Road/track.cyclepath traveller/commuter type. Includes steep short inclines on mostly flat terrain.

The rules have changed now. Beware! Do not sign off JSA or ESA or you could be penalised. Get expert advice.

I have got two conflicting reports. I am not receiving this premium when I used to on JSA. Any references so I can take it up with the DWP please?

Is this premium excluded if you are DLA (lower rate) and ESA please? I used to get it with JSA though?

A good point Capaign issue: the TV Licnce is rather poor value for a single person who watches TV about once or twice a week, compared to the same rate for a family with children and TV in each room. I think there should be a single person lesser rate for the best value. Over Christmas I could not find anything to watch at all.

My TV aerial fell off the roof (in the storm) so I rang up asking if I still had to pay as I could not get reception (not even through the Internet). I then discovered that I had overpaid by this method of fortnightly installments. Not really worth cancelling my licence but I was pleasantly surprised I did not need to pay for 6 months and I was £109.80 overpaid. Worth a try if you have been paying for a bit.

Write it down on your job log or apply for the job anyway. I sign up with Recruitment Agencies and just cut and paste including reference numbers. Reference numbers are important if I want to track the application. It is easier. Does not mean I don't forget to record some. Just less likely to.

Contact a group called Headway who help rehabilitation for people with acquired brain injuries. They do not do benefit advice though. Note that you will be seen by a ATOS doctor and it is the DWP that will make the decision.

PS: Don't forget the Job Centre people are meant to help you find work and not just dole out the Government spare change. So there are people to help you. Like Careers Advice (search online), cheap computers (£100 desktop), computer training courses to give you skills, probably other training as well. I wish I was young now as there did not seem to be the opportunties when I was younger. Reslience is a key word. The courses should give you the support to enable you to gain the resilience to get a job of there any suitable ones around. The theory is that it should help with asthma and depression. It really depends how good these people are at doing their job. The Work Programme advisors are just recruitment specialists and are a bit limited in their abilities. They are not supportive and maybe recruitment in the dog eat dog world they shouldn't be. Because the work place is sometimes not like that. The WP does help 10% find jobs. Good luck. You do not really want to be too ill to work. I know from past experience. PS: get a second opinion from from one of the administrators or somebody experienced. I have not worked for any advisory agency and my experience is as a claimant and I do not know what happens at the DWP end.

1) Doctor: have a word with him and explain the position. I am not qualified or think it is my job to advise on this. If want to claim ESA you will need a fitness note (or sickness note). It will specifiy a period of time, say 3 months. The GP can add comments like restrictions in the type of work you can do. It would be worth going to the Doctor and try and get his advice anyway. Sometimes they may feel that suitability for work is outside their remit. I went to my doctor for purpose to be cured, but it will take time for me. I asked for a prognosis. It was not advantageous for me to claim ESA so it was different. I am much older. 2) If you want to claim ESA you have to ring up the DWP will send you a form to complete, or the large form can be completed online. You will have to sign off JSA and it is important to do this because the claim for ESA will be delayed. 3) Then you receive the assessment rate of ESA until you have to attend an ATOS asessment which may take 13 weeks or more. ATOS will almost certainly examine you not by a Doctor but another health professional. Most probably they will give you nil points and pronounce you fit for work. Then you can appeal. At this stage, if not now, you may need more expert advice. So it is a rather circular process. So I would not be very keen to do it, unless you really are quite ill. Doctors seem to know all about this and may not sign a sickness certificate. The DWP may write to your GP for a medical opinion, tests etc. I liked this to make sure I was getting adequate medical treatment on the NHS. There is an alternative after going to your Doctor. You could ask the Job Centre if you can see the Disability Advisor. This may not be possible because they are very busy people. There is one great advantage for claiming ESA and that is the opportunity to do permitted part time work and get paid up to £100 a week in addition to your benefit. This last lasts for one year and is meant to ease you into full time work with people with reduced capacity medical conditions. If you want to take that route ask about it, saying for medical reasons you do not think you are capable of doing full time work straight away. It will be just as competitive trying to get those jobs so you have to make it clear about it.

Orders of action: 1) Go to see your Doctor. Get a fitness note. You doctor has the option to recommend working with conditions. 2) Have a word with the Job Centre staff and ask for a meeting with the Disablement Officer (optional) 3) Ring up DWP.

I had the same sort of problem, a physical intermittent ailment and I am in process of changing over and I can advise of the procedure and the snags. There are also advantages. However, it is also possible for this to result in a large reduction in benefit, so I cannot reeocmmend this action for everyone. The three pertinent questions to ask are 1) Do you receive the DLA premium in addition to JSA? (If so, at what rate?) This is IMPORTANT. 2) What is your age? 3) Are you on the Work Programme? Or do you visit the Job Centre? (or have you been on the Work Programme before?) You can reply privately if you want. You will have to have a word with your Doctor and he will have to send in medical certificates and this might be the first step regardless.

A few years ago, on JSA I got a free suit and a choice of three outfitters and rather a standard boring design.

Quite right. I should have explained. If you are claiming JSA withn a Disability Premium, there may be a disadvantage going on ESA as the disability premium is no longer paid if you are on lower scale DLA. Beware. After the asessment (which may take 13 weeks or even longer: ATOS may have have backlogs of over 3 months) the ESA claimant may be available for the WRAG component in addition to basic ESA. ESA claimants are eligible for "permitted work" which is part time for one year. This is what I am trying for.

When I rang up DWP they said if it is not sorted within two weeks, an advance may be available. You may find you get a small amount when the JSA claim is closed down.