Has anyone else been waiting this long?

jakey4000

My sister has been waiting :eek:18 weeks:eek: for her dole to come through.

She first gave in her application for JA in first week of Feb. Then at the end of Feb she got s few days work so she went and informed them and they told her to drop in the certs for the days she working and changed her claim to a claim for part time JA.

Shes been working 2-3 days a week since then. She drops in her certs religiously, never forgets.

She didnt hear anything from them until the end of March when they came and did the home visit to check where she was living. They said they'd call her for her interview and to just keep dropping in her certs.

She didnt hear from them all through April and every week when she drops in the certs she asks and they say its being processed.

At the start of May she went and asked them if she had left something out and maybe that was why it was taking so long but they said they they had everything.

Finally in the middle of May she got called for her interview, it was just the usual. We were sure it wouldnt be long :obut still shes getting nothing.:mad:

When she asks they still say its being processed but its getting ridiculouds because everyone we know who signed on after her is already being paid.

She went 3 weeks ago to the CWO who gave her about €50 a week and said that all she can give her.

She only earns €120-150 a week depending on if she does 2 or 3 days.

Shes been back to the CWO twice and gets told that all she can get is the 50 even though when she gets the JA it'll be more than €50. They also refused her rent allowance until her JA comes through.:mad::mad:

So between her having to pay her half of the rent and the cost of travelling to work and teh fact that she aprts trains on the job but has to buy teh materials herself (she cant get help with that she tried). She barely has enough money left for food.

Im on disability so I'm paying all our bill myself and I cant afford it anymore. We're both starting to crack up.:(

Has anyone been waiting this long?

How long where you waiting once you did the interview?

Xiney

That sounds mental

I've been waiting 10 weeks now and I haven't had my means test inspection (where they visit you at home) yet. I'm in Galway City.

I have no clue when they're planning on coming down or how long it'll take after that, on the positive side the house has never stayed clean for such a long time! Maybe I'll be able to keep it up even without the threat of surprise visitors from the state...

cee_jay

Unfortunately any earnings she has coming in will be taken from the payment she gets from the CWO. The full rate is 204.30, so if she is earning on average 150, then she would get only 50 euro approx. I am sure the CWO's hands are tied when it comes to that.
Where in the country are you?
I was speaking with someone today in Cork who said they were currently processing JA claims from February.

brigadear

My wife has been waiting since first week of April!!, so we have had to do with only my wage for that period, which is about 10 weeks, she is due to start a new job soon. I wouldnt be surprised if she gets it when she informs them that she is about to start a new job. She wrote a letter to them last week asking whats going on, but havent heard anything. Social are another example of public servants doing nothing. Because we only had 1 wage coming in, we had to sell her car 2 weeks as we dont know if she will get it as she isnt a EU national, thats what makes this all so frusturating, as we dont know if she is entitled or not, and social welfaare have been so unhelpful whenever we have rung them or gone in asking for info.

IT Loser

My 6th week of waiting just came and ended.

Starting to get somewhat peeved about it now, as the girl in the office said "3 weeks", to begin with.

No letter in the post there this morning, so I think I will ring the local office today.

I will post back and let you all know how I got on.

jakey4000

She asked them again today and got the usual reply "its being processed".

:mad::mad::mad::mad:18 weeks is just too long.:mad::mad::mad::mad:

A friend of hers put in a claim at the end of March and started getting paid last week. That's the 5th person we know who out in their claim after my sister and is already getting paid. I'm thinking maybe they're prioritising people who looking for full dole over people who are part dole. If that the case though she'll be waiting forever.:(

What's even worse is she cant get any rent allowance until her dole starts getting paid and she cant pay her half of the rent all the time. I've been paying her part when I could but she still owe the landlord €550 added up in arrears. He's been good about it but now he says he won't be renewing the lease with us which runs out in the middle of next month (before all this he was wanting to renew it for a year).

He's only giving back half the deposit too (he's keeping the other halffor the money owed to him). which is fair enough but it means we doint have enough of a deposit for another place.

The CWO wont give her a deposit for a new place until her claim comes through and won't give me one because I got one before and I'm getting my half of the deposit back.

Basically off the back this stupid long wait we're losing our home and if she doesn't get her money soon along with the back pay we're going to be homeless.:(

Xiney

I would honestly return to the office and explain to them how serious the situation is.

If they try to fob you off, ask to speak to a superior.


I have no experience in dealing with this sort of thing but 18 weeks waiting and not being able to apply for rent allowance in the meantime rendering you homeless is absolutely unacceptable.


Perhaps contact threshold, they may be able to advocate for your sister.

dlambirl

my cousin applied for J.S.A late January and got a letter 2 weeks ago to say that his J.S.A application was successful - so thats how long they waited!! Fortuntely for them the CWO gave them the full payment. But they went into the post office on the day the J.S.A was due in and it wasnt up on the system until this week. They lost a week's payment :mad:

IT Loser

dlambirl wrote: »

my cousin applied for J.S.A late January and got a letter 2 weeks ago to say that his J.S.A application was successful - so thats how long they waited!! Fortuntely for them the CWO gave them the full payment. But they went into the post office on the day the J.S.A was due in and it wasnt up on the system until this week. They lost a week's payment :mad:

I am hearing a lot of these stories about people "just getting" their JSA.

Was there a means test conducted in the meantime??

I rang the office there at 12:45pm, the phone rang out. I rang again at 2:05 and a lady who seemed desperately unsure of herself answered and took my details, before breathlessly informing me that everyone was out for lunch, and could I give my details again, that I would get a call back.

Its now 14:37, and no call yet.

dlambirl

IT Loser wrote: »

I am hearing a lot of these stories about people "just getting" their JSA.

Was there a means test conducted in the meantime??

I rang the office there at 12:45pm, the phone rang out. I rang again at 2:05 and a lady who seemed desperately unsure of herself answered and took my details, before breathlessly informing me that everyone was out for lunch, and could I give my details again, that I would get a call back.

Its now 14:37, and no call yet.

Yes, their means test was carried out about a month or a month and a half before they were told they were getting it.

Dont stand waiting by the phone - i wouldnt hold my breath for a call today. Maybe next week. Your best bet is to call in. Most Social Welfare offices arent even answering their phones at present!

IT Loser

dlambirl wrote: »

Yes, their means test was carried out about a month or a month and a half before they were told they were getting it.

Dont stand waiting by the phone - i wouldnt hold my breath for a call today. Maybe next week. Your best bet is to call in. Most Social Welfare offices arent even answering their phones at present!

Hi again.

Here is the funny thing of it.

When I rang back, at 3.15pm {they never called me, btw} the phone rang out. So I called again. Lo and behold, I get the same woman who asks for my details, and then informs me that there is nothing wrong with my claim, its just a backlog, and that their expected delivery time is 6-8 weeks.

This, of course, bears no resemblance to the "3-4" weeks nonsense I was told the first time I went in.

She told me that if there was a problem with my claim, that I would have been contacted by phone by now. WHich I find a bit hard to believe, for 2 reasons

{a} they do not strike me as being the sort of people who are fond of picking up the phone

{b} if it is talking 6-8 weeks before they get round to assigning a means-tester to you, how ON EARTH would they EVEN BE IN A POSITION TO KNOW there is a deficiency in my claim?? They have not looked at it since I lodged it!!!

All in all, it appears that to get your claim processed and to get yourself in a position whereby you are collecting your payments, you must persist, persist, persist with these people.

I ended the call v. politely, I told them I understood the situation with the backlog and that the sole purpose of my call was to check on the nature and status of my claim.

The lady told me she understood my concerns, that my money would be backdated, and we ended the call on that cordial note.

I guess in 2 weeks I will make another call just to see how they are progressing.

By then it will be 8 weeks, and some €1632 in arrears/backpay.