JSA Sanctions letter
karapote monkey
Posts: 3,688 Forum Member
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Hello, I was wondering if anyone could help me. I was told that before anyone is sanctioned for JSA, they would be sent a letter informing them of this. I was wondering if it is a standard letter or does the content vary depending on the individual case and if there is a date before hand giving you enough time to appeal against the sanction before it is issued? Also if anyone has a copy of these letters, I am interested type of content they put in and the language that is used and if these letters are easy to understand.
The reason I am asking is because I received a letter from IDS saying that, quote "claimants are always made aware of their right to appeal before any sanction or disentitlement (yes I know he spelt it wrong) is imposed and again once a sanction has been imposed."
I think it is the "lucky few" who even get a letter but before I can argue it, I have to know what type of things the letter says. So if any of you could pm a copy of the the type of thing it entails, I would be really grateful. Obviously, blank out your details and all that because that is private to you. This is probably reading badly and I am possibly sounding like a nosey parker but I think the sanctions regime is cruel and disgusting and if you had seen the letter that I have received excusing them, it is very alarming but as I said earlier, I can't have a counter argument if I have no idea if or what people are being told before they are sanctioned.
Hope you can help me.
The reason I am asking is because I received a letter from IDS saying that, quote "claimants are always made aware of their right to appeal before any sanction or disentitlement (yes I know he spelt it wrong) is imposed and again once a sanction has been imposed."
I think it is the "lucky few" who even get a letter but before I can argue it, I have to know what type of things the letter says. So if any of you could pm a copy of the the type of thing it entails, I would be really grateful. Obviously, blank out your details and all that because that is private to you. This is probably reading badly and I am possibly sounding like a nosey parker but I think the sanctions regime is cruel and disgusting and if you had seen the letter that I have received excusing them, it is very alarming but as I said earlier, I can't have a counter argument if I have no idea if or what people are being told before they are sanctioned.
Hope you can help me.
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Comments
That letter should make it clear that you have 5 working days to show "good reason" for not doing whatever it is they say you should have done. The letter that tells you that you've been sanctioned will specify how long the sanction is for and when the sanction starts and finishes.
We are now asking for sight of all sanction letters, as it seems there is no set procedure and that clients are unclear as to their rights of appeal and the reason for the sanction. I'm afraid I couldn't share them, even if I was at work today, because of confidentiality.
I'd advise you to try and show "good reason" for whatever your omission is supposed to be. Such things can be illness, unforeseeable travel problems, having to attend a medical appointment, caring responsibilities (eg having to stay at home to care for a sick child),close family funeral etc. You may be asked to provide evidence.
If they're thinking of applying a sanction because you didn't do enough jobseeking, check that your jobseeker agreement/claimant commitment is absolutely clear about what is expected. They often aren't, and that is a "good reason" for not doing what they want. The claimant commitment should also take account of any health or other issues you may have, eg if you have agoraphobia or some sort of anxiety disorder, it may not be reasonable to expect you to approach businesses in person to see if they have any vacancies.
If you are sanctioned, you can get hardship payments straight away if you're in a vulnerable group, or after 2 weeks if you're not. If you're on housing benefit, you need to tell them straight away that you're on a sanction and have a nil income, or your housing benefit will be stopped too (the DWP tell councils when JSA or ESA is stopped).
It's important to carry on attending signing appointments while you're sanctioned, or they'll close your claim. The sanction is suspended when the claim is closed, and then starts again when a new claim is made, so you end up losing money twice over if you don't carry on meeting you claimant commitment,
Definitely challenge the sanction. Loads of them are being overturned.
The sanction system is simply evil.
they don't tell you when your money is suspended because they don't want you to appeal and get it back
and everyone who works there is a despicable excuse for a human being
I think the first thing to do is keep a good record of any letters from the DWP/Job Centre in chronological order and take dated notes of any phone conversations with them from now on. In the unfortunate event that you do get sanctioned, I'd suggest getting some appeal help by booking an appointment with the nearest local council benefits advice unit, community law centre or Citizens Advice Bureau (plug in your postcode here http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/getadvice.htm) and take along your correspondence file with you.
LInks:
https://www.gov.uk/jobseekers-allowance/further-information
http://www.turn2us.org.uk/information__resources/benefits/working_or_looking_for_work/jobseekers_allowance/jsa_sanctions_-_turn2us.aspx
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&sqi=2&ved=0CD0QFjAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.advice-birmingham.net%2FHow-to-challenge-your-benefit-sanction.pdf&ei=9EvyU-2nKOrD7AaxtYHQAg&usg=AFQjCNH5aIRqScxoys4A0w_UCDpuQXnIMQ&bvm=bv.73231344,d.bGQ
whats the reason they want to sanction you
whatever happens please appeal and dont let them get away with this
You can use (sic) here as shorthand to show that you're presenting the quote faithfully, complete with an original inaccuracy. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sic
Just thought you might find that handy in future
one man can't make a difference but hundreds or thousands can
a very high proportion of these letters get "lost in the post".