depression and disability allowance

harry Bailey esq

hi,quick question.does having depression/severe anxiety problems fall into the category to be awarded disability?iv suffered from depression most of my adult life but have only started meds/counselling in the past 10months or so,im currently in receipt of jsa.would i qualify?and if so,is the transition from jsa to disability a smooth one,payments wise.thanks.

hawthorne

You will be called for an assessment at one of the DSP medical exam centres and a DSP doctor will examine you.
The date for this is a good bit down the road- and the decision to award DA is even further away.
There is no such thing as a smooth transition- you need plenty of nerves and time.
Payment is probably first through the community welfare officer until there is a decision taken- one way or the other- more hassle down that road.
Good luck anyhow....

harry Bailey esq

thanks hawthorne,so id be wiser to just stay on jobseekers as its less hassle?

hawthorne

It depends.
With depression you have some baggage to carry. They will hassle you as well on JSA if you do not come up with the required efforts to secure a job.
If you are so much handicapped with depressions that you cannot look for work anymore you are most likely not fit for work and therefore do not qualify for JSA anymore. You seem to be between two chairs.
Discuss the problem with your doctor and someone at social welfare what would be the right steps to go forward.

harry Bailey esq

that's the thing,im afraid if im honest with the people in the social welfare all payments of any kind Will be stopped indefinitely.the system sucks:(

mp22

harry Bailey esq wrote: »

that's the thing,im afraid if im honest with the people in the social welfare all payments of any kind Will be stopped indefinitely.the system sucks:(

The system is the same for everybody,as advised above start with your GP and the two of you can see what is the best way forward.

eastbono

AFAIK if you apply for DA and are in receipt of JSA then your JSA will continue to be paid until a decision is made on your DA claim.

harry Bailey esq

eastbono wrote: »

AFAIK if you apply for DA and are in receipt of JSA then your JSA will continue to be paid until a decision is made on your DA claim.

i wondered about that.To qualify for jsa you must be fit and available for work,however if i apply for da i would be stating that im not fit for work,and as such i wouldn't qualify for jsa no?

eastbono

harry Bailey esq wrote: »

i wondered about that.To qualify for jsa you must be fit and available for work,however if i apply for da i would be stating that im not fit for work,and as such i wouldn't qualify for jsa no?

You will be applying for DA but it will be up to the Dept to decided whether you will qualify or not and until a decision is made by the Dept you can continue to get jsa as technically you will be still available for work. Its not like applying for illness benefit whereby your Dr. signs a cert saying you are unfit for work.

LegacyUser

Ive applied for DA and just got a letter to fill in some more questions i forgot to fill in im wondering if that is a yes or a no what happens next ???