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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Aibu to wonder how you can claim JSA for years

176 replies

Talkativeparrot · 13/07/2018 23:11

I know a couple who are in mid 20s. They have claimed JSA for five years plus one claims carers entitlement but does no caring. They get rent and council tax paid. Basically their lives seem to be one big day out. There are loads of jobs available locally so why do they not get made to try one. Doesn't make sense to me.

OP posts:
thedancingbear · 14/07/2018 09:06

I have had various professional interactions with DWP. Let me be clear - if there are jobs around, the chances of being able to stay on JSA for a period of five years are virtually nil. Everything about the system is set up to stop this happening.

It's of course possible that they are part of the fraction of 1% of benefit fraudsters who are not part of an organised criminal gang. If so, I think you've got a moral responsibility to report them.

But we both know that's not what's going on here don't we, OP?

thedancingbear · 14/07/2018 09:09

I don't know why I'm bothering to post btw. wafflyversatile has already won the thread on the first page.

harshbuttrue1980 · 14/07/2018 09:14

Realistically, a mixture of people are on benefits. Some are genuinely needy and really can't work. We have a duty as a civilised country to look after these people. It would be naive to think that no one is taking advantage though. I personally know of two examples where there was piss-taking - a school friend who had her first child at 15, got a council house (I have no idea how this was allowed at 15, but it was), and now has 5 kids and two council houses made into one house. The other is a single person who used to suffer from depression years ago but admits that she isn't depressed anymore but just doesn't want to go into work when she is used to the day being her own and who says that "being at home with my cat" is a reason for not working. These people should be made to go back to work in my opinion.

KlutzyDraconequus · 14/07/2018 09:15

5million+ people claim benefits in the U.K.
1% or 50,000 is a hell of a lot of people.

Source for this please?
Latest figures I've read are much much much lower..

Clairetree1 · 14/07/2018 09:17

as I understand it, you can only claim JSA for a maximum of 6 months, and only if you have been in work paying national insurance.

crunchymint · 14/07/2018 09:22

There are very few long term JSA claimants. When someone is long term unemployed there will be a good reason, although they may not share that info with you.

mydogisthebest · 14/07/2018 09:25

Clairetree, you can claim JSA for longer than 6 months if you are claiming income related JSA.

I did think though that after a certain time you got a lot of grief from the Job Centre. I certainly know 3 people that did. They were told they had to look for any work not just what they were qualified for and for jobs an hour and a half commute away.

I know a guy now though who has been claiming JSA for over 2 years and he says the Job Centre don't care. He lives with his partner and they have 2 children so get housing benefit, council tax benefit and other benefits because of the children. He says he has no intention of working because he would be worse off.

What makes me angry is they are now expecting their 3rd child. Why should tax payers keep them?

DeloresJaneUmbridge · 14/07/2018 09:36

If one is getting CA then it’s highly unlikely that anyone is getting JSA. Unless of course the CA is for a child.

I get CA for my son but to be eligible he has to be entitled to Middle Rate Care element of Disability Living Allowance. I am bit sure how this works out with PIP if one of the people the OP talks of gets that.

People could claim that I “do no caring” after all my son is now 15 and more independent. What they don’t see is how much care goes on behind closed doors. This includes mental health support as well as physical care. So on days he gets himself dressed he needs prompting to stay on track, help to get his socks on, prompting to wash and put on antiperspirant etc. Not all the care is physical or particularly visible but it happens...he wouldn’t get out of the house without it.

I was in full benefits of three years and believe me it’s no picnic. We had a lovely holiday one year to Disneyland Paris but my in-laws paid for that and paid for half board. I didn’t announce anywhere that my in-laws had paid for th holiday so people could have made assumptions that we were rolling in cash. They would have been wrong.

crunchymint · 14/07/2018 09:47

mydog The only way the job centre don't care is if they know he is unemployable.
I know years ago job centres used to keep a list of unemployable people that they basically left alone. These were people who were alcoholics or had severe mental health problems but were officially unemployed, and there was no chance of them ever getting or keeping a job.

Hellywelly10 · 14/07/2018 09:56

The largest group of people that claim benefits in the uk are pensioners.

KlutzyDraconequus · 14/07/2018 10:04

Helly very true. Followed by disabled and sick and then by in work claimaints.
The smallest proportion of benefit claimaints are unemployed people that get a fraction of what pensions cost.
Pensions (non means tested) £111billion
Unemployed (Means tested) £2.2billion

Gilead · 14/07/2018 10:07

If you are on JSA you have to prove that you are spending 35 hours a week online job searching, otherwise you get sanctioned, so how all these people who are living the life of riley by not looking for jobs are managing is beyond me.
As for Carer's Allowance, as others have said, you can only get it if you are looking after someone on DLA or PiP. As for caring. I put up some lovely pictures of my family online last night. We were out for a meal and having fun. It meant having a word with the landlady at the pub, being put in the back room with nobody else around us and with visible exits open. The person for whom I care actually did remarkably well and we managed two hours for a very rare meal out. If you saw her you would wonder what the heck she needed looking after for. BUT she is autistic, has EDS and is in constant pain. She also has severe mental health problems and needs constant reassurance. But that loud woman in the corner, she's fine, isn't she...

KlutzyDraconequus · 14/07/2018 10:08

Sorry, I shouldn't post figures without a source.
Latest release though it is the 2017 figures.

www.ons.gov.uk/economy/governmentpublicsectorandtaxes/publicsectorfinance/articles/howisthewelfarebudgetspent/2016-03-16

Justtheonequestion · 14/07/2018 10:08

People do take the piss so all the answers on here are based on the context that benefits are awful. I also know such a couple-it does happen-whi holiday abroad etc etc. Truth is benefits are the most secure income available

KlutzyDraconequus · 14/07/2018 10:11

Truth is benefits are the most secure income available

You're talking out if your arse.. most secure income... So foodbanks are a myth? Homelessness isn't on the rise? Sanctions don't happen ever? Payments are missed or screwed up leaving people with nothing to live in for months? Universal Credit hasn't got a 5week minimum wait until first payment built in? Benefits aren't cut year in and year out?

Most secure income? Not even fucking close...

Justtheonequestion · 14/07/2018 10:15

No need to be rude. The most common recipients of food banks are those in work. The difficulties are in waiting for benefits. Sanctions are for not turning up to sign on. Once on benefits eg income support you are stable. UC a whole different ball game.
Would you be so rude in real life? Thought not.

JustAnotherPoster00 · 14/07/2018 10:17

I agree with a few people on this thread, when I went for my ESA work capability assessment it didnt affect my mental health at all it didnt mean that I was stuck in the house for a couple of months because it affected me so badly, in actual fact the assessor gave me a blank check to write in how much I wanted per month, when I had my pip interview that didnt affect my mental health either so in now way did I start self harming again, which ive only managed to stop 3 years down the line, they just said I could have £8 million a week, my council house is actually a villa in spain, I'm there now OP, the only issue I have with my benefits is that they have asked me to start paying for the fuel in my private jet, I think thats shocking of them Hmm fucking idiots on here

Justtheonequestion · 14/07/2018 10:19

And benefits ARE more secure than 0 hour contracts

JustAnotherPoster00 · 14/07/2018 10:19

Oh and just incase people arent sure, you get a form once per year from the DWP for your flat screen, smart phone and goat allowance

sweetkitty · 14/07/2018 10:24

Bluebug - that maybe true except one of the children told me Dad makes lots of money selling something think the parents would die if they knew I knew.

Anyway I grew up on benefits in a cold council house with mound on the walls and never enough food (always enough fags though). It’s not really a life as such.

SugarIsAmazing · 14/07/2018 10:25

I was on benefits for a couple of years, between splitting up with my husband and my youngest starting school.
When I was on benefits I claimed free school meals, free school uniforms, I had full rent and council tax paid abd could afford holidats to Canada, and Iceland (twice!) Plus trips to Liverpool for mini breaks. And extravagant Christmas presents (hot air balloon experiences)
I could not afford those things once I started working.

KlutzyDraconequus · 14/07/2018 10:29

Would you be so rude in real life? Thought not.

Depends if you were spouting bollocks in real life or not.

Justtheonequestion · 14/07/2018 10:38

Its only bollocks from your closed perspective of your own experience.

lastnightidreamtofpotatoes · 14/07/2018 10:47

sugar that is a point that is shot down on MN. Unless you have good qualifications that will enable you to get a permanent job that pays well above NMW then there are many people who are better off on benefits.

I am one of those; been a long term carer for dc with disabilities and have not worked for more than 10 years. If/when my dc are not here then I am financially screwed. I have gained a degree and other qualifications in this time on a p/t basis but in my 40's with no work history I can't imagine employers will be fighting for me.
I remember the mum in the benefits programme who had been a carer to her son who was severely disabled for years, when he died she lost her (adapted) home, had to actively search for work-I utterly dread that day.
I am so grateful that for me benefits have been a very reliable source of income. I go to a Carer's work focused interview once every 3 years, other than that no one asks anything. I feel ashamed about the amount of money I receive, but try to give back by doing voluntary work and supporting charities that have helped us.

Babyroobs · 14/07/2018 10:51

To claim carers allowance they have to be caring for someone who is on a disability benefit and they have to be caring for someone for 35+ hours a week. Is one of them caring for the other ? if so then they will be on a joint income support claim. However if one of them is claiming carers allowance for someone else ( eg their child or an elderly parent) then the one of the couple that is not the carer surely would have to go to the job centre and make some kind of commitment to looking for work ??