JSA / JSB Waiting times Survey

longhalloween

I applied on the 3rd of february, it took 1 week to get a pre-means test interview in the dole office and they said it would take 2-3 weeks to get a means test. It actually took 5 weeks to get the means test in the dept of social and family affairs.

They said it would take a few days to get my means test paper down to the dole office where they'd make the decision on whether I would qualify.

I called them today (2 weeks later) and they STILL haven't sent the forms down. And it will take a week (here's hoping) to get the result of it to be posted out.

To top it off I've found a job this week, nothing great but a godsend to me as Ive been living off my parents, and I've no idea if i can even cancel welfare I haven't even received yet.

I've found them very unhelpful, I called the Dept. to get directions and no one answered. When i finally got there i found they were just letting the phones ring out while they chatted among themselves.

lew1s

Dublin 1 , 10 weeks waiting
getting SWA 130e

do you know if I get any backpayments for 10 weeks?

felinefrenzy

I have heard different feedback on this matter , some say yeah and others are saying no ... Do let me know though

felinefrenzy

when are the people of this country ever going to take a stand against the horrific effects of the wealthy in this country??? Civil servants have a massive job to do , and yes underpaid a lot of them ... work crazy hours and take abuse left right and centre . Go slows will do nothing its a aid to the rotten government in place . Marching has done nothing .. it wont do nothing . They sit back and laugh , civil servants again will lose a days pay for marching againt the fact they cant feed their families no longer . The Government planted a great seed in peoples head "least ya have a job " Lot of use havin a job when they are mulking best part of your wages ... Dont fall for the Private sector/ public sector division .. A mind game from the Government ... we all had to and have to get out of bed and work our nuts off . We need a bit of french policy here I think , fighting Irish??? where is the fight gone??

Yrag2E

Friend of mine got it in less than a week!

going over tomorrow

notsobusy

I have been waiting since Oct 09....

lukesmom

My husband finally got a call today after 10 months waiting to say his claim is through and back pay will be paid on tuesday next. He is owed 3 months.

imissmyboo

Applied for jsa on march 5. since then have receinved loads of ltters and calls because they have requested different forms >:( but thankfully today, i received a letter after retrning home from my first signing. my money will be in the post office 2morro. so tthats been jus over 9 weeks! sadlly though i lost my social welfare card so does anyone know what i can do?? and also becausse my money is being backdated does anyone know will that money also be in the post office with my first payment?

Boxoffrogs

imissmyboo wrote: »

Applied for jsa on march 5. since then have receinved loads of ltters and calls because they have requested different forms >:( but thankfully today, i received a letter after retrning home from my first signing. my money will be in the post office 2morro. so tthats been jus over 9 weeks! sadlly though i lost my social welfare card so does anyone know what i can do?? and also becausse my money is being backdated does anyone know will that money also be in the post office with my first payment?

You can get a temporary card from your Welfare Office, while you wait for a new one to be issued.

lukesmom

imissmyboo wrote: »

Applied for jsa on march 5. since then have receinved loads of ltters and calls because they have requested different forms >:( but thankfully today, i received a letter after retrning home from my first signing. my money will be in the post office 2morro. so tthats been jus over 9 weeks! sadlly though i lost my social welfare card so does anyone know what i can do?? and also becausse my money is being backdated does anyone know will that money also be in the post office with my first payment?

Yes the welfare office will issue you a temporary card and I would imagine your 9 weeks backpay would be in with your first payment tomorrow and if its not then the next few days.

lukesmom

lew1s wrote: »

Dublin 1 , 10 weeks waiting
getting SWA 130e

do you know if I get any backpayments for 10 weeks?

Once your claim has been processed and accepted you will be given the backpay for the 10 weeks probably in cash at your post office

lukesmom

notsobusy wrote: »

I have been waiting since Oct 09....

7 months is a long time to be waiting. have you been getting supplementary welfare payment in the meantime?

notsobusy

lukesmom wrote: »

7 months is a long time to be waiting. have you been getting supplementary welfare payment in the meantime?

No but I am going into the CWO tomorrow to see if they can help me. I only found out about them recently.

imissmyboo

thanks very much lukesmom and diddledum

notsobusy

notsobusy wrote: »

No but I am going into the CWO tomorrow to see if they can help me. I only found out about them recently.

I went into the CWO today and he was very nice. He gave me a giro then I filled out a form for the supplementry welfare and he said to go to the post office every Thursday after to pick up money.

lew1s

same like me. Waiting from 20th february and getting 160 p/w from SWA

Fionn MacCool

Has anyone got any advice for those of us who have been waiting ages? I've been waiting 13+ weeks longer than they told me it would take but I'm not sure if there's any point in me going in and queuing up just to be fobbed off with some rubbish excuse again? Is it simply a case of just waiting it out (and thinking of new excuses to give landlords etc)

notsobusy

Fionn MacCool wrote: »

Has anyone got any advice for those of us who have been waiting ages? I've been waiting 13+ weeks longer than they told me it would take but I'm not sure if there's any point in me going in and queuing up just to be fobbed off with some rubbish excuse again? Is it simply a case of just waiting it out (and thinking of new excuses to give landlords etc)

Have you tried your local CWO? I have been waiting 7 months and I went into the social office loads and they fobbed me off and eventually told me about CWO and I went in and he was great. Thats the only advice I can have!

car crazy

i signed on today and was told about 10days and that was in portarlington, hope they are right...hated having to do it but what else can you do i spose:(

Fionn MacCool

notsobusy wrote: »

Have you tried your local CWO? I have been waiting 7 months and I went into the social office loads and they fobbed me off and eventually told me about CWO and I went in and he was great. Thats the only advice I can have!

Is that the person you go to for Supplementary Welfare? If so then yes, I've been receiving that for a couple of months now, but I'm still waiting on my JSA backdate (owe several hundred in rent and to friends.

notsobusy

Fionn MacCool wrote: »

Is that the person you go to for Supplementary Welfare? If so then yes, I've been receiving that for a couple of months now, but I'm still waiting on my JSA backdate (owe several hundred in rent and to friends.

Oh right then I'm in the same boat, waiting for JSA backdate. I also owe a fortune. Did you try for rent allowance?

ratedR

My JSB ran out 4 weeks ago. It's been 6 weeks since I filled in the means test for the JSA that was posted out to me.

Been without payment now 4 weeks, latest news after ringing them today is that "your form is ready to be processed, but we can't give you a time frame as we still have forms from Feb and March here to be processed first.."

At that im guessing its going to be another 2 months or so before I get payment.

Waterford office btw.

dsmythy

Swords. JA. 5 weeks wait. I'm over 25.

Fionn MacCool

I might be a bit more understanding if someone could explain why it takes them so long. This isn't a big country, even with unemployment levels as high as they are. I don't understand why it takes months and months to approve my claim seeing as I was only reapplying due to missing a signing date; my circumstances are the same as when they approved my previous claim except I now have LESS money.

crossmolinalad

For me its almost a year now.
Why it take so long dont ask me and dont ask them
Ask every week now and the only answer i got is we dont know why it take so long
Getting sick of it

livemusic4life

Xiney wrote: »

Out of curiosity, let's see how long it's taking around the country to get Jobseeker's Benefit, Jobseeker's Allowance, and all the other Social Welfare Payments.

Obviously it won't be a rule to go by, but it may give us an idea of what things are looking like.


Social Welfare Office:
Social Welfare Payment:
Application Date:
Date informed of means test appointment, if applicable*:
Date of means test appointment:
Weeks from Application to Payment:





*this means the day that you get the letter in the post or the phone call telling you when they're coming by

When i applied first for JSB in Feb 2009 i had all my paperwork with me and went to the fresh claims place, they told me that i'd have to come back in 2 weeks time for an appointment to hand in my paperwork even though the guy infront of me they took his that day
Then after the appointment i was sent a letter to say that they hadn't received x paperwork, which i had given. Then i received another letter to say they needed x paperwork again :mad:
I had some money from my wages left over so tried not to go to the CWO til i absolutely had to. First time i went i got the grand total of 60euro!

It took me 9 weeks to get my dole but they told me to expect 12 weeks.
Was another 3 or 4 months before i got my back dated money.

But when my stamps ran out and i had to go to the SW for JSA that was a joke. If you think about it its only moving from one payment to the other and i didn't get any money for 4 weeks. Never mind that means testing crap. 3 times i got the forms in the post, when i said it to the assessor she said oh thats just the head office duplicating forms to make work for themselves!
Think about it, when the country was awash with money how was every section of your local sw office open all day and they would take your queries at any time? Mostly you saw them sitting around chatting to the person on the counter next to them or on their mobile phones. Now that the country is in the ****, you can only get information for 2 hours a day and 3 days a week? queues all over the place, people sitting on the floor and all the staff have disappeared! what the hell is the story with that?

Catscar

I am having my days reduced from 4 to 3 from monday next. Just wondering if i will qualify for JSB because of only working 4 days instead of 5. And if I qualify how many days will it be paid for? Everytime I phone SW office I get different replies!

crushproof

crossmolinalad wrote: »

For me its almost a year now.
Why it take so long dont ask me and dont ask them
Ask every week now and the only answer i got is we dont know why it take so long
Getting sick of it

Jesus christ thats unreal.

I've been waiting 10 weeks and kept on asking every week and they just kept saying it was being processed...."oh well according to the system it's still being processed"
So went down last week and demanding to see a deciding officer, once again it was the being processed response but then I asked to see my actual file. Half an hour later she comes back......."oh sorry, you files were left in the wrong pile".
So God knows how long they coulda been left there.

Demand to see a deciding officer and get on to your local TD as well.

PS...11 weeks and counting for me

crossmolinalad

Its gotten worse
The idiots moved to a new office and lost all of my details
Got today new papers to apply for jsa
Its unbelievable stupid morons
Already waited a year and how long would it take this time????????

oXoXo

JB finished end of April. Applied for JA 01/05/2010 in Limerick Office, received request for more information 2 weeks later. Went to the office to take the required paperwork in person, to make sure they get everything they need and they realised they never sent me the Habitual Residency form (so if i were you, when submitting your claim, i would download this HR form from their site and submitted it just in case). Filled it out on the spot and they gave me the interview date, which was 2 week later, making it the 26/05/2010. Had interview last week (nothing special - just went through my bank statements and wife's payslips since she works full-time). Today (1 week after the interview) received letter in the post confirming that I qualified and can pick up the money this coming Friday. Not sure why it was processed so quickly - maybe because my wife is working full time and I have mostly likely only qualified for half of the adult rate payment.