Hi

I started a claim for JSA 3 weeks ago and had jobcentre agreement thingy tht i had to do 23 steps a week I signed it but I had only just come off sick leave and havnt been the jobcentre for years tbh I wasnt ready to go back to work and was finding it hard due to my illness Iam a bit restricted in the jobs i apply for so was finding it hard applying for jobs when there hardly any around where i live in a small town. I was honest in that i didnt write 46 steps as i still unsure what im ment to write in the boxes to cover 46 steps i guess honesty dosent pay in the jobcentre. As i had only been signing on for few weeks thought he could of give me a warning about sanction i didnt even know they exisited and now i got my benifet stopped and i havent even been paid by them. Im shocked at the way the advisor was talking to me i nearly started to cry but manage to distract my self through him going on at me. Am worried as i have no income and money and housing dosnt cover my rent i live alone i have a bf but he help me buy a bit of food but never with any bills i have.

I was able to pay my car insurance but now i will cancel so i will be in worse position to find employment i really hate the advisor he was really a jobsworth im sure he could be a bit lienient as somone only sign on 3 week ago

First off, if your illness seriously restricts the type of work you can do then you might consider applying for ESA (Employment and Support Allowance) instead of JSA. You would need medical notes from your doctor to do this and it's not an easy process, but it would exempt you from some of the JSA requirements for jobseeking.

If that's not what you want to do, and the sanction applied is for more than two weeks, you should apply for hardship, which would be (I think) 60% of your regular payment for the duration. Hardship is not payable for the first two weeks of a sanction period in most cases, but if you are part of a "vulnerable group" then it may be. Vulnerable groups include pregnant women, lone parents of young children, those with some sort of disability and maybe some others I've forgotten.

You should clarify with your adviser what exactly constitutes a "step" for the purposes of completing your jobsearch diary. Unfortunately, the current welfare reform policies mean that the requirements for JSA are being tightened up, but you can expect them to clearly explain to you what you are required to do to meet the conditions. After all, how can you possibly meet such conditions if you don't fully understand them?

Finally, before any sanction is imposed, you should be allowed to present your own side of the story to the Decision Maker (who applies sanctions). Did this happen?

I was able to pay my car insurance but now i will cancel so i will be in worse position to find employment

If you cancel your car insurance, you must notify DVLA and submit a Statutory Off Road Notification and ensure the car is stored on private land. I'll not scare you with what might happen if you don't submit a SORN and/or keep the vehicle off a public road (have a look at the DVLA sub-forum here on CAG if you really want to).

Is your adviser aware of your disability?

If there are no suitable jobs out there, then there's nothing that you can do. You will just have to write that you found no suitable jobs.

I dont think my problem would prevent me from working but does cause problems when working. Ive had several jobs none been able to stay at, I have social anxiety disorder i have been going the doctors for years over it. I dont have any friends and rarely speak to family i live alone and i have alway had cleaning jobs what i could manage working alone and getting on with it without too much hassel,

The last job i was at the manager taking advantage, She gave me work on worst area(outside in cold) that no one else wanted i ask her she say no where else for me to go then she employed new people and give them better jobs(inside areas cleaning) when I started she gave me a fixed term contract and said thats all there was, then I found out she employed new people after me giving them permanant meaning while i was off sick leave they cut hours to only 10 a week so couldnt go back as too low.

So i sign on as sick of dealing with that company. Now the jobcentre say i left job and not paying me benifet. even though 10 hours on min wage a week wouldnt even cover my petrol it costs to go to work.