Benefits stopped whilst investigate telephone-based alegation of fraud ....innocent until guilty no longer the rule?

[flumps1976]

If you take your fit note to the JCP office you will be handed an envelope to post it yourself. We do not take fit notes to go in the internal mail anymore and the AJCS (customer service appointments) have to be agreed to by te Benefit Centre first. The appointments seem to only be available now if the oiginal fit note has been lost in the postal system and the GP has issued a duplicate note.

[Slatted]

Thanks for the update. Saves me a journey but means I will definitely not get paid on time...that is a pain (to say the least). Although my certificate only runs on on the actual day I am due to be paid so I am not exactly sure why I should not be paid....

 

I will just have to see if can get a cancellation or even just a telephone appointment with GP in advance....

 

The combination of slow Royal Mail and the internal processes means that I have no certainty of when (or sometimes if) the certificate will arrive...if only these could be automated from the GP to the BDC (with enough evidence to show it from them)...would cut out the delay and "lost in post".....

 

Good grief.....

[flumps1976]

Well a new electronic fit note is due to be used soon, it will be printed on a single A4 sheet of paper and will include a barcode (can't remember what the barcode info will contain), so not sure if that is possibly a step towards it being automated with Universal Credit.

[Slatted]

Good Heavens! A good idea and development for a change! (at least on the face of it)

[flumps1976]

Nice to see you smile

[MIKEY DABODEE]

What do you mean "clerical"? How would I know that?

 

All I know is that I have never been paid on time and always had to chase and no one has been able to tell me why....

 

Thanks for the advice...if the payment is late next time I will ask but any delay that time may be because I cannot get fit note in time because earliest general GP appointment is next friday and note is needed well before due date of 21 June I believe....I will be taking it to the local Jobcentre to cut out part of the post bit and hope it will be okay...

 

If you ring up and they cant find you on the system then its a good bet the claim is clerical.

sometimes a fault cant be fixed and then the Dex keeps the claim clerically.

When you say you have to phone up for each payment this to me sets the alarm bells rings

may be clerical, if so it can be put on as ongoing, if you have to ring again gives us the heads up and I will tell you what to say

[Slatted]

Thanks Mikey

 

They have never had any problem finding me on the system the problem has always been that they just dont seem to have managed to pay me on time....

 

Anyway, given the fit note issue I fully expect this next payment to be late...frustrating given the fact that I am seeing my GP a good four working days before the next one expires but am at the mercy of the post and processing.....I suppose no one would send FP if the certificate arrives too late for the "normal" five days?

 

As my WCA will be the day following it is probable that the issue on ESA will become an issue for JSA if what I fear happens...is that the same "system"? I asume it is...

[Slatted]

Update on my friends situation.

 

It is Wednesday, the day she was told she would receive all her money and guess what? She only got another £160!

 

She has called them, at her expense of course, and they say the rest will be with her on Friday and they are sending a letter today.....

 

Why on earth would she need to be paid by instalment like that I wonder?

 

Seems earlier "letter" was not sent so we await this one with bated breath.

[Slatted]

And today she still hadnt received the promised letter or money...told should have money tomorrow....clever as she will have to wait til Monday to ring again if it is not....she says they "promised" so she believes them......

[MIKEY DABODEE]

And today she still hadnt received the promised letter or money...told should have money tomorrow....clever as she will have to wait til Monday to ring again if it is not....she says they "promised" so she believes them......

 

God love her, want to go there myself and sort it

[Slatted]

I know how you feel and I don't even work in the same area!!

 

I think she is just emotionally and physcially exhausted so could not be bothered to fight today.

 

It is not as if the money issue is the only one she is dealing with... her GP told her today that he fears she is on the edge of a nervious breakdown (my friend that is, not the GP although these days I would't be surprised if both!).

[Slatted]

It is Saturday and you've guessed it!!! No money in bank.

 

Fingers crossed for Monday......

[Slatted]

It has been a bit of a roller coaster as I fear my friend is nearer a complete breakdown and she has begun being paranoid about what I say and what she thinks I do (if you get what I mean).

 

From what I can gather the money did not get to her until Tuesday and she finally realised how little she had and that she was still barely surviving but, thinking and believeing her next payment due date for ESA was to be yesterday, Thursday, she paid off her rent arrears only to find out that her benefit payment day has been changed to a Wednesday!! (I thought there were set days for set benefits, is this not the case?) so she is having to wait AGAIN...she has a bit of CT paid tomorrow but it is really not helping to be messed around.

 

Anyway my main question is now, she has finally realised she needs help to make the calls and sort things out but CAB blacklisted her when she missed two appointments for unrelated issues over two years ago (even though it is recognised that mental illness can make more forgetful etc) and we have already covered how helpful the Law Centre were in the earlier part of this thread unfortunately. Can I be allowed to assist her and what is needed from her to allow this?

 

Thanks

[MIKEY DABODEE]

It has been a bit of a roller coaster as I fear my friend is nearer a complete breakdown and she has begun being paranoid about what I say and what she thinks I do (if you get what I mean).

 

From what I can gather the money did not get to her until Tuesday and she finally realised how little she had and that she was still barely surviving but, thinking and believeing her next payment due date for ESA was to be yesterday, Thursday, she paid off her rent arrears only to find out that her benefit payment day has been changed to a Wednesday!! (I thought there were set days for set benefits, is this not the case?) so she is having to wait AGAIN...she has a bit of CT paid tomorrow but it is really not helping to be messed around.

 

Anyway my main question is now, she has finally realised she needs help to make the calls and sort things out but CAB blacklisted her when she missed two appointments for unrelated issues over two years ago (even though it is recognised that mental illness can make more forgetful etc) and we have already covered how helpful the Law Centre were in the earlier part of this thread unfortunately. Can I be allowed to assist her and what is needed from her to allow this?

 

Thanks

 

 

Goodness knows whats going on, paydays should have remained the same,

take the last two digits of her NINO.

1-20 mon

21-40 tues

41-60 wed

61-80 thur

81-99 fri

so that will tell you her payday.,

Right you can get form of authority to speak to the DWP on her claim, you need just need to be with her when she makes the calls, go through security and you can speak to them on her behalf..

[Tiger Lily]

It has been a bit of a roller coaster as I fear my friend is nearer a complete breakdown and she has begun being paranoid about what I say and what she thinks I do (if you get what I mean).

 

From what I can gather the money did not get to her until Tuesday and she finally realised how little she had and that she was still barely surviving but, thinking and believeing her next payment due date for ESA was to be yesterday, Thursday, she paid off her rent arrears only to find out that her benefit payment day has been changed to a Wednesday!! (I thought there were set days for set benefits, is this not the case?) so she is having to wait AGAIN...she has a bit of CT paid tomorrow but it is really not helping to be messed around.

 

Anyway my main question is now, she has finally realised she needs help to make the calls and sort things out but CAB blacklisted her when she missed two appointments for unrelated issues over two years ago (even though it is recognised that mental illness can make more forgetful etc) and we have already covered how helpful the Law Centre were in the earlier part of this thread unfortunately. Can I be allowed to assist her and what is needed from her to allow this?

 

Thanks

 

My advice, you need to think about getting the MP involved and dont take no for an answer, its seems a shambles