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Maternity Benift/Job seekers

  • 07-10-2014 7:46am
    #1
    p_clarke87
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1 ✭


    hey all,

    I am 6 months pregnant and Me and my partner returned from Canada 3 months ago where we worked for the last year,
    I was on Jobseekers allowance for a month and a half before I got a job when I returned home. However since then I've had to stop work because as the pregnancy progressed I am unable to stand on my feet all day. Due to being away for the last year I don't have enough payments built up for the maternity benefit when the baby does come around so I went into the Citizens Information office in 2 different towns to see what my entitlements were and they both had the same advice, which was to essentially quit the job I had gotten since I came home and go back on Jobseekers because I wouldn't get the maternity benefit and all I would qualify for is Jobseekers. They both said that 4 weeks before baby is born and 8 weeks after if I was on Jobseekers I wouldn't have to be actively looking for a job as I would be physically unable just after having a baby but i needed to be on Jobseekers awhile to be able avail of this. However, when I tried to sign back on today, I was essentially told that I will be denied but it is pending a further decision.

    Im not trying to cheat the system in any way but it just seems very unfair and an absolute shambles to try make sense of what my entitlements are?
    I was just wondering if anyone else is or was in the same boat and if there is any professional consultants out there to advise on claiming benefit aside from citizen's information?

    sorry for the essay,


Comments

  • #2
    Cushie Butterfield
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,862 ✭✭✭Cushie Butterfield


    It's highly unusual that DSP would advise anyone to quit their job!

    The fact that you quit your job & possibly for medical reasons could adversely affect a jobseekers claim as it could have raised the question of whether or not you're capable & available for work, so this is probably why your jobseeker's claim is pending a further decision. Also, because you quit your job you may be disqualified from a JSA payment for up to nine weeks. It's difficult to tell exactly what angle they would look at it from in your case.

    If totally refused or not entitled to jobseeker's allowance/illness benefit/maternity benefit you can apply for Supplementary Welfare Allowance from your local DSP representative (used to be called Communtity Welfare Officer). You can find yours here: http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/otheroffice/community-welfare-office-contact.aspx

    SWA is means tested so your partner's income would be assessed as part of the process, just as it was when you applied for JSA if you were cohabitating.


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