Means Test JSA

slippersRheels

I need some light on this situation & hopefully someone here has been in the same situation. All in the name of research

I'm a statistic since 2008 when I lost my job. Decided to go back to college to re-educate as a mature, full time student rather than wasting away on the dole. Grand got a place but wait we're not letting people have the college grant anymore. Fair enough its gonna cost me alot to re-educate but it will be worth it right, theres no cost on education and it will only benefit me in the future. I'll have to suffice with 188 quid a week. petrol only cost me 80 a week and toll 36pm, so what if i cant feed my family it will be worth it, you'll be earning again soon stick with it.

Top of my class 2 years running that new degree (and fancy thoughts of a masters) are within my grasp. Summer hols last year I received JSA at the same rate as BTE. Summer hols this year I get means tested again !!

No problem gave them all the information they wanted as I did before (I have nothing to hide, i'm born and bred here in ireland, worked since i was 15, paid my stamps) just a formality i thought, Joan Burton has gotten a promotion maybe she wants to check things out. (Every little detail minus the colour knickers i'm wearing, i'm skeptical about huranguey Joany).

So two days later i get a polite means tested printed paper stating that.......
OH OOOOOOOHH.... your household earnings are 359 euro BUT your over the limit of allowance of.......345 euro.

I cant bloody believe it 14 euro "over" household income. Income don't make me laugh. Thats for two adults and a school going child.

Anybody else been in this position?

Do I ring my local lying TD ? Do I grovel at my local CWO for a few measly euro for food? Or do I just roll over and take it up the ass because i'm not foreign, haven't got ten kids hanging out of my sleeves. I have worked all my adult life and the fact that I fell in love married and then had a small one child family that I'M NOT ENTITLED TO ANY FINANCIAL HELP.

I guess i'm not a bank. If i were I could cook my books to make my income 14 euro less then I could sleep at night and not worry about feeding my son crappy lidle chips every night of the week because that all I can afford. This country and social system has failed me, an honest person ALL for 14 euro, I cry as i write this. In all seriousness I hate this country and every rotten fraudster from FF/FG elected scum down to the knacker junkies who get everything handed to them on a plate.

If some one has been in this position before, what did you do? I'd like to know for my "memoirs of a backward country where the honest, hard working, trying to better yourself- and still bail out the banks little guy gets **** on every which way & six ways from sunday"

Nice title eh......

crusifixio2000

slippersRheels wrote: »

Nice title eh......

Honestly, theres nothing you can do about it. But I still dont understand the reason why they have to means test you. Is your partner or anyone in your family currently working at the moment?. Cos that may be the reason why you re been means tested?

slippersRheels

Yep thats exactly it. It goes on my husbands earnings which are 17.50 over the limit. They took his overtime into consideration even though I told them that it was not guaranteed. Its necessary for him to work when others don't turn up because of health and safety, so even on his days off if someone is sick he HAS to go in.

Just back from the CWO and he laughed at me !! told me to appeal on the basis of hubbies overtime, and the fact that he works over 7 days not 5, he thinks it was an unfair appraisal.

Surely someone else has been in this predicament, I can't be the only one.

rasper

I can see why you're upset but that really is a vile attack on "foreigners, parents and knacker junkies"

snubbleste

Those are the rules. They are only following them, there has to be a cut-off somewhere. Same JSA rules for all.
Follow your CWO advice and appeal it.

You could have reduced your post to four sentences and left out the vitriol.

crusifixio2000

slippersRheels wrote: »

Surely someone else has been in this predicament, I can't be the only one.

To be honest with you, at the end of the day, they will tell you that your family income exceeds to normally amount and that they cant help you "(afterall is not ther problem that your husband works overtime)"

If you really dont want to be means tested, then this is what you ll have to do:
1. Your husband should stop working over time or any work that should exceed the normally amount, then get his payslip and return it to the SW. Forcing them to cancel your means test

2. if No. 1 above wont be possible, then your husband may consider stop working at all, and thats when you ll have more benefits on SW system (Pathetic isnt it).

I came to realise that its really a bad idea if one of your family member is working, you ll lose lots of entitlements in SW and also will be means tested.

slippersRheels

Sure I agree the system is flawed completely.

I'll get him to get the sack (easy enough now there cryin for people to leave), have four more kids, stop paying my mortgage (i'll get rent allowance on a nice 4 bedroom house) and all bills (they'll be paid for me now... free lekki woohooo), pretend we split up, claim unmarried mothers (but sure he'll still be my partner giving me money), sick allowance, get a medical card and reap all the benefits that the tax payer has to offer. And he can work on the black market cash in hand.....

sorted.... shoulda done this all along.

Thanks for your advice.

Lugh Ildanach

Does your other half work more than 19 hours/week? If he does, he would be eligible for FIS. If he is on FIS, then the means test calculation for your Jobseekers is different, you don't get an allowance for the partner, and only get a half payment for children, but your means are halved.

This could make all the difference. But it only applies if your other half is also receiving a social welfare payment, eg FIS. If he is self-employed, then FIS will not apply.

For your information, those who are not habitually resident in Ireland do not receive ANY Jobseekers Allowance payments at all. If you are eligible for FIS, then its because you have a child, just like the people you were complaining about. As for your stamps that you have paid, these only give an entitlement to Jobseekers Benefit payment for up to 1 year. After that exhausts, you can re-qualify, although only if you have worked for another 13 weeks.

Lugh Ildanach

Also, you can request a reassessment of your means test at any stage. It doesn't go on whether you can be "guaranteed" the overtime, they look at a period of time, usually 13 weeks, to find out what a representative amount of overtime is. If you do not feel that this period is representative, then you can ask for a different period to be used, eg 26 weeks or 52 weeks.

crusifixio2000

Lugh Ildanach wrote: »

. After that exhausts, you can re-qualify, although only if you have worked for another 13 weeks.

He ll be eligible if in paid full-time employment that is expected to last for 3 months..
so if he works part time or the not not expected to last for 3 moths, then he wont be eligible..so I dont think he is

crusifixio2000

Lugh Ildanach wrote: »

Also, you can request a reassessment of your means test at any stage. It doesn't go on whether you can be "guaranteed" the overtime, they look at a period of time, usually 13 weeks, to find out what a representative amount of overtime is. If you do not feel that this period is representative, then you can ask for a different period to be used, eg 26 weeks or 52 weeks.

To me u sound like SW system is easy, nice and simple..well you ve not seen anything yet cos maybe you re missing something, maybe you ve not been to SW recently and have any problem with them or have you?

Maybe you re living alone or you and ur partner is working. which ever way it is, SW isnt easy now. Not now that there have been more that 140,000 people siging in for more than a year and more than 400,000 people getting benefit!

slippersRheels

Lugh Ildanach thanks for the heads up, I only know what I can find out and what I'm told , so thanks I'll research FIS as he does work full time and his wage is now the only income into the house.

And I do apologize if I offended anyone with my post, I can assure you its not my intention to go around nit picking at all and sundry but surely my frustration at the system is justified.

mp22

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