JSA Stopped i think.

[yesitsme]

Help needed for a newbie i was told a week ago that my job search record was not good enough and she did not believe that what i wrote was true. in other words she called me a liar without saying it. she then said have i signed on the new job match site which i said yes. she then said can i have your login details so i can see what jobs that you have looked at. i then said no to which she replied in that case i am sending your job search record for referral. and you are not getting a new sheet to fill out you can do it online. i then left. today which is the day that i get my JSA payment i find out that no money has gone into my account. is this normal without telling you first. thanks in advance for any help.

[oblivious]

what is it exactly that they stated was not good enough?

[oblivious]

if a referral is made on the basis that your job search is not good enough then you will not receive payment. My advice is contact your local job centre and ask them for full details of the referral. Then you can be advised better on what steps to take to deal with this.

[yesitsme]

She said that what i put down on my work sheet is that i maybe made it all up. as i said all was ok untill i said that i was not going to give them my login details to the job match website. that is when she got funny and said i will send it for referral.

[oblivious]

ok do you have proof of what you have written on your job sheet such as copies of application forms ect?

[oblivious]

as far as the universal job match is concerned she has no right to ask for your login details and I would make a complaint to the job centre manager.

[oblivious]

she also should have given you a form to fill giving your reasons as to why you did not fullful your job seeking requirements.

[yesitsme]

Hi thanks for your quick reply on the first no i have not got any proof. it was only on what sites that i have looked at. because i have some health problems. i can only do limited work. i only apply to ones that i can do with which some weeks there are none to apply for. they do know this that is why it is very rare that they select any jobs for me. she did not give me any forms to fill out just said that she would send the form for referral.

[Lilly_Monroe]

Hi thanks for your quick reply on the first no i have not got any proof. it was only on what sites that i have looked at. because i have some health problems. i can only do limited work. i only apply to ones that i can do with which some weeks there are none to apply for. they do know this that is why it is very rare that they select any jobs for me. she did not give me any forms to fill out just said that she would send the form for referral.

 

When I was claiming JSA I made sure I printed off some of the acknowledgements, that way they could not accuse me of making anything up.

In the end they told me to 'save the cost of my ink'!

Always have proof (a pain I know) but it keeps them off your back) their is nothing they can do if you are meeting the requirements.

[oblivious]

what you need to do look at is what is written on your job seekers agreement as essentially this is what the decision makers will look at when deciding whether to sanction. If your job seeker diary matched that of your agreement then no refferal should have been made. Secondly you should have been given a form to fill out asking what steps you have taken to look for work. This would have been sent along with the referral to the decision maker.

 

I think you really need to be contacting the job centre and asking what the situation is. I would mention to them about the form as if no form was given then you have not been given the chance to put your side across, which you should have.

 

Did the advisor take your job seeker diary?

[yesitsme]

Hi all thanks again for your prompt replys. i am doing all what they asked me to do. the advisor took my diary which for me is just a sheet of paper with room for 14 days to write in which i do every day. no forms just a grunt to say bye.

[oblivious]

my experience is that they give you a form to fill out there and then, I am not sure if they have changed the rules on this one and hope someone such as flumps will come along to confirm that.

 

The only advice I can give for now is contact them and find out the situation. What advice or help are you looking for?

[yesitsme]

I think you have all given me the advice that i need. at least i know more now then i did before.

[oblivious]

if you are sure. Don't hesitate to come back and I will try to help if I can.

[yesitsme]

The only thing that i don't understand is why they don't let you know that your payment is being stopped. no warning at all.

[oblivious]

the advisor should have explained that your payment would not be issued whilst a decsion is being made. I understand how you feel because I been there myself and having no money at this time of year is even harder to deal with. I would appeal any decision they make and certainly make a complaint about the advisor asking for your log in details stating that under the data protection act it's your right to not give your personal details to anyone.

[sillygirl1]

I stopped printing my jobsearches off, instead I have a little folder and the information goes in there, and every fortnight I send it to my Work Programme person, this is despite the work programme identifying I have an alterative skill set but as there is no funding I have to go through the job search rigmarole.

 

I regularly exceed my allotted number and have enquired about whether I should get extra for that - but they just said - "You haven't got a job yet." and signed it off.

[oblivious]

I go over alot of the time but sometimes theres not much out there. A lot relys on who you get when you sign. Some don't bother to read and just scan it others read the whole lot and ask questions.

[oblivious]

I have had 7 sanctions raised against me and only one went ahead and that was only because I was returning to UNI and could not be bothered to argue it. All those I have argued have been found in my favour.

[oblivious]

each time I learnt a little bit more about how they work at the job centre.

[oblivious]

whats an alternative skill set sillygirl?

[flumps1976]

If they retained your written record of your jobsearch activity then they will use that for the DART referral to DMA as if your job search is dated then it is transferred fron your paper record to the system.

 

Payment will be suspended pending the decision from DMA and if disallowed then you will need to request a reconsideration and/or appeal of the decision giving new additional information, if you keep in contact attending al appointments and signings in the meantime you will need to reapply for your JSA on form JSA4rr and then a referral will be made for a further 2 week sanction. You can apply for hardship allowance if disallowed and again if sanctioned but this is dependant on your circumstances if you fall into a verified vunerable group and can prove no other income etc to support yourself financially during the periods of no JSA.

 

They will be looking to see if your job search is repetitive from previous declarations and also looking at your requirements as agreed on your JSAg, if your JSAg specifies a certain number of activities and you have exceeded some but not met others then you could be sanctioned or not meeting all areas as agreed.

[yesitsme]

Thanks everyone for your help without your advice i would be lost. now i will have to find out how long they have stopped my payment for and when it will start again.

[Lilly_Monroe]

Is there no national figure (not sure what else to call it) relating to how many jobs you have to apply for etc.

It all seems down to each advisor - which cannot be right surely.

[flumps1976]

Lilly_Monroe, the Jobseekers agreements are supposed to be agreed based on the persons circumstances, so type of work they are looking for (there are some jobs which are more readily advertised than others), if they are really job ready or if further support is needed.

If you don't agree the JSAg you are allowed to say so and dispute the JSAg stating what you believe is reasonable in your circumstances the two jobseekers agreements are then referred to DMA to determine if the proposed JSAgs are acceptable under the JSA regulations but you can only dispute a new JSAg not an existing one and you will have payments suspended until DMA make a decision.