Friends benefit journey

[Guest]

What is the procedure when a GP wont issue futher sick notes.

 

Does the claimant just ring to close the claim? Then recieve final payment upto last day of previous sick note?

[SabreSheep]

what is this in relation to/>

 

SSp, ESA,

[Guest]

A claimant on assessment rate esa, no atos assessment as yet. Claiming since 2nd june 2013 and receiving £72 pw. Just completed counselling and it looks like GP wont be wanting to continue signing notes for dwp.

 

They were not working prior to illness so no employer involved. Not sure theyre ready for the jsa wp fiasco so what will happen is a bit worrying.

[Nystagmite]

There is something about being able to claim if you have a letter instead of a GP's sick note. Unfortuantely, I don'thave my old ESA letters; so can't check the exact wording of that.

[Guest]

Yes i have seen that Nystagmite, not sure what it means really though.

[antone]

When does the existing sick note expire?

 

A letter from a doctor may be accepted (at the discretion of a Decision Maker) instead of the standard NHS Med 3 (or Med 5, Med 10) form. The letter needs to make it clear that that, in the opinion of the doctor, the claimant is not capable of work or has limited capability for work, and state also the nature of the incapacity and the period it's expected to last - that is, the letter states an expiry date just like the formal Med 3 form. Most DMs will accept letters that meet these conditions, but because the processor needs to pass them on to the DM, they can take longer to be updated on the computer system.

[Guest]

Ah right i see, thankyou antone.

 

The current note expires 15th Jan. I will advise they discuss fully at next GP appt.

 

If neither note or letter get sent am guessing they will close the claim and pay up to last date covered then.

[antone]

If she has a note running until 15th Jan (and assuming she does not agree that she is fit for work) then she probably should do nothing until then. She should be paid as normal until the last fortnightly payment date before the 15th. After that she can call to close the claim effective 16th Jan and any remaining benefit will be paid to her then.

 

Of course, if she's able to sort out a new note, so much the better.

[Guest]

Thankyou antone, yes that makes sense.

[essexmat]

Yes all makes sense, I am in the same boat (sort of) Current note runs out 8th Jan and that is also when my ESA payment is due, DWP (I called to check) said that payment is covered as the note runs out the same day so as long as I get a new note to them before the payment on 22nd Jan it is fine - I have a GP appt on 8th to get a new note so DWP will have it by 10th-11th (signed for recorded)

 

Luckily my GP is great and issues notes to me based on my anxiety, depression, back problems and being under a consultant for a urological problem. Of course that could change at any point and still waiting for ATOS (5 months in to ESA now) As soon as I do get that (no hurry thanks) I will be back on JSA and at INGEUS quicker than you can eat a mince pie at Xmas so got that to look forward to

[Guest]

He had probs with that scenario essexmat.....last sick note ended 15th same day as payment due, but no payment was made, had to ring n get a same day payment, the new sicknote was on way but due to their insististing its sent miles away, then backtracked internal post to local area here, it takes nearly 5-6 days to arrive.

 

He was told if next one isnt sent they wait 3 days then pay out last payment and close the claim...good job he can use landline to ring if unsure.

[essexmat]

Mmm, will have to keep tabs on that one although when I called they said as my note runs out on 8th (effectively at 11.59pm) the payment would have been issued that day (am) so will go through but now I am worried. Can you call if no payment is received then as my new note won't get to them until around 11th Jan? Sometimes I wish my ESA and HB was one singlular payment - would be easier to manage

[Guest]

Well the payment is usually in bank after midnight -early hours. He rang the number on the esa letter he had.

 

Given that they did it within 2 hrs maybe they saw it was their error. People seem to get differing info. One thing i do know its cleared 2 days before, so if due on friday then its released on weds to get in account on time. If worried i would ring day before to check. They just make it harder for claimants it seems.

 

Hope yours is ok.

[Nystagmite]

If sick nte ends 15th and payment due 15th, he should still get paid. ESA is paid 2 weeks in arrears; so he'd get paid up to the 15th.

[stevemLS]

Why would a GP be prepared to write a letter saying they were not fit for work if they were not prepared to issue a Med3?

[antone]

Not all doctors have Med 3 forms available.

[stevemLS]

Not all doctors have Med 3 forms available.

 

That simply is not correct, all GPs have a supply of these forms on their computer. It is a condition of their contract.

[antone]

That simply is not correct, all GPs have a supply of these forms on their computer. It is a condition of their contract.

 

Not all doctors are GPs. Not all doctors even work for the NHS.

[RaeUK]

And, just to be pedantic, medical Doctors don't need a doctorate. It's an honorary title.

[think about it]

Not all doctors are GPs. Not all doctors even work for the NHS.

 

Antone, private practitioners can and should still order them if their clinical work involves being responsible for someone's care - if you get a frosty reception from a private practitioner they can get them from here:

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-leaflets-and-how-to-order-them

[Guest]

If a person has been refused jsa due to having left a job voluntarily, is there a period of time before they can apply for jsa at all? I was under the impression that there was several weeks before it could be applied for?

 

Can a person be refused jsa for not having pain enough national insurance in the previous year? They had only worked part time for health reasons.

 

Is there any form of hardship claim available for a person in these circumstances at all.

 

Previous job was left as sick pay had run out and due to either lack of or bad advice, they gave notice and left the job. Personally I would not have advised they gave notice. They apparently have been refused jsa 2 months ago and are being supported by family but have no money at all.

[Nystagmite]

Can a person be refused jsa for not having pain enough national insurance in the previous year?

 

Yes they can. You have to have paid a certain amount of NI each week in certain years (I don't know the rules; someone on here knows more than me I'm sure) to qualify.

[Guest]

Thanks Nystagmite.....I thought the IR one was for those who didnt have enough.....

[SabreSheep]

Income related would be available if contribution based has been depleted.

 

There is a 26 week "sanction" for intentional unemployment I think.

[antone]

If a person has been refused jsa due to having left a job voluntarily, is there a period of time before they can apply for jsa at all? I was under the impression that there was several weeks before it could be applied for?

You can apply for JSA from the first day of unemployment, regardless of the reasons why you left your job. If there is any doubt as to those reasons, the case will be referred to a Decision Maker before payment is made. Each case like this is decided on its merits: you should be asked if you wish to supply further information and your former employer may also be asked to comment. A sanction of up to 26 weeks may be imposed if the DM is not satisfied with the reasons for leaving and believes that the unemployment was voluntary.

 

Can a person be refused jsa for not having pain enough national insurance in the previous year?

JSA©, contribution based JSA, is based on the claimant having made sufficient NI contributions in the last two full complete tax years preceding the benefit year the claim was made. For a claim made this year (that is, between Jan 15 and Dec 15, roughly) those tax years are April 12/April 13 and April 13/April 14. If insufficient NI conts have been paid in those years, JSA© will not be available but income based JSA(IB) can still be considered. Entitlement to JSA(IB) is based on household income and savings.

 

Note that it's possible when making a JSA claim to apply only for JSA©, and a lot of people do this because the form you need to complete (online, by phone or on paper) is much simpler. This often turns out to be a mistake, since in these cases JSA(IB) can't be considered if there is no entitlement to JSA©. If the person you're asking about hasn't yet applied for JSA(IB), he or she should do so now.

 

Is there any form of hardship claim available for a person in these circumstances at all.

Possibly. I'm not too well up on Hardship rules, though, and in a lot of cases the claimant needs to ask about it - JSA staff often don't offer it or even make the claimant aware that it exists. To give more detailed advice, we'd need confirmation of the reason why JSA has been refused.

 

Also, if the person rents his or her home, Housing Benefit may still be available even if JSA has been refused or sanctioned. Contact the council for more information about this - he or she may need to make a "nil income declaration".