Online claims for JSA

We are finding, increasingly and worryingly, that it is virtually impossible to make a telephone claim for JSA. After a long and frustrating conversation with JC+ claim line today, I managed to establish that they WOULD, grudgingly, accept a telephone claim due to our client’s lack of Internet access and support, poor English language and transport issues. Needless to say, the client called, spoke to an interpreter, was directed to the online system and told to do it online or not at all. Client calls us, we call JC+ and obtain a further assurance that it won’t happen again, it does ........ And in the meantime this client, who is eligible to claim, still cannot do so in the only way he is able. Yes, raising it as a social policy issue will happen but in the meantime tomorrow will be another day of heads against brick walls in this never ending time wasting exercise. Maybe someone ought to remind the powers that be that there are real people on the receiving end of all this ......... End of rant

Another effective method is to ask the clients MP to take up the refusal of a telephone claim for JSA (and now the issues with PIP telephone claims by a 3rd party) with the SSWP. In JSA cases it is important to remind the MP that the SSWP has not changed the C&P regs and SSWP must accept a teleclaim.

But then of course another issue is that the SSWP doesn’t understand his own legislation!