Come off ESA to JSA - need budgeting loan advice

[markus2010]

I'm coming off the ESA as from today & have made a new claim for JSA as my doctors were reluctant before to help & the thought of asking for a new certificate filled me with dread, I also have a feeling they would refuse it.

 

My new problem I need advice on is my JSA claim won't start till the 09/03 & I have bills to pay next week, the first lady was helpful but said she doubts I will get the missing week backdated(the 12/02 till 21/02 when I made my new claim online). I have been advised to make a application for a crisis loan or a budgeting loan to help then pay it back on the 09/03 but when I phoned the reply was my needs aren't considered urgent & a budgeting loan is required but when I phoned about this I was told that a crisis loan is needed.

 

just to add the money I need is to pay for Febs rent to my parents, a £50 bank charge as the last nightmare with esa put me overdrawn & £10 for a catalogue which is now overdue, it totals 100£ altogether but am I being dumb in thinking it is urgent for myself?

[Guest jsa12]

as far as i am aware you have to be receiving jsa for at least six months to receive a budgeting loan,these are paid back the sane as a crisis loan which you need to apply for to cover the period until payments begin.

[flumps1976]

In order to claim for a budgeting loan you need to have been in receipt of benefits either a single or different benefits (Income Based ESA, Income Support, Income Based JSA) for 26 weeks contnuosly, so as there is a break in your claim you wil not qualify for a budgeting loan sorry.

Do you live with your parents? Crisis loans are there for emergencies to cover the bare essentials typically gas, electricity, food etc, if your bank charges were incurred through late payment of benefits you can request by form of a letter and copies of your bank statemts showing the period of the overdraft charges and request that be reimbursed but if it isn't because of late payment then you won't get any help from benefits/crisis loans. Your £10 catalogue payment isn't classed as urgent so no help for that and unless you have a tenancy from your parents allowing you to claim HB you wont get any help with that either.

Backdating JSA is not easy either, it's decided in two parts frirstly at the JCP by your Personal Adviser who will consider if you weere actively seeking employment during that period and then the second part is the payments where you need to satisfy the Claims and Payments Regulations (I have rarely seen anyone accepted for that under JSA) if I'm being honest.

[markus2010]

the general gist I'm getting is my only choice is to go overdrawn again.

 

Would it be to my advantage if I made an appointment to see someone in charge at my jobcenter, they did botch my ESA in the first place & expalin the situation.

[Nystagmite]

Can your rent to your parents wait until you get yourself sorted?

[speedfreek]

Is there any way you could talk to or get your parents to wait until you get paid before you can pay them?

 

Either that or call your bank and see if they'll be reasonable in giving you a small agreed over draught for the duration?

 

May be worth asking in the banking section about charges etc and in the debt section to see if you could re-arrange payments this month.

[flumps1976]

You can request an AJCS appointment but as no processing is completed at the JCP they will be reliant on the information passed to them by ESA.

Also I forgot to add that your claim for JSA will be considered from the date you made first contact to make the claim which I believe you stated was 22/02/11 as you are looking at a backdated period 12/02 to 21/02 so I'm assuming that either your NJI is booked for 09/03/11 or it's your first signing date?

How exactly did ESA botch your claim? I thought I read that you didn't want to ask for a further fite note as it filled you with dread? Should you have requested a DR appointment in hindsight and continued with your ESA claim or you realisitcally in a position to be classed as fit and actively available to seek employment.

[Guest jsa12]

a crisis loan is needed to tide you over when the benefit is awarded,it can be paid back at some point in the future.a budgeting loan can take weeks to sort out sending off an application then they write back asking to sign a form agreeing to repay and has to be sent back before a payment is made.

 

the dss has made it a condition of receiving benefits that a bank account is opened this leaves vulnerable people open to the possibility of charges' this is unfair and irresponsible as relying on statements' when some debits are made they are not always reflected in the amount available until they are taken,if this happens complain strongly to the bank and withdraw the account if necessary,it may be better to use a post office account where benefits only can be paid in or perhaps look into a building society.

Edited February 27, 2011 by jsa12