To wish we were still "benefits scroungers"

[iliketosleep]

Well not really but we would be alot better off than we are now!

DH was laid off from his last job around 2 years ago, so we were forced to claim JSA as there just weren't any jobs. He finally finds one and started 6 weeks ago. We are absolutly no better off money wise infact we are 100% worse off.

From the day he was signed off it was our responsibility to pay full rent and full council tax. We just didn't have nearly £600 lying around so had to borrow it. Now by the time that is paid back it will be time to pay it again so we are going to be constantly living in debt. I phoned my local jobcenter and explained the situation and asked if there is ANY help available and he said "No!" So my reply (getting a little bit pissed off now) was "So you just throw people in at the deep end then" and he said "pretty much yes!". The went on to tell me about someone who hadn't worked for 6 months, was not entitled to any benefits because he left his job and was borderline homeless, He sounded quite smug about it too

At the least they should give you one extra month of HB and CTB so you can get your feet on the ground before you see your bank account balance turn to £-600 in the blink of an eye.

It's beginning to really get my back up when people call those on benefits scroungers/dole dossers etc. If there was more incentive to start work and there is a chance you would have a better life maybe people would do it!!

Not everyone can go and jump into a £44k a year job and most have to work their way up, living in poverty all the way.

I've seen about 4 facebook statuses today along the lines of "Go and get a fucking job you fucking scroungers" and its really beginning to piss me off.

Felt the need to vent, sorry

:(

i thought there WAS a run on for hb??

Glad that your dh has now got a job. Do you not qualify for the working and child tax credits? Would that not help?

According to them there isn't Toptulip. Massiveknob () we are waiting to hear back from HMR&C. Hopefully we will get help, it's just a waiting game!

We had the problem you were told about in that my husband quit his job so we were told we would have trouble claimng anything. Trouble was he quit because he woke up one day crying and wouldn't get out of bed for weeks. Because he didn't have any doctors diagnosis of depression at that point it didn't matter. The person i spoke to on the phone made it sound as though she fully expected me ( and i was pregnant at the tie as well) to drag jim out of bed an carry him to work - he is 6 foot and 15 stone [ hmm]. I also don't see at that point why i couldn't claim anything in my own right as I had not quit my Job and was not working and since my husband was no longer working I had no income. Maybe i just had bad advice but in my opinion I felt as though i didn't actually exsist in my own right apart from as an add on to my husband.

Anyway what we did is registered as self employed and started taking on freelance work from home at first i had to sit with my husband each minute if the day and pretty much tell him exactly what he needed to do. It all too off and he does it full time on his now. Maybe you could do this from home which you catch up and congrats on your husbands job btw!

There is a run on and if not, you may qualify on low income grounds. Rather than whinging why don't you go down to the LA anbd ask them and get forms.

Foolish is he or she who doesn't apply because someone said we wouldn't get it. If you apply you are notified if you aren't entitled so you know for sure.

People in Jobcentres are not smug at the plight of jobseekers and their families nor would anyone be so stupid as to tell you about any one elses situation

When we where inthe same position we got rolling HB and CTB for 4 weeks until dp's first paycheck came through so i'd definately phone back because you've just been lied too.

Good luck. It took us a while but we're well and truely back on our own 2 feet now.

HB only "rolls on" for 4 weeks if they've not stuffed up somewhere along the line.

When I moved (briefly) out of rented last year, they'd f*cked up my HB earlier in the year and there was nothing to "run on" with.

The run on that occurs only comes about because of it being paid in arrears.

And ActuallyMyNamesMarina - some of them ARE quite smug. I was told recently at my Work Focussed Interview that I was "making excuses and she was a lone parent and had worked since her children were young".

(this was after I had expressed my concerns about when I start looking for work next year. I'd already stated categorically (and she'd written it down already) that I intended to return to work next year!!!!!

People in Jobcentres are not smug at the plight of jobseekers and their families nor would anyone be so stupid as to tell you about any one elses situation - So i'm making it up?

At one point in april/may DH was ill so couldn't make his signing on appointment, even though we phoned to tell them they cancelled the claim, which meant HB was also cancelled while it was reinstated. This is apparently why we are not entitled to a roll on with HB/CTB or the back to work bonus. As you need to be signing on for a maximum of 26 weeks solid. We went 2 weeks solid without any income while DH worked his week in hand and then didn't get his first pay until the following Friday. It was then that I phoned them and was told "there's nothing we can do" because of their screw up

I failed to mention in other posts, sorry.

So i'm making it up? It's a breach of confidentiality and in these hard times for the poor belaeagured civil servant , not many are likely to do something so foolish it could lose them their job.If they have, complain, it could be your family situation they use next to ilustrate a point and that's wrong.

The reason for the jobcentre closing his claim could be many. If you miss your signing day you have a set period to go in and explain why you didn't attend as you should have. Did he get a JSA28 or was he advised to claim ESA? It's not always the JObcentre at fault, sometimnes people don't follow up on the advice they are given or return forms propmptly. The Jobcentre don't make it up as they go along - honest! They are working within the parameters of the law.

My orignal advice stands, get thee down to HB/CTB and ask to claim on low income grounds - worse that can happen is they say no.

Actuall - have you ever had to deal with the Job centre for an extended period of time - as a "customer" and not an employee?

I have, yes on the way I have met some wonderful people the Lone Parent advisor I saw when I initially split with exH was fabulous, couldn't fault her.

My new one not so, as in any profession, no matter what the risk of job loss is there's always at least one or two nob jockey's in the work place - who unfortuantley some other poor sods have to deal with

I agree which is why I get pissed off when benefits staff get slated - it's the bad one s that spoil for the rest - no matter what you apply that maxim to , it's true.

So, the OP complains (and gets down to the Council Offices) - like I said it could be her situaution that is bandied about next as an example. Good service needs recognising, just as poor service needs rectifying.

Hi maMo,

The extended benefit as far as I know has nothing to do with HB having been paid in arrears. It is an amount payable for the first 4 weeks of employment in which case if your HB was paid 4 weeks in arrears your final payment would come 8 weeks after starting work. If you are getting conflicting advice from the Job Centre/Hb department try CAB or a local welfare advice organisation. Alternatively go armed with the facts and tell them they are wrong - Direct.gov is a good palce to start, just 'google' Extended Housing Benefit. Also if you are unsure about benefit entitlement now try entitledto.co.uk to see if there is anything you could claim.

I am working from home today but, back in the office on Thursday- I can ask a colleague in HB to confirm if you like.

Sorry I confused the name of the OP. Op my previous post was in response to you. Good Luck.

I think the problem tends to occur that these days the job centre appears o inform the council VERY quickly that you've stopped claiming benefit.........and they stop it.

Certainly I know when exH's JSA clain was stopped while he was on hospital (we were still together at the time on a joint claim) the letter from the council telling us that the ctb had been stopped came VERY quickly.

I think that's because of the 26 week rule thing. So basically - it pays to stay out of work, and on benefits for 6 months before finding work again.

I really am not on the ball today am I! Even if at one point Dh's benefit stopped beacuse he was unable to sign on it is possible to get HB reinstated if for example he can prove that he had no income ie couldn't sign on because of illness - did he get a doctors note for example?

I don't know alot about when the claim was cancelled as DH had to go up to sort it out the following week, they would never speak to me even though I was on the claim too It didn't take too long to reinstate but long enough for them to cancel HB!

We will hopefully get help with HB and CTB but they require 5 wage slips and proof of CTC/WTC. We now have the 5 wage slips but are still waiting on the TC, wonderful if we can get some help but i'm still feeling its too little too late as we are already in the debt and our local council can take around 3 months to sort anything out

We will get through it, we always do, but why does it have to be so stressful?

Which brings me back to my first post. If there is anyone reading this that is on JSA and wants to go back to work, where would the incentive be for them?

If I were to say: "After 2 years of signing on DH finally got a job and we are alot better off, we had our HB and CT rolled over for a month until we were straight and they gave us an extra payment of JSA to help us out" then that would be a great incentive, no?

Shame it doesn't work like that! :(

Deborah - that's all very well, but if you're not better off, or are even worse off that's not always possible. Landlords, banks and utility companies don't generally buy the "well once I've been working for a while I may start to earn more money and then I can pay my bills" line

Jellybrain, No he never had a doctors note as it was only a stomach bug he had and DH tends to avoid his doctor at all costs, typical male!

They said he could go in the following Monday, but when he got there they said his claim had been cancelled because he failed to turn up. When he told them it was because he was ill and he had phoned up, they said they had no record and claim was already cancelled

www.entitledto.co.uk

Also, get on to your MP. One letter from ours and we could pick up our cheque for £900, plus £50 compensation that afternoon.

Who in their right mind is going to stop living their comfortable life - by this I mean, have a roof over their heads, electricity, gas, food! - to be poor and barely have a pot to piss in?

I'm not saying its right by any means but come on!!!

Ah, so people on benefits shouldn't be ALLOWED to have a life, Just live? What about those that have children, they shouldn't be allowed a tele or new clothes or to go on holiday? If budgeted properly there is no reason why they should not. Sorry Deborah I'm afraid I don't agree with you on that one :(

Entitledto.co.uk Has made for some intersting reading, Almost half of CTB/HB would be paid which would be a really big help!!! Thanks to those who suggested it, I feel a bit lighter on the shoulders now lol

I hope you never fall off that perfect little pedestal you're sat on DD - you could be in for a nasty (and extremely lonely) shock