JSA claim - how long will it take and in the meantime any way of supporting myself?

Predaleko1984

As some of you know, I moved from ESA to JSA on Tuesday after 0pts on my ESA medical. I have been told it takes 14 days for JSA application to be processed and payment is always a bit behind.

Is there anyway I can get support between now and then? I've got £93 final ESA payment (delayed til Tuesday) and £87 DLA which is once a month.

pmlindyloo

Predaleko1984 wrote: »

As some of you know, I moved from ESA to JSA on Tuesday after 0pts on my ESA medical. I have been told it takes 14 days for JSA application to be processed and payment is always a bit behind.

Is there anyway I can get support between now and then? I've got £93 final ESA payment (delayed til Tuesday) and £87 DLA which is once a month.

Have you informed the council about the change so that they can keep your HB and CT reduction going?

All the following things to do are if you cannot borrow money from family/friends.

1. Cancel all your DDs and ring everyone and explain the situation. This will save you getting overdraft fees. If you pay electricity/gas/water by DD ask them if you are in credit and could you have the credit paid directly to your bank.

2. If you have debts then ring them and ask for some time to pay, explaining your circumstances. Usually they will give you a month leeway.

Everyone is usually very helpful if you explain that you have a short term problem. What they don't like is if you 'bury your head in the sand' and ignore them.

Then the only thing you have to worry about is food. If you are desperate you can go to CAB/Job Centre Plus and get referred to a food bank.

Although there may be help available from the Job Centre/local council the criteria are very strict and may not be awarded as quickly as you need it. Mainly because you can do the things above for the short term. Best to take responsibility for this yourself.

You only need to worry about feeding yourself if you have informed everyone else.

Most other suggestions take a little time, like selling things on ebay etc etc but may help in the future.

Having read your previous threads I realise you have been through a truly horrible time time.

Forget about getting your 'dream job' for the moment. Put together a CV and go to all the agencies/go in the shops/go into pubs/restaurants and ask for a job. Take anything for the moment. Being short of money and worried about your finances can make you hit 'rock bottom' without any other kind of stress so getting any kind of job may give you the 'lift' you need.

I wish you the very best of luck!

Predaleko1984

Hi pmlindyloo,

Thanks for your response. I've notified North Somerset Council as it's all online, and they send an e-mail of the changes you make too. I've cancelled the water bill Direct Debit as that's the only one I have. I'm paying off a loan at £4 a week I had from Satsuma still, so that's one debt I can kind of manage. I'm a bit worried about paying my partner's funeral off, as this will be the first month I am not paying. I think I should ring the funeral directors and inform them, or my partner's brother will take over for the time being.

Food is my top priority at the moment, and electric. That's all that matters to me.

As for CV, a friend of mine who works in recruitment for a bank is looking through it over the weekend and coming round to mine on Monday - if he can help modify it for me and tidy it up, we can get that task rolling. Anything will do just to keep a roof on my head.

It is a kick in the teeth - in the matter of a year I've gone from being "OK" financially, a sudden death, surviving on next to nothing on the ESA benefit. standing in an election and doing OK (25% of the vote), to getting zero on an ESA medical and not a penny to rub together. It doesn't break me.

Mersey_2

Predaleko1984 wrote: »

As some of you know, I moved from ESA to JSA on Tuesday after 0pts on my ESA medical. I have been told it takes 14 days for JSA application to be processed and payment is always a bit behind.

It really shouldn't take 14 days to process. Did JCP staff tell you this? Isn't their target 3 - 5 days?

missapril75

Back in the days of crisis loans, moving from one benefit to another - so long as there is no break in actual entitlement - would see a change in payment pattern but no period where someone should be without money unless the change involved switching from weekly pay to fortnightly.

I am, of course, describing the situation where benefits are paid on time.

In the event that the new claim just hasn't been paid yet - even though officially the person was due - sometimes the person would apply for a crisis loan because they had not been paid yet and their last benefit had run its course.

The social fund staff would recognise that there was an alternative to a crisis loan - ie payment of benefit that the person was actually entitled to - and the benefit staff would then process that payment, thus avoiding the pointless application for the crisis loan.

Isn't there scope for something similar now if, say, a short term benefit advance (is that what it's called?) is applied for or someone goes to the local authority and the reason for the "need" is simply that it's not been done yet?

I can see it may be a little different for the local authority but for a short term benefit advance it's still the DWP.

The DWP receiving a crisis loan application when the same DWP can identify that money is actually due - entitled money rather than discretionary - would just get their benefit colleagues to do that payment. It's common sense.

Has common sense flown out the window?

pmlindyloo

missapril75 wrote: »

Back in the days of crisis loans, moving from one benefit to another - so long as there is no break in actual entitlement - would see a change in payment pattern but no period where someone should be without money unless the change involved switching from weekly pay to fortnightly.

I am, of course, describing the situation where benefits are paid on time.

In the event that the new claim just hasn't been paid yet - even though officially the person was due - sometimes the person would apply for a crisis loan because they had not been paid yet and their last benefit had run its course.

The social fund staff would recognise that there was an alternative to a crisis loan - ie payment of benefit that the person was actually entitled to - and the benefit staff would then process that payment, thus avoiding the pointless application for the crisis loan.

Isn't there scope for something similar now if, say, a short term benefit advance (is that what it's called?) is applied for or someone goes to the local authority and the reason for the "need" is simply that it's not been done yet?

I can see it may be a little different for the local authority but for a short term benefit advance it's still the DWP.

The DWP receiving a crisis loan application when the same DWP can identify that money is actually due - entitled money rather than discretionary - would just get their benefit colleagues to do that payment. It's common sense.

Has common sense flown out the window?

There is such a thing as a short term advance. It is usually done on the telephone and you are asked 'in depth questions'. Having done one recently for a client it is really not worth the hassle.

Hopefully as this should be quite short term (and the Op still has a couple of payments to come) they may refuse as most 'debts'/DDs/need for electricity can be sorted out another way.

Predaleko1984

I've had the appointment at the job centre. The first set was to bring my ID in - Passport, tenancy agreement and Council Tax Bill. The second was very helpful. She knew I was a transfer and was aware of what happened re: my partner and the health issues. They can see a willing to work, and said I can go for jobs 16-30 hours so I've got easier than some of the others. She said it will take ten days before it rectifies itself and today was the first "sign-on" day.

ArtoDeeto

Ask for a Short Term Benefit Advance