Possible sanction after missing Work Programme app. on same day as I signed off.

digital_sneeze

So I had a day's worth of work which was on Saturday (at the Shoreham Airshow of all places...) so I signed off on Friday (it was supposed to be 24 hours worth of work, which is why I signed off). I was also supposed to have a work program appointment on that day (Friday, the day I signed off). Quite frankly I don't see why I would have needed to attend it if I was not claiming job seekers at that point, so I didn't go as I'd already been into the Job Centre and signed off. I emailed People Plus (used to be Avanta) and explained the situation and got an email back thanking me for letting them know and wishing me luck on my job. Anyway, I received a text from the DWP today saying they'd tried to contact me about my "work programme participation" (they hadn't contacted me as far as I know) so I rang them and was told I was supposed to have attended the appointment, regardless. I'm still waiting for 11 days worth of JSA, and have an appointment for a rapid reclaim on Friday. I'm worried they're going to sanction me over this which to me is a pretty unclear situation, considering I wouldn't be expected to go to any signing appointments at the Job Centre if I was signed off. If I get sanctioned do I have a hope of appealing against it?

Thanks

HappyMJ

digital_sneeze wrote: »

So I had a day's worth of work which was on Saturday (at the Shoreham Airshow of all places...) so I signed off on Friday (it was supposed to be 24 hours worth of work, which is why I signed off). I was also supposed to have a work program appointment on that day (Friday, the day I signed off). Quite frankly I don't see why I would have needed to attend it if I was not claiming job seekers at that point, so I didn't go as I'd already been into the Job Centre and signed off. I emailed People Plus (used to be Avanta) and explained the situation and got an email back thanking me for letting them know and wishing me luck on my job. Anyway, I received a text from the DWP today saying they'd tried to contact me about my "work programme participation" (they hadn't contacted me as far as I know) so I rang them and was told I was supposed to have attended the appointment, regardless. I'm still waiting for 11 days worth of JSA, and have an appointment for a rapid reclaim on Friday. I'm worried they're going to sanction me over this which to me is a pretty unclear situation, considering I wouldn't be expected to go to any signing appointments at the Job Centre if I was signed off. If I get sanctioned do I have a hope of appealing against it?

Thanks

Oh that's a problem...you should have gone to the work program appointment but can fully understand why you didn't. You'll have to just explain what happened and you're more than willing to go to the next session. Sanctions can carry over from one period of claiming to the next so yes you could be sanctioned but explain what happened and hopefully you won't be.

Mersey_2

Yes, you should win any sanction as you signed off JSA before your WP appointment.


In the meantime, you could always email them asking them to correct this as a clerical error.

digital_sneeze

I suppose that's the best I can hope for. Worse still is that I got back from Brighton this afternoon to find I'd been sent a letter from People Plus arranging another appointment for earlier today, so I imagine the DWP will get wind of that too. I wish People Plus had made it clear in their email that I was supposed to attend.

I explained my situation to the person with the DWP and they seemed deliberately vague on what would happen so I'll just have to wait I suppose

Thanks for your reply.

digital_sneeze

Well it was before the appointment, however I did it in the job centre itself via some paperwork (I'd had no credit to ring the usual number so thought I would go in to the office and they refused to let me use their phone). The guy who gave me the paper work said it would take a few days to go through, so I hope that doesn't count against me.

missapril75

I wonder if the answer was in any of that literature just withdrawn.

digital_sneeze

Haha, that would be a good excuse on my part if that were the case. That I couldn't find any fake quotes that represented my situation.

digital_sneeze

I didn't get sanctioned. I even got an email from People Plus saying that I wasn't mandated to go the one I missed yesterday as I was signed off (it was automatically sent out apparently).

pmduk

Thanks for updating us.

Mersey_2

Great news.