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Online claims for JSA
Today an adviser tried to initiate a telephone claim for JSA on behalf of a client, to be told that the phone claim facility is no longer available and claimants must claim online. Advisernet says DWP prefers online claims but telephone (and paper) claims can still be made for JSA. Is anyone else finding this and do you have any suggestions?
Yes, same here but conflicting approach depending on who is answering the phone. We aim to bring this up at our local JC+ liaison meeting this week.
Thank you. We’ll do the same. Someone else has contacted me too, it is happening in several areas. Gov.uk still gives the 0800 number for making a phone claim.
I found this out last week when my son’s benefit was stopped for no reason at all.
He tried to reclaim on line but when he started having difficulties with the website he then tried to make a call by phone and was not allowed to. When he said he was having difficulties online he was told to go to the Job Centre and they will direct him to another agency where he can use their computer!!!
april stakeholder bulletin now available on dwp website -
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/stakeholder-bulletin-april-2013.pdf
Just been to the local CAB/Welfare RIghts l JC+ liaison meeting covering South Yorkshire and while there is currently a desire for claimants to claim on-line, it is still, at the moment, possible to claim over the telephone. Client will be pushed to claiming on-line but if they insist on a telephone / clerical claim it should be allowed.
Unless you know different!
i think what dwp seems to be saying is that, if you are assessed as being ‘eligible’ to make online claim, then you will have to whether you like it or not.
Looking at the 2013 C&P Regs ‘twould appear that JSA claims may be made in person at JC+ where directed, or in writing, or by phone (Regs 19-21) and Schedule 2 refers to electronic communications where the secretary of state ‘may’ employ such things.
Seems to give a spread of possibilties for claims and discretion to employ electronic communications, and doesn’t narrow it to ‘all claimants shall be bullied in to one method of claiming or they shall you-know-what off and die’.
I seem to recall that when the last gov’t went all keen on claiming by phone they tried similar tricks to suppress other methods of claiming: but this is their preference, not their right to dictate.
Would that be right?
As for the ‘advice’ about where to get an internet connection - oh come ON!!!!!
Go round your mum’s/go round your gran’s/go round your mate’s and kick him off Facebook/go round Trevor’s at No 48 even though you don’t know him too well/go and see if the library’s still open, whoops it closed six months ago/ask around at the pub/be nice to a stranger with a posh phone/go to the computer shop and pretend you’re testing a potential purchase….
AaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrG!
btw - yesterday in parliament employment minister confirmed that dwp has a target of 80 per cent of JSA claims being made online by September 2013 (51 per cent at present) -
What i’m looking for is that in either ‘new’ nor ‘old’ is there any compulsion to claim online or power to refuse other methods of claiming - ?
Government by attrition, wear ‘em down. Including us.
CAB advisers can raise this post-announced change with a Social Policy bureau evidence form. I too thought the C&P rules had not changed!
On a similar subject; There may also be difficulties with the software, according to the last issue of Private Eye the online claims for AA and DLA don’t work with many software packages or with Macs and these problems may prevent the claim being made. I assume that a JSA claim isn’t affected but I have never done one- has anyone any direct experience of an online claim for JSA?
my son did manage to do his JSA claim online on my Mac - although it did not work with his own windows based PC
Hi
Gov.UK states the following technical difficulties maybe experienced with online applications:
It appears that one has to register on the Government Gateway, which requires user ID, password etc.
I have many clients with little education and/or English who find it difficult to remember passwords etc. They also find it difficult to remember the pin code and memorable date that follow-up enquiry phone calls require.
I’m reticent about retaining such info in their files. But - even when I’ve given it on a piece of paper - I find that they have often lost it / forgotten to bring it next time.
Any practical solutions?