Moving from ESA to new style JSA - is claim time affected?

LittlePickleHead

Asking on behalf of my husband as the Job Centre staff have been very confusing!

He was made redundant in October. In January started to claim JSA as hadn't found work. 

In February nearly died and ended up in ICU for a month. I called the Job Centre when he went in to hospital, who helpfully stopped the claim as he couldn't turn up for appointments.

He's got back in touch now he's home as to options as he's still not at the point of being able to work, but should be at some point.

He is going to apply for ESA until he's fit to work again, and this can be backdated from when he got sick. However it sounded from the advisor like any time spent on ESA would reduce the 6 months limit for JSA, but my online searching doesn't seem to say this (though isn't clear at all).

Does anyone know the answer to this? EG could he claim ESA for 3 months, and then claim JSA for the full 6 months (minus the few weeks he had already claimed)? Or would it be JSA for only 3 months?

Alice_Holt

Eligibility for both ESA & JSA depend on NI contributions made in the last 2 tax years:

https://www.entitledto.co.uk/help/jobseekers-allowance


Providing he still meets this criteria then he can make a claim for ESA.
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/employment-and-support-allowance/

Again if the NI criteria still applies he could apply again for JSA (if, say, he was found fit for work). 
I think that any new claim for JSA should run for 6 months.   

LittlePickleHead

He definitely qualifies for both in terms of NI contributions, it was just confusing as the Job Centre contact seemed to imply he could apply for either (with proof of fact he hasn't been able to work for ESA) but that the claims would run for 6 months regardless of which one. Given he was in ICU for 4 weeks I thought worth backdating the ESA claim even if he's found fit for work shortly, but we weren't sure if this would shorten the amount of JSA he could claim. Sounds like it wouldn't though so it's def worth doing the ESA claim?

Alice_Holt

ESA can run for 12 months (if found not fit to work), or indefinitely if placed in the Support Group.

JSA is limited to 6 months.