having an issue with the jobcentre

[kathy79]

My hubby has been unemployed for just under 6 months and i am too as my sons health has been getting worse.
He has a brain/ skull problem refered to nuerosurgeon at bch.
He has appointments for ultrasound, eeg, opthomology and paediatrics. He suffers from chronic fatigue, severe headaches, stomach pains, hot flashes, sickness, blocky vision, irlen syndrome, not to mention all the diagnisis on his statement if special educational needs(profound dyslexia, dysprraxia, hypermobile fingers, anxiety, ketotic hypoglycemia )
His school have put him on a reduced timetable as he is clearly not coping and feeling well.

The jobcentre are now hounding me to return to work as my husband has been applying the last 5 months with over 200 applications and not had any sucess. We only recieve jsa for us both and they say its not a valid reason for not working.

HELP please

I think JSA is only if you are actively looking for work (I may be wrong though) rather than only if you don't have a job.
Have you checked to see if you are entitled to income support or other benefits which are more for your situation?

You have my sympathies though, I signed on for the first time ever when made redundant and they hounded me & made me feel like shit to the point I signed off before I'd even found a job. They were horrible and not the least bit helpful.

Many thanks

I did ask was i at least on the right benefit due to me effectivley haing to care for my son 24-7 . He basically avoided the question and deflected the conversation back to getting me back to work.

Dont get me wrong i would love to return to work but seen as my son has complex health and educational needs. I spend all my time caring for him, talking to health and educational professionals i dont seem to have a spare moment these days.
I am the only one that drives and relay every detail off the top of my head.

I dont think they should be allowed to talk to people this way!

No, they are not helpful in the sightest and are basically there to issue threats. It doesn't magic up any jobs, though.
It does sound as if you should be getting something like a carers allowance. Have you tried social services or the CAB for advice?

Would you be able to apply for DLA for your son as he requires the extra care? Don't know how much it is but it all helps

I suspect they view you and your dh as interchangeable ie. one should be available to work while other cares for ds. Look into DLA/Carers

As a full time Carer you may be able to claim Income support, although I'm not sure how this would impact your husbands JSA.

I also agree with other posters suggestions re looking to make a claim for DLA, or PIP as it is now called for your son and Carers allowance for yourself as sounds like you may be entitled to these. This would also give the Jobcentre 'proof' (sorry, can't think of better wording there) that you are not in a position to seek work.

There is lots more info on gov.uk.

The correct benefit that you should be on is Carer's Allowance. As mentioned above, if you're awarded Carer's, you are then entitled to claim Income Support, which would replace your husband's JSA. You wouldn't lose money this way as they award the same amount, but IS means that you wouldn't be expected to seek work, due to your caring responsibilities. As IS/JSA claims are always joint if you're in a couple, this means your husband would no longer be required to seek work either, as he'd be part of your IS claim rather than being on JSA. But if he wanted to continue to look for work, he could still do so, it just means he wouldn't be required to sign on and provide proof of jobseeking.

However, in order to claim Carer's, your son would first need to be awarded DLA at middle/higher rate. This is quite a long process as it's a tricky form to fill out and it can take time to get a decision, but your son sounds like he has high needs which would be verified by all the different consultants he sees. I'm surprised that you haven't already been encouraged to claim DLA as you mentioned he has a statement. Cerebra has a really useful guide to claiming DLA for children. You should also ask at a local advice centre/charity dealing with your son's disabilities whether they have support workers to help you fill out the form.

If you get awarded DLA, you could also be entitled to a higher rate of child tax credits as well.

Contact a Family provides useful advice regarding benefits - give them a call, they're very helpful and it will be best for you to get some individual advice as benefits can get quite complicated. They might be able to provide further advice on how to deal with the Jobcentre while you're applying/waiting to hear about DLA.