JSA / JSB Waiting times Survey

lucy2010

If you local ofice refuse to answer your query because x person is dealing with your claim & they are not in what can you do?

I applied for 1 parent 23rd September. I received 1st payment Feb 25th. I am still requesting the 23 weeks backdated.I queued for over 4 hours yesterday. They then at the desk told me there was no one available to answer queries. They told me to come back today to see x person who is dealing with my claim. I have been in my SW & CWO offices multiple times every week since trying to resolve the issue that was created.
I went back today queued for 2 hours & was told she is not available ( despite them calling me to come in to her) I asked to speak to supervisor & when I got upset she started shouting at me about the pressure she was under. I very much need these arrears. They have not even been applied for by my office. I presume the fact only x person can deal with it is part of their work to rule maybe ?

With the work to rule the telephones were not being answered so I emailed central systems just to get an update on where my claim was. I received a call back from my office giving out to me for sending the email.

I feel I have exhausted all options in just trying to find out where my claim is & as of this morning I know Im having a breakdown over all of this.I just cannot stop crying at this stage. My sons communion is in 6 weeks & debts are mounting.Its a total worry . I have companies threatening court action & MABS have a severe waiting list. I dont know of any other way to get my problem resolved

People may mock or be very quick to pass judgement on people on SW on boards.ie. I dont find it helpful at all. I have worked & paid taxes for 16 years. I am not scrounging the system & I certainly did not choose this way of life. I am not any of the derogotory terms used to describe people on SW. I feel we should be treated with dignity in our dealings with the welfare offices . I finally just came to the end of it today where I broke down because I feel I can no longer cope with this pressure but got shouted at for doing so. I just need to know what I can do now to get some one in the SW to fix the problem with my claim to get my arrears & soon.

Dempo1

lucy2010 wrote: »

If you local ofice refuse to answer your query because x person is dealing with your claim & they are not in what can you do?

I applied for 1 parent 23rd September. I received 1st payment Feb 25th. I am still requesting the 23 weeks backdated.I queued for over 4 hours yesterday. They then at the desk told me there was no one available to answer queries. They told me to come back today to see x person who is dealing with my claim. I have been in my SW & CWO offices multiple times every week since trying to resolve the issue that was created.
I went back today queued for 2 hours & was told she is not available ( despite them calling me to come in to her) I asked to speak to supervisor & when I got upset she started shouting at me about the pressure she was under. I very much need these arrears. They have not even been applied for by my office. I presume the fact only x person can deal with it is part of their work to rule maybe ?

With the work to rule the telephones were not being answered so I emailed central systems just to get an update on where my claim was. I received a call back from my office giving out to me for sending the email.

I feel I have exhausted all options in just trying to find out where my claim is & as of this morning I know Im having a breakdown over all of this.I just cannot stop crying at this stage. My sons communion is in 6 weeks & debts are mounting.Its a total worry . I have companies threatening court action & MABS have a severe waiting list. I dont know of any other way to get my problem resolved

People may mock or be very quick to pass judgement on people on SW on boards.ie. I dont find it helpful at all. I have worked & paid taxes for 16 years. I am not scrounging the system & I certainly did not choose this way of life. I am not any of the derogotory terms used to describe people on SW. I feel we should be treated with dignity in our dealings with the welfare offices . I finally just came to the end of it today where I broke down because I feel I can no longer cope with this pressure but got shouted at for doing so. I just need to know what I can do now to get some one in the SW to fix the problem with my claim to get my arrears & soon.

This is a terrible situation and like yourself worked for many years and certainly would not tolerate anyone mocking those on SW on Boards.ie

I am sorry but i don't know much about your situation but there are complaint procedures you can avail of and i would suggest visiting the citizens information for immediate advice on this matter. As for the public service go slow, its an absolute disgrace and i am just amazed about the fuss in the press about people waiting for passports, what about the thousands of people like you in such appalling circumstances.

lucy2010

Thanks Dempo - Im presuming its this work to rule that is casuing the headache. But WTR is no excuse for treating people with the contempt that they do. Being polite & using manners are free & are irrelevant of a work to rule . Also if they worked for any other company shall we say BOI,Tesco, O2, Vodafone they certainly could not treat their clients in the manner that they do or Guess what... THEY WOULD BE SACKED !

The passport situation is a nightmare for those involved in getting a passport- Like many on SW I shall have no need for one as I wont be planning a holiday until 2085 if im still alive so passports are the least of my worries. All these people who are being treted with the same WTR in the SW system have far bigger worries in their eyes such as SURVIVAL than a holiday so it amazes me all the media hype surrounding foreign travel.


Im going to CA once I get the kiddies from school.

Had I not been in such a hysterical state earlier, I was tempted to drive up to Ardmore Studios & get one of the guys to come back down with me with a film crew. The guys love doing shorts so they would have jumped at the chance. I wonder how quick & respectfully it would have been dealt with , with them filming the shananigans. Had I not been in floods I would have sat it out until they removed me from the premises at closing time. But as a law abiding citizen Im terrified ill get arrested...

Im also afraid if I make too much noise they will come back & find a way to tell me I now suddenly have no arrears, due to x y z.

Im an educated person & have managed to ask many people in the system, google their web sites for hours on end etc but to find out many answers, queries it IS like the 3rd secret of Fatima. For example if you go on the social welfare site to find out about rent supplement its like a cryptic puzzle. My CWO is a god send & she showed me how to work it... but she herself said after 15 years in the place she still has to go to a quiet place to try work it out every time. Thats just crazy.

My query is a very straighforward one. Im on illness - I have Crones disease so this stress has severly aggrevated the condition & I am back on multiple meds now to curtail symptoms. As I applied for 1 parent ( I am seperated years yet as I worked never needed to apply until I was made redundant & advised by CWO to do so). When you get 1 parent, illness needs to be halved & means deducted from 1 parent added back on. When my applic was processed she never applied to illness for half payment, instead she cut it off !!
Arrears cannot be applied for by my local office until illness is halved. As they still havent done this they cannot even apply for the arrears. The lady who rang me regarding my email, who was very abusive was the person who processed the 1 parent. To the by by stander she appears to be annoyed with me so half did the job & now wont fix it.
this is going on weeks now. I need her ( as they keep telling me from WTR she is the only person who can fix it) to get illness back on, half it & apply for arrears.
Its getting more compliucated now by the day. I need
- 23 weeks back payment of 1 parent
- 23 weeks back payment of fuel allow
-23 weeks over payment of rent supp( as means increased) to be removed from this
- 23 weeks of overpayment of illness as now halved to be removed from this.

Now on top of this I have 5 weeks non payment of illness to be added back on . As my rent supp was cut off too to fix the problem I have to be backdated 2 months of this. This however can not be done either until SW fix it all.

:Long story but thats basicly it.

lucy2010

Well my friends - My duel has finally come to an end. yesterday following tears, tantrums & a complete breakdown in the middle of my local office, I finally got the call to say it is now resolved & all my arrears will be in the PO next Thursday ... 27 weeks later !

Thanks for all the advice. Dempo THANK YOU & if I can help anyone else in any way just PM me any time. Ive learnt so much from my battle with them.

tommy21

lucy2010 wrote: »

Well my friends - My duel has finally come to an end. yesterday following tears, tantrums & a complete breakdown in the middle of my local office, I finally got the call to say it is now resolved & all my arrears will be in the PO next Thursday ... 27 weeks later !

Thanks for all the advice. Dempo THANK YOU & if I can help anyone else in any way just PM me any time. Ive learnt so much from my battle with them.

Jesus your above post shows how bad it can get. Well done for holding out, hope you can at least treat yourself to something after it all!

crossmolinalad

tommy21 wrote: »

Jesus your above post shows how bad it can get. Well done for holding out, hope you can at least treat yourself to something after it all!

Well thats nothing
Im waiting for jsa from august 2009
two months ago i had my interview
Thats the joke here in Ballina

Dempo1

crossmolinalad wrote: »

Well thats nothing
Im waiting for jsa from august 2009
two months ago i had my interview
Thats the joke here in Ballina

Congratulations, this must be a record! are you serious, this is outrageous. What are your circumstances, living at Home, school leaver etc, just curious.

lucy2010

tommy21 wrote: »

Jesus your above post shows how bad it can get. Well done for holding out, hope you can at least treat yourself to something after it all!

Thanks Tommy - It blocks the wolf from the door TG. Things were gone beyond bearable but finally some light at the end of tunnel..

crossmolinalad

Dempo1 wrote: »

Congratulations, this must be a record! are you serious, this is outrageous. What are your circumstances, living at Home, school leaver etc, just curious.

nothing like that
jsb ended in august living alone live at the moment from a mortage payment from my lender

Dempo1

crossmolinalad wrote: »

nothing like that
jsb ended in august living alone live at the moment from a mortgage payment from my lender

Sorry, did not mean to be ficious but this is outrageous, are you receiving any payments, say via the CWO while your claim is being processed. You say your living alone and live at the moment from Mortgage payment, i don't quite understand what your saying here?

lankz92

im headin into my 6th week now i think,

had all the forms in since the 23rdish of feb,
college leaver, oni got my letter in from the college last week tho, eejits forgot to post it nd me waitin 3 weeks for it, ended up goin to get it from them.
hope it dont take much longer im broke lol

lew1s

Hi,

I ve been getting JSB for 8 month and now I moving to JSA.
I applied on 15th of February for JSA.
On 20th Feb they told me that I need to bring 12 months summary from my bank account. I did that and after 1 week (27th Feb)they sent me a form to my post (think that was the means test). I fill out and took it to Social Office.
Still waiting

From 20th Feb I am getting Suplementary Allowance - 130.10E by check
On that check is 326E - but I am getting just 130E

Office: Dublin 1
Waiting: 6weeks

Can you tell me if I get JSA money for the 6 weeks or just from that confirmed day.

THX

journo gal

Hey,

I was hoping for a bit of advice. I'm finished college in 5 weeks and was hoping to apply for JSB. I worked full time from 2004 to December 2008 (to fund my studies) so I have enough stamps. Had to leave my last job to go on Erasmus and despite a million applications, I haven't had a job since.

I'm 23 and had to move in with folks so I could stay in college. My parents earn a reasonable amount of money so they have been able to supplement a lot of my studying costs but it has been made clear that once I finish college, I won't have a penny (and they are absolutely right).

If I cannot find a job, would I be eligible for JSB? I will be living at home until I can afford to rent but I still have bills and loans to clear. And if I am entitled to JSB, would it be much?

I know I am not in the worst situation because I have a roof over my head but I am really fretting over the finance situation and I hope to apply for JSB as soon as I am finished college. Oh, and I have read through the welfare.ie site but reading through this thread, it seems that if you are under 25 and living at home, you may encounter problems.

Thanks!

eyesofvenus

I just received a letter from my social welfare this morning.
It is in regards my claim from JSB to JSA. I put letter in around second week in february and am now getting an interview next tuesday.
A few questions:

1)It says bank statements from at least 3 months but earliest I have is from 5 months ago due to no activity in bank account, will this do?

2)Because im 24 and living at home i have to bring parents payslips which they dont willingly want to give. The situation is this, I had to move home cause i couldnt afford rent, but my parents want money every week from me to live at home which because of delay in waiting I dont have. So my best friend has been lending me money every week to get by.

I get no support or money from parents only a hard time. What I want to know is how will what they earn affect my payment? And im 25 in 6 months time so how is it that things will be any different then in regards what my parents earn in relation to me?

Reality is I need as much money as I can get(don't mean to sound like a beggar or cheat) but its reality. My parents want €50 per week from me and ive to get my own food. Also I know this is of no concern to SW but I have a car on Finance which is nearly €300 per month and I have missed payments for 3 months now and are threatening with court action and blacklisting me.

Sorry for rant, any advice on what to say in interview(never been for one with SW before) will be greatly appreciated

oh just to add ive no working phone at the moment because meteor cut me off due to not being able to pay final bill(had bill phone which was cheaper than ready to go but needed to get rid of direct debit due to having no income) so i cant really jobseek to my full potential at the moment lol

mag1c

Applied for JSA - 3rd June 2008!!!!!! thats comming up to 2 yars wait !

habitual residence holding it up as I'am English..

stilll waitng...

what an utter farce. totally against human rights as far as I'm amconcerned.
I bet an Irish /European person appying in England dont have to wait this REDICULOUSE amount of time.

Dempo1

mag1c wrote: »

Applied for JSA - 3rd June 2008!!!!!! thats comming up to 2 yars wait !

habitual residence holding it up as I'am English..

stilll waitng...

what an utter farce. totally against human rights as far as I'm amconcerned.
I bet an Irish /European person appying in England dont have to wait this REDICULOUSE amount of time.

Surely this can not be correct? Two year wait? something is seriously wrong with your application. Habitual residency was not even a condition when you applied! even so, this is a pretty straight forward matter to resolve such as proof of address, utility bills, rent bills etc, at this stage i would imagine you would also have numerous written correspondence over this two year waiting period from the department of social welfare which in itself should be proof of residency. You need to get down to your local office and sort this out or consider an appeal, also might help to contact citizens information on this outrageous situation.

Dempo1

eyesofvenus wrote: »

I just received a letter from my social welfare this morning.
It is in regards my claim from JSB to JSA. I put letter in around second week in february and am now getting an interview next tuesday.
A few questions:

1)It says bank statements from at least 3 months but earliest I have is from 5 months ago due to no activity in bank account, will this do?

2)Because im 24 and living at home i have to bring parents payslips which they dont willingly want to give. The situation is this, I had to move home cause i couldnt afford rent, but my parents want money every week from me to live at home which because of delay in waiting I dont have. So my best friend has been lending me money every week to get by.

I get no support or money from parents only a hard time. What I want to know is how will what they earn affect my payment? And im 25 in 6 months time so how is it that things will be any different then in regards what my parents earn in relation to me?

Reality is I need as much money as I can get(don't mean to sound like a beggar or cheat) but its reality. My parents want €50 per week from me and ive to get my own food. Also I know this is of no concern to SW but I have a car on Finance which is nearly €300 per month and I have missed payments for 3 months now and are threatening with court action and blacklisting me.

Sorry for rant, any advice on what to say in interview(never been for one with SW before) will be greatly appreciated

oh just to add ive no working phone at the moment because meteor cut me off due to not being able to pay final bill(had bill phone which was cheaper than ready to go but needed to get rid of direct debit due to having no income) so i cant really jobseek to my full potential at the moment lol

This is an important Means test and there is no way around the SW requests, regardless of any bank activity in your bank account you will be required to submit statements for the past three months.

As regards your parents unwillingness to provide pay slips, i am afraid this will not be acceptable, you may be able to supply details for their PPS numbers which the SW can check out in relation to earnings or have them supply a letter stating you are paying rent whilst living at home. The SW are very strict about means and you will have to supply something about your parents income or a letter from them, i really think your parents need to understand this is not a luxury, if they require you to pay rent, you need approval.

As for the car Payment, your already on the credit bureau for missing a single payment so too late to be concerned. Some banks are re negotiating lease terms on car loans but only if you have reached a certain level of reducing the original loan, in reality you probably need to consider handing back the car. Your options are detailed on the financial regulators website.

Reading between the lines, you seriously need a reality check!

Yrag2E

New Claim first week in JAN, means test etc etc (Dublin 17) but still nothing

Living on nothing really. Cycle everywhere. The bus is a luxury haha.

on the plus, have lost 2 stone but on the downside - it could be detrimental to my health.

Havent payed a bill/loan in months. Car reposessed, debt collectors at the door weekly. Job declines weekly.....Could easily be depressed here but I'm not and I'll wait patiently and keep looking for a job

lucy2010

Yrag2E wrote: »

New Claim first week in JAN, means test etc etc (Dublin 17) but still nothing

Living on nothing really. Cycle everywhere. The bus is a luxury haha.

on the plus, have lost 2 stone but on the downside - it could be detrimental to my health.

Havent payed a bill/loan in months. Car reposessed, debt collectors at the door weekly. Job declines weekly.....Could easily be depressed here but I'm not and I'll wait patiently and keep looking for a job

Yikes !! - You poor thing. Unfortunately a lot of people out there have there heads in the clouds regarding the unemployed ( not you OP). But its only when they become unemployeed themselves they realise how bad things can get.... Heart goes out to people who are like this with reposessions & debt collectors.
OP Can your welfare officer help in anyway with supplementary welfare ? I would suggest you write to any company you owe money to & suggest paying them even €2 a week to keep the debt collectors away.
Best of luck anyway & I hope your situation improves soon.

Dempo1

lucy2010 wrote: »

Yikes !! - You poor thing. Unfortunately a lot of people out there have there heads in the clouds regarding the unemployed ( not you OP). But its only when they become unemployed themselves they realize how bad things can get.... Heart goes out to people who are like this with repossessions & debt collectors.
OP Can your welfare officer help in anyway with supplementary welfare ? I would suggest you write to any company you owe money to & suggest paying them even €2 a week to keep the debt collectors away.
Best of luck anyway & I hope your situation improves soon.

Yes agreed, i am curious however why claimants are either not approaching their CWO's or perhaps being refused by CWO. The system allows claimants awaiting claims to apply for supplementary welfare via their CWO, i am amazed about the amount of posters not doing so or experiencing difficulties. It's a ludicrous situation where genuine claimants are being left with no income what so ever. Perhaps new claimants are penalized but i am not aware this is the case. Those transferring from JSB to JSA, despite being on the system are also being left high and dry. Just can't understand why no one is kicking up a fuss about this.

As regards these vulture debt collectors, i advise anyone claiming the dole to write to creditors and enclose a copy of your dole application forms or indeed any confirmation you are in receipt of welfare, these F^&Kers can't get blood from a stone. Debt collectors arriving at your Home is considering in law as demanding money with menace, a serious offense. Debt collection agencies are require to follow strict guidelines in relation to pursuing debt and usually through the courts who are by now sick to the teeth with horror stories. Judges are being quite helpful and as long as any effort is being made, including correspondence to creditors, they will likely impose a manageable payment schedule based on income no matter how low, its pisses off the finance companies but they can do little about it.

lucy2010

Hey Dempo, Hows things? CWO do appear to be refusing. I was refused myself & heard same from others. Brutal TBH.
As for the debt collectors - You need to persevere. With 1 I was getting up to 11 calls a day into the night. I was starting to go off my trolley with the blocked calls. Eventually after months of harassment I got a really nice guy & he explained he was at home with a list of numbers - He didnt have a screen in front of him so everything notes wise on why I was in arrears was unknown to him So I posed the question " what can you do if I can only pay you €2 a week ?" & he says I dont know !!. So he rang back told me to pay €2 a week,he deleted my phone number off the system. & all fine now. Persevere guys !

Dempo1

lucy2010 wrote: »

Hey Dempo, Hows things? CWO do appear to be refusing. I was refused myself & heard same from others. Brutal TBH.
As for the debt collectors - You need to persevere. With 1 I was getting up to 11 calls a day into the night. I was starting to go off my trolley with the blocked calls. Eventually after months of harassment I got a really nice guy & he explained he was at home with a list of numbers - He didnt have a screen in front of him so everything notes wise on why I was in arrears was unknown to him So I posed the question " what can you do if I can only pay you €2 a week ?" & he says I dont know !!. So he rang back told me to pay €2 a week,he deleted my phone number off the system. & all fine now. Persevere guys !

Hey Lucy2010, i am amazed at your experience with debt collectors, my god you must have been an anglo irish bank shareholder!

I've had a small experience with these agencies, kinda liked to play with them, let them run up enourmous correspondance and phone costs, then dribble some payment until it's cleared, which is exactly what i did a while back with a small amount remaining on a car lease deal. The company "GE money where livid as they could do absolutely nothing! It dragged it on, just on principal alone.

Yrag2E

Hi,

thanks very much for the kind words!
yeah actually refused by CWO and it is almost a 2-3 hour wait to see an officer. I'd rather keep my sanity than have money. I just hope it is sorted soon and at least I can offer these collectors 2 euro a week.

A job would be better but ye know how it is.

blueberri

Applied on a Tuesday, met the CWO on Thursday. Signing on once a month and 12 weeks later, still no word. I am based in North Cork.

lucy2010

Dempo1 wrote: »

Hey Lucy2010, i am amazed at your experience with debt collectors, my god you must have been an anglo irish bank shareholder!

I've had a small experience with these agencies, kinda liked to play with them, let them run up enourmous correspondance and phone costs, then dribble some payment until it's cleared, which is exactly what i did a while back with a small amount remaining on a car lease deal. The company "GE money where livid as they could do absolutely nothing! It dragged it on, just on principal alone.

Ahh Dempo - I wish .... No when I actually did work lol I gained a bit of experience in this area. GE were the company too & it was exactly 1 mnt & 1 week arrears ; less than €400 & I was getting 11 calls a day :eek::eek: So I played them at their own game until I got the nice guy - The fact they dont have a screen he was saying was a nightmare - He rang a couple with a joint loan & the HE had died the day before . So think he felt sorry for me ! Its true though they can do jack all about it as if they ever attempt to take you to court - all the judge will see is you have made an effort to pay even if it is €2 a week!

Fionn MacCool

9 weeks and 1 day after making my repeat claim (had already been on JSA before, all my details were the same except this time I had even less money to my name) and they still haven't processed it. When I went in on Feb 8th I was told they would be able to do it "in about a week".

lucy2010

Ouch! - It appears thy tell everyone " in about a week ".... Long weeks there y looks of things. Im dreading whats about to happen - Im due to get my final sick cert on Monday so I have to go up & sign on.. arrgghhhh. Have a feeling ill be starting the drama all over again.

eyesofvenus

Dempo1 wrote: »

This is an important Means test and there is no way around the SW requests, regardless of any bank activity in your bank account you will be required to submit statements for the past three months.

As regards your parents unwillingness to provide pay slips, i am afraid this will not be acceptable, you may be able to supply details for their PPS numbers which the SW can check out in relation to earnings or have them supply a letter stating you are paying rent whilst living at home. The SW are very strict about means and you will have to supply something about your parents income or a letter from them, i really think your parents need to understand this is not a luxury, if they require you to pay rent, you need approval.

As for the car Payment, your already on the credit bureau for missing a single payment so too late to be concerned. Some banks are re negotiating lease terms on car loans but only if you have reached a certain level of reducing the original loan, in reality you probably need to consider handing back the car. Your options are detailed on the financial regulators website.

Reading between the lines, you seriously need a reality check!

Well I went for interview last Wednesday. I brought letter from parents stating I was living at home, my mam gave me her payslip but my dad didn't have his with him so i got that next day and posted it in. I didn't have a bank statement as I already said because my account is in fact frozen and only correspondence I had was a letter from my bank stating i was in arrears and account would be frozen, the inspector was fine with this.

In regards the car I have paid about 40% off loan so far, so if they want to take back car they have to go through courts now. However as soon as my payment comes through I think ill be able to work something out with them.

The social welfare inspector was the nicest person I have ever spoken to in the SW. She was highly considerate, and seemed to understand I wasn't just looking for a handy life sitting on scratcher forever. She even suggested I go back to college and finish my electronic engineering degree(I had completed year one of 4 a few years back) and even went as far as to arrange for me to receive BTEA with the job facillatator even though I would be entering year 2 and not year 1 as it stipulates

Grumpypants

Yrag2E wrote: »

Hi,

thanks very much for the kind words!
yeah actually refused by CWO and it is almost a 2-3 hour wait to see an officer. I'd rather keep my sanity than have money. I just hope it is sorted soon and at least I can offer these collectors 2 euro a week.

A job would be better but ye know how it is.

Its this wait that kills me, I was looking for mortgage interest suplement. took me 1 days to find out where the centre was. Took me another day to find out it was the wrong centre they sent me to. Had to wait 2 weeks as the next day he was ment to be in was paddy's day. Finally got there waited for 4 hours. Was told i needed to ask the bank to renegotiate my mortgage. Went off to do that. While waiting for the letter from the bank that he insisted he needed to process any claim i got a regection letter from the CWO.

Now im swapping to JSA i was told this morning it will take upto 2 months but to go to the CWO and ask for sup. income allowance but it was such a waste of time and they made me feel so worthless last time id nearly do without for the 2 months.

Dempo1

Grumpypants wrote: »

Its this wait that kills me, I was looking for mortgage interest supplement. took me 1 days to find out where the centre was. Took me another day to find out it was the wrong centre they sent me to. Had to wait 2 weeks as the next day he was ment to be in was paddy's day. Finally got there waited for 4 hours. Was told i needed to ask the bank to renegotiate my mortgage. Went off to do that. While waiting for the letter from the bank that he insisted he needed to process any claim i got a regection letter from the CWO.

Now im swapping to JSA i was told this morning it will take upto 2 months but to go to the CWO and ask for sup. income allowance but it was such a waste of time and they made me feel so worthless last time id nearly do without for the 2 months.

Hi There, i don't understand what you refer to as centres re mortgage interest supplement? this is handled by the CWO at your local health centre, these applications are automatically refused but awarded on appeal, did you supply all the mountains of documents they request from the bank? namely original application/proof you could afford the original mortgage? its a silly process but my bank was helpful in supplying the documentation. Your CWO should have supplied you with the required list. My supplement was refused on the grounds i could not afford the original mortgage, i was earning £35k at the time for a mortgage of £42k, Work that out, bunch of gob****es, i immediately appealed and was awarded the bizarre amount of €22 per month, hardly worth the effort. Then again i am fortunate in only having a small mortgage.

Grumpypants

Dempo1 wrote: »

Hi There, i don't understand what you refer to as centres re mortgage interest supplement? this is handled by the CWO at your local health centre, these applications are automatically refused but awarded on appeal, did you supply all the mountains of documents they request from the bank? namely original application/proof you could afford the original mortgage? its a silly process but my bank was helpful in supplying the documentation. Your CWO should have supplied you with the required list. My supplement was refused on the grounds i could not afford the original mortgage, i was earning £35k at the time for a mortgage of £42k, Work that out, bunch of gob****es, i immediately appealed and was awarded the bizarre amount of €22 per month, hardly worth the effort. Then again i am fortunate in only having a small mortgage.

hello, The centre i refered to was the local health centre. I got sent to 4 different locations to meet the CWO before they got me to the correct one, no had a clue about what was going on. I was actually told it was held in the priests house and i was waiting with 3 others that morning when a member of the public stopped and told us a brand new health centre had been built and the CWO was moved.

When i enquired about it i was told to rent out a room in my house so i did that. I now applied with all the mountains of documents and was told that the 40euro i get in rent + the initial 24 euro is more than the weekly interest on my mortgage so they wont pay me anything. Think i will appeal.

lukesmom

My husband has been waiting to been waiting for Job seekers allowance claim to be processed since June 2009!!!!!!!!!!!!:mad: We are in Navan and the waiting time is desperate. He gets paid from the CWO since October 09 and he still hasnt gotten the claim accepted properly so no back money paid yet.

Dempo1

lukesmom wrote: »

My husband has been waiting to been waiting for Job seekers allowance claim to be processed since June 2009!!!!!!!!!!!!:mad: We are in Navan and the waiting time is desperate. He gets paid from the CWO since October 09 and he still hasnt gotten the claim accepted properly so no back money paid yet.

Outrageous! I would have thought Navan would have been considered a big enough centre and equally staffed accordingly. I would expect more rural locations with temp offices being short staffed but this is outrageous as too is the number of peope coming off JSB being left waiting weeks if not months with no income, can't understand why this issue has not created a stink in the media with all the BS over people waiting for passports, God Bless them!

lukesmom

Dempo1 wrote: »

Outrageous! I would have thought Navan would have been considered a big enough centre and equally staffed accordingly. I would expect more rural locations with temp offices being short staffed but this is outrageous as too is the number of peope coming off JSB being left waiting weeks if not months with no income, can't understand why this issue has not created a stink in the media with all the BS over people waiting for passports, God Bless them!

And the strange thing is they sent him a letter last week asking him for a P45 even though he was self employed and when he went into the social welfare office the same day they told him to disregard the letter that it had been sent out to him 'in error'!!! And that his claim is still being processed. Would wreck your head completely! You would almost be paranoid that the powers that be are telling the SW to stall as many applications as possible. It has been 10 months waiting for us. We have an 8 year old son and due a baby in 2 months. Waiting to get rent allowance. Its the first time my husband was ever out of work and there is nothing for him, he is a bricklayer by trade.

Dempo1

lukesmom wrote: »

And the strange thing is they sent him a letter last week asking him for a P45 even though he was self employed and when he went into the social welfare office the same day they told him to disregard the letter that it had been sent out to him 'in error'!!! And that his claim is still being processed. Would wreck your head completely! You would almost be paranoid that the powers that be are telling the SW to stall as many applications as possible. It has been 10 months waiting for us. We have an 8 year old son and due a baby in 2 months. Waiting to get rent allowance. Its the first time my husband was ever out of work and there is nothing for him, he is a bricklayer by trade.

It would seem your husband is caught in the self employed trap, the SW seem to treat self employed differently and it would appear self employed people are heavily penalised. I see where your coming from also re bricklaying and the general construction down turn, i was in the Hotel business, owned by a developer, needless to say the Hotel was taken off him by the previously friendly banks, 15 people made redundant!

rexton270

Hi guys, just my story here:
my JSB run out on 21 Dec 2009. Received letter from SW on 15 Dec 2009 that my payment would stop soon and should apply for JSA. Was told the same, that moving from JSB to JSA is a matter of 3-4 weeks. However, didn't went that way, so I filled all the sent forms incl. "Means Test" and handed in to office on 4th January 2010. Had my interview on 22nd February 2010 and since then "pending"...

CWO officer told me that I am not entitled to anything as my partner is a full-time employee (30 hrs pw - €315).

Meath

lisil78

Applied for JSB on 9th Feb. Was told that I had enough contributions but that final descision would be made by deciding officer and would take 6 weeks. Still waiting after 10wks:mad:. Anyone have a rough idea how long it takes this office to process JB claims. Had to laugh when I looked at questions that were asked in the Dail about the waiting times....Navan said in Feb it was taking them on average 2 wks ha ha. Been down to office and all they can say is, it'll will be another couple of weeks, but to be honest I think they are telling everyone that to try and keep the peace.

lukesmom

lisil78 wrote: »

Applied for JSB on 9th Feb. Was told that I had enough contributions but that final descision would be made by deciding officer and would take 6 weeks. Still waiting after 10wks:mad:. Anyone have a rough idea how long it takes this office to process JB claims. Had to laugh when I looked at questions that were asked in the Dail about the waiting times....Navan said in Feb it was taking them on average 2 wks ha ha. Been down to office and all they can say is, it'll will be another couple of weeks, but to be honest I think they are telling everyone that to try and keep the peace.

Navan 2 weeks waiting time??? They're having a laugh! My husband and I are waiting since last June so 10 months in total!!! Whenever he rings or drops in to the SW office in Navan they tell him the same old story 'it is being processed still and should be ready soon' ha ha what a joke!!!

Fighting Irish

Around how long are people waiting for back pay?

rexton270

lukesmom wrote: »

Navan 2 weeks waiting time??? They're having a laugh! My husband and I are waiting since last June so 10 months in total!!! Whenever he rings or drops in to the SW office in Navan they tell him the same old story 'it is being processed still and should be ready soon' ha ha what a joke!!!

holly moses!!! So the woman behind the till was correct, when she told me, that there are more people with longer waiting time... Just wondering how long it will last...I mean the patience!??? Mine is running out slowly but surely :mad:

lisil78

rexton270 wrote: »

holly moses!!! So the woman behind the till was correct, when she told me, that there are more people with longer waiting time... Just wondering how long it will last...I mean the patience!??? Mine is running out slowly but surely :mad:

Just burst out laughing when i read the written answer that Eamon OCuiv gave on 20/04/10 with regards to social welfare waiting times. Navan office average wait for JB he says is 3.48 and for JA is 15.56. Where is he getting these figures from??????? Anyone know if these social welfare offices have managers or supervisors in them? I'm still of getting the same old nonense from the front desk. They may as well just put a tape recorder which repeatedly says "Your claim is being processed and will take another couple of weeks" because thats all you ever hear.

jujuB

Hey,

I lost my job just before Christmas and I had never signed on before. The 19th of Dec I went in and STILL I haven't received a penny. I am now waiting just over 4 months. I'm in Co Wexford. I have been in NUMOROUS times asking them if there is any word etc, because at this stage I am seriously thinking that there is some sort of problem. I haven't been means tested and have been told that I wont be. They have reassured me that there is no problem and have called the Wexford office in front of me and apparently it is waiting to be processed STILL. I was in about 2 weeks ago and she informed me they were only going through the October claims and some of the girls that work in the office were taking holidays so there would only be ONE lady processing the claims that week, probably thousands. A friend of mine lost his job in March and got his money 2 weeks after he went into the office, he is in Co Wicklow. Is this because he has signed on before and they have had his details from the past when he was signing on? It is totally ridiculous, has anyone else been in the same situation?? Has anyone got any advice on what I should do at this stage, it would be much appreciated.

jujuB

Hey,

I lost my job just before Christmas and I had never signed on before. The 19th of Dec I went in and STILL I haven't received a penny. I am now waiting just over 4 months. I'm in Co Wexford. I have been in NUMOROUS times asking them if there is any word etc, because at this stage I am seriously thinking that there is some sort of problem. I haven't been means tested and have been told that I wont be. They have reassured me that there is no problem and have called the Wexford office in front of me and apparently it is waiting to be processed STILL. I was in about 2 weeks ago and she informed me they were only going through the October claims and some of the girls that work in the office were taking holidays so there would only be ONE lady processing the claims that week, probably thousands. A friend of mine lost his job in March and got his money 2 weeks after he went into the office, he is in Co Wicklow. Is this because he has signed on before and they have had his details from the past when he was signing on? It is totally ridiculous, has anyone else been in the same situation?? Has anyone got any advice on what I should do at this stage, it would be much appreciated.

CoalBucket

A sixteen week wait in my local swo for jsa.

jujuB

CoalBucket wrote: »

A sixteen week wait in my local swo for jsa.

where are you in the country?! its about the same time as im waiting

CoalBucket

jujuB wrote: »

where are you in the country?! its about the same time as im waiting

North Cork, the 16 week wait is about average. It was longer last year I was told. I wrote to the minister at the time and they took about 8 weeks to respond to say they were dealing with it.

felinefrenzy

My partner was on sickness benefit . her stamps ran out and she can applied for disability benefit as she has been certified out of work by both her own GP and social welfares GP. She been told it will be at least 20 weeks before her claim will even be looked at . We are left now with 2 children under three years attempting to survive on one wage . The System is a absolute disgrace as is the whole Government of corrupt villians.

me8989

felinefrenzy wrote: »

My partner was on sickness benefit . her stamps ran out and she can applied for disability benefit as she has been certified out of work by both her own GP and social welfares GP. She been told it will be at least 20 weeks before her claim will even be looked at . We are left now with 2 children under three years attempting to survive on one wage . The System is a absolute disgrace as is the whole Government of corrupt villians.

I was told 16 weeks, it took 8-9. Still a long wait though ..

felinefrenzy

Any idea what the income limit for the means test for the disability benefit is? We have 2 kids under three years old.

captainstacy

2 weeks from when I applied for JSA to when I received the letter confirming I qualified.
I am in the midlands and can't praise the staff in my local social welfare office highly enough.
They have such a high and stressful workload but I found them nothing but helpful.