C-JSA in UC full service area

Hi can anyone help please?

Is there a downloadable New Style JSA claim form?  I remember this being a big issue on here before but on changing jobs I have not got all my bookmarked links anymore.

Also is there a link to the DWP’s process for claiming New Style JSA in a UC full service area?

I have tried to follow the links to an online claim on the DWP website but it just takes you to an error page.  Great.

Thanks.  Sarah.

PDF forms are linked here:
https://www.rightsnet.org.uk/forums/viewthread/10661/

Just as a caveat, this is not the official way to obtain the form. In the equivalent ESA process, we were specifically told by DWP not to send in a claim form unless it had been requested by the claimant and posted/emailed out to them by DWP.

From here, if I follow the link to claim new-style JSA online, I don’t get an error on my PC. However, that JSA site behaves oddly if you go back, or reload a page. You may need to close down the browser entirely and start again.

It asks some screening questions about savings, number of children, etc. If you are not ruled out of UC by your answers, then you arrive at a page which informs you:

[...] Thank you for the information about your circumstances which tell us you may be eligible to claim Universal Credit rather than Jobseeker’s Allowance.

To fully check your eligibility for Universal Credit and make a claim use the “Continue to Universal Credit” button at the bottom of the page.

Failure to do this will result in a delay in your claim.

For further information about Universal Credit visit
Gov.uk

If you have not completed a claim to Universal Credit, use the “Continue to Universal Credit” Button.

If you have completed a claim to Universal Credit and/or wish to make a claim for Jobseeker’s Allowance Contributory benefit, click Contact Jobcentre Plus , where you will find the appropriate telephone number to make your claim.

There is a green Continue to Universal Credit button at the bottom of the page.

I.e., you are strongly diverted to claiming UC instead of JSA.

It seems that if you really want to claim new-style JSA online rather than by phone, and don’t want to bother with UC, then you need to do something like answer the screening questions with savings over £16K, in order to be allowed through into the online JSA claim process.

Hi Jon, thanks so much this is really helpful.

Yes I noticed that on the occasion I didn’t get the error message and answered accurately, there was a very strong diversion to claiming UC and that when you get to the end of the ‘online JSA’ you are just redirected to a page with telephone numbers on. 

It might seem odd that the JSA initial screening questions are not to rule you out of JSA, they are to rule you in to UC. To be fair to DWP, diverting people onto UC “instead” of just new-style JSA will help ensure that some people don’t miss out on means-tested support. And our local JCP, at least, say they’re confident about picking up potential c-ESA or c-JSA claims for any new UC claimants they see, I guess at the verification or claimant commitment stage.

DWP will want to avoid the sort of mess they got into with people missing out on income-related ESA top-ups following IB conversion. But I think they could be much clearer up front on what benefits are available, and how to claim each one.

I don’t think this is anything new. E.g., some years ago, an ex-DSS employee told me that when she and some colleagues were made redundant, they didn’t feel inclined to go through the motions of claiming income-based JSA which they knew they wouldn’t get (i.e. providing all their household financial details to their ex-colleagues still in post..). They just wanted to claim the contributory part of the benefit. However, even for an ex-benefit processor or DM, it was apparently difficult to convince the jobcentre that they were really “allowed” to claim contributory JSA only, if they so chose.

Yes good point we would be highly critical if people approaching DWP for JSA were not directed to claim means-tested support ie UC.  It does seem though that DWP have a duty to identify New style JSA in cases where people clearly satisfy the contribution criteria.

Sarah-B - 31 August 2018 05:45 PM

Yes good point we would be highly critical if people approaching DWP for JSA were not directed to claim means-tested support ie UC.  It does seem though that DWP have a duty to identify New style JSA in cases where people clearly satisfy the contribution criteria.

That is a fair point but it does not excuse people being told they MUST claim UC in order to claim new-style (i.e. C-)JSA. If the system is working properly people should be able to choose whether to claim UC or new-style JSA or both. Obviously if they don’t claim UC they ought to be told they may miss out but the big problem I see is people who claim UC only when they are also entitled to new-style JSA (or ESA) and then lose out due to having income that reduces UC but would not reduce these other benefits.