Job seekers Allowance problem

[queenkerry90]

Hey all I was wondering if I could get a little advice about JSA

 

Basically I left school and went straight to uni, did well, then got a job straight after uni which was fantastic. I worked there for 2 and a half years none stop full time. But Due to some personal issues I had to leave my job about 2 months ago. I knew that I could claim JSA but I had to wait 6 weeks because I had left my job and not been sacked. So I did which there was no problem with, and I was also hoping to find a new job in that time anyways because I didnt want to claim JSA and I really didnt want to be out of work for that long.

Unfortunately I have not been successful in find a new job yet which really sucks so about 3 weeks ago I put in a claim for JSA. Because I had worked 2 and a half years I didnt think there would be any problem with me getting it. The letter that I was ment to get to tell me weather I was getting JSA was late so I rung them up and They sent me a text later that day telling me that I was going to get JSA and a letter would follow shortly.

The letter turned up today tell me the complete opposite, that I was not actually getting JSA. As you can imagen I was really confused so I rung them straight away and they told me that I wasnt getting JSA because I hadnt payed enough National Insurance. But this dosnt make sense to me because I have been working 2 and a half years and my NI and tax have automatically been coming out of my pay and I have the paperwork to prove it.

Im really annoyed and angry as you can imagine because first they told me I was getting some help and then they told I wasnt and also Ive been working none stop for 2 and a half years and never claimed JSA or any other benefits before in my life so how can I not be eligiblefor it?? Ive talked to the people on the phone a number of times today and there not explaining anything to me properly and they dont seem to have the time of day for me.

 

Has anyone else been through anything like this?

Am I in the right for thinking theres something wrong here??

any advice would be really helpful.

[flumps1976]

The tax years they are using at the moment are april 2009/2010 and april 2010/2011, you need to have worked in both of these tax years and have paid ni in both tax yyears for at least 26 weeks in each of the tax years.

 

Do you still have you P60's for those years because you can take the P60's into the JCP office and ask them to photocopy to attach to a letter detailing that you believe you have worked and paid sufficent NI to qualify for payment of Contribution based JSA.

 

Sometime the download between the National Insurance Record System (NIRS) and the JSA processing fails to do so correctly and then subsequently updates with the correct information a few days later, I'm not sure why this happens but it does and quite frequently too.

 

Have you got any entitlement to claim Income Based JSA (based on your household income, savings under 16k and if you have a partner if they work under 16 or 24 hours depending if there are children in the household)

 

It is likely that the people you have been speaking to are contact centre staff who are not processing officers so don't understand the actual processes iygwim?

[kernowayr]

Sorry to hear that you are having problems with your claim for JSA© too - I've been waiting 6 weeks now for a decision whether they are going to pay out or not (and I HAVE a full 52/52 week contrib. record for 2009/10 & 2010/11 on PAYE) so cannot quite see what their problem is to be honest !

 

I agree that the people at the Belfast processing centre don't seem to want to be of help either when you ring them up and treat claimants oh so badly when you try to get your point(s) across to them too.

 

Latest issue I've discovered/had to endure (due to their own incompetence) is that they cancelled my original claim on basis I had not replied to a letter they sent which never arrived because they put the wrong door number on as the address - I therefore had to submit a new claim and plead for the benefit to be back-dated to date of original claim. No idea whether they will/won't pay out at all as yet though.

 

Keep on at them and send a letter (recorded delivery) telling them you've tried to speak sensibly on the phone but no-one wants to know so now you feel you have to make a complaint. They have acknowledged my complaint letter now but said that I have to wait up to 15 working days for a response (and presumably no decision/benefit meantime?).

 

Oh and I've also had a text meantime telling me my claim has been approved and to expect the money within so many days after I next sign on (which is tomorrow) but I bet that plan's been scrapped too now because they cancelled the original claim !

 

 

No wonder this country's in such a mess right now !