy of your sick note, signed by the advisor as received and the date in case of problems.
they will fax, email it to processing centre then its in the hands of the gods as to when you get paid lol

Monkeyballs

Well, it's not arrived and it's after the point they said it should...

So I called up and spoke to a guy (who was actually much more pleasant) who said that the certificate had been received and payment will be made shortly.

I asked him to confirm if it would be made today and then he apologised as, despite instruction for a same day transfer it had been sent on 3 day so should arrive on Monday (although to check on Saturday) LOL

Still, at this point I'm not overly worried but in future it could be a bit of a mare... He did advise that in future I should just get the Jobcentre to scan it on the day I get it to avoid any delays and said if they try to object I should say it's an emergency and that I have no money! I guess that does qualify as an emergency, or may do soon if I lose my job/income

MB