Non collected payments question

Always Be Closing

Hi guys

Any help greatly appreciated.

Long story short, wasn't happy in my last job so I handed in my resignation and got put on Jobseekers until I found a new job.

Mid April my Mum died, and I have not collected a payment since. I was at the bottom of a bottle and just couldn't get to the post office. I have doctors certs to say I was unwell.

If I go to the social welfare/Intreo will they backdate the payment?

Again, many thanks

mistress_gi

From my last experience you probably have to put a new application in. If you have med certs that mean you weren't for to work so já would be cancelled. I am open to correction though.

Squatter

Always Be Closing wrote: »

Long story short, wasn't happy in my last job so I handed in my resignation and got put on Jobseekers until I found a new job.

Mid April my Mum died, and I have not collected a payment since. I was at the bottom of a bottle and just couldn't get to the post office. I have doctors certs to say I was unwell.

If I go to the social welfare/Intreo will they backdate the payment?

Sorry, but the simple answer is no. To be eligible for JA you need to be fit for work and actively seeking work.

Your doctor's certs will confirm that you met with neither of those conditions.

The only possible welfare payment that you might get would be supplementary welfare, if you went to your community welfare officer with the certs. and explained the situation.

LorelaiG

With doctors certs they may give you illness benefit, backdated. Worth a shot.

Squatter

LorelaiG wrote: »

With doctors certs they may give you illness benefit, backdated. Worth a shot.

But if he is (or was) on JA then presumably he won't have enough PRSI credits to be eligible for IB?

Always Be Closing

My claim was approved, I'd been collecting it for 3 weeks, and then just stopped going the post office

Surely as I didn't collect it, it should have accumulated and be backdated?

Victor

Sorry to hear about your mother.

Always Be Closing wrote: »

Surely as I didn't collect it, it should have accumulated and be backdated?

For all they know, you got a job or emigrated, so the claim would have been stopped.

Go in and talk to them and explain the situation.

splinter65

Always Be Closing wrote: »

My claim was approved, I'd been collecting it for 3 weeks, and then just stopped going the post office

Surely as I didn't collect it, it should have accumulated and be backdated?

That’s not how it works OP. The reason that JSA is paid in the PO is that your claim is subject to you showing up in the PO within 3 days to collect it.
That’s how they know that you are still in the country.
When you didn’t show up the first week then the money was returned to the Dept and when you didn’t show up in the SW to explain why you didn’t collect from the PO your claim was closed.
I assume also that you have missed at least 2 signing on dates.
No further payments were made to you.
You need to take a doctors note to the SW office to explain what happened.
They will be sympathetic to you because of your mother dying but may question how you have managed financially without the JSA since April.
Don’t worry it will be sorted out.

Always Be Closing

So long story short

Go down with a doctors note, explain what's happened, ask for Illness Benefit and to be backdated?

Say I've been getting by with loans from family members? They'll also have it on their system I wasn't working as if they check tax paid and my PPS number they'll see that's the case

Is that the move I should make?

splinter65

It’s not a question of making a move.
You need to go to your GP and ask him to complete a SW Illness Benefit cert.
You fill out the rest of it and sign it and take it to the SW office.
You’re not entitled to illness benefit but if you submit the illness benefit cert you will at least be considered for a SWA by the CWO.
Trust me, if you are just upfront and honest with the CWO then everything will be fine.
Edited to add: you can ask to be backdated but I don’t think you’ll get it. Your need for financial help was met by your family when you stepped out of the JSA scheme in the aftermath of your mothers death, you weren’t meeting the conditions for Jobseekers.... the only thing you could possibly do is ask the GP to backdate the illness benefit cert to your mothers death. He or she would then have to give you an interim cert for each week from then until now.
Your GP mightn’t agree to that though.

Always Be Closing

splinter65 wrote: »

It’s not a question of making a move.
You need to go to your GP and ask him to complete a SW Illness Benefit cert.
You fill out the rest of it and sign it and take it to the SW office.
You’re not entitled to illness benefit but if you submit the illness benefit cert you will at least be considered for a SWA by the CWO.
Trust me, if you are just upfront and honest with the CWO then everything will be fine.
Edited to add: you can ask to be backdated but I don’t think you’ll get it. Your need for financial help was met by your family when you stepped out of the JSA scheme in the aftermath of your mothers death, you weren’t meeting the conditions for Jobseekers.... the only thing you could possibly do is ask the GP to backdate the illness benefit cert to your mothers death. He or she would then have to give you an interim cert for each week from then until now.
Your GP mightn’t agree to that though.

But have I lost out on the previous 7 weeks and will just get the standard 198?

Appreciate your advice

splinter65

Always Be Closing wrote: »

But have I lost out on the previous 7 weeks and will just get the standard 198?

Appreciate your advice

It’s hard to know how the CWO will look on your case. You weren’t entitled to JSA during that time because you didn’t meet most of the conditions, you didn’t even sign on.
Go tomorrow and see what SW say. Let us know how you get on,

Victor

Always Be Closing wrote: »

Say I've been getting by with loans from family members?

That was merely a suggestion. Tell the truth about how you have funded yourself.

Always Be Closing wrote: »

But have I lost out on the previous 7 weeks

You won't get it immediately. If a back-dated illness benefit claim is allowed, you should get some or all of it.

Always Be Closing

Victor wrote: »

That was merely a suggestion. Tell the truth about how you have funded yourself.

You won't get it immediately. If a back-dated illness benefit claim is allowed, you should get some or all of it.

But I have been relying on family. I've been ill to go to the post office or sign on. I've been to the doctors.

splinter65

Always Be Closing wrote: »

But I have been relying on family. I've been ill to go to the post office or sign on. I've been to the doctors.

Im sorry your mother has died and you’ve found yourself in this situation. There really isn’t any point trying to persuade anyone here as it’s pointless.
You need to firstly ask you GP if he or she will backdate illness benefit certs going back the 7 weeks. Even though your not entitled to illness benefit , you still have to get them signed to show that you have been too unwell to work.
Then you will need to make an appointment with your CWO and bring the certs and explain your position there.
No one has an automatic “ entitlement” to an SWA payment.
No one here can tell you if you definitely will or will not get the backdated money. Your best bet is with the backdated certs.
Good luck.

Always Be Closing

splinter65 wrote: »

Im sorry your mother has died and you’ve found yourself in this situation. There really isn’t any point trying to persuade anyone here as it’s pointless.
You need to firstly ask you GP if he or she will backdate illness benefit certs going back the 7 weeks. Even though your not entitled to illness benefit , you still have to get them signed to show that you have been too unwell to work.
Then you will need to make an appointment with your CWO and bring the certs and explain your position there.
No one has an automatic “ entitlement” to an SWA payment.
No one here can tell you if you definitely will or will not get the backdated money. Your best bet is with the backdated certs.
Good luck.

The cert I got is backdated to 21st April and to the present date (still ongoing)

It states I was suffering from mental health issues and not in a position to collect payment or sign on

splinter65

Always Be Closing wrote: »

The cert I got is backdated to 21st April and to the present date (still ongoing)

It states I was suffering from mental health issues and not in a position to collect payment or sign on

Let us know how you get on with the CWO. Good luck. It’ll be grand.

Always Be Closing

splinter65 wrote: »

Let us know how you get on with the CWO. Good luck. It’ll be grand.

I'm in so much debt I could open my own country.

I hope to hell they backdate it

Squatter

Always Be Closing wrote: »

The cert I got is backdated to 21st April and to the present date (still ongoing)
It states I was suffering from mental health issues and not in a position to collect payment or sign on

But that's the problem. The cert makes it clear that you weren't in a position to look for work or fit to take up employment if you found a job; hence your doctor has effectively certified that you weren't eligible to claim jobseeker's allowance. So you can't get it.

Given your situation the only possible solution is that your CWO will allow you SWA and will backdate it to the date on your certificate, as splinter65 has already advised you.

Have you made contact with the CWO yet? If not - then get your skates on!

Always Be Closing

Squatter wrote: »

But that's the problem. The cert makes it clear that you weren't in a position to look for work or fit to take up employment if you found a job; hence your doctor has effectively certified that you weren't eligible to claim jobseeker's allowance. So you can't get it.

Given your situation the only possible solution is that your CWO will allow you SWA and will backdate it to the date on your certificate, as splinter65 has already advised you.

Have you made contact with the CWO yet? If not - then get your skates on!

Whats a CWO and what do I say? Apply for illness benefit?

Squatter

Always Be Closing wrote: »

Whats a CWO and what do I say? Apply for illness benefit?

See splinter's post (no. 15) above.

Than make an appointment to meet your local CWO* asap; At the meeting explain your situation and bring the doctor's cert. You'll be looking to be paid Supplementary Welfare and s/he may advise you to apply for Illness Benefit (even though you're ineligible) in order for Supplementary Welfare to be paid to you.

* here are the CWO links:-

https://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/otheroffice/community-welfare-office-contact.aspx