Sanctions

A question about : Sanctions

With all this fuss about benefits, work and poverty I am curious of emergency situations. Situations where one is without work, on benefits and gets sanctioned due to consecutive error (regardless of whether it was the claimants fault).

These sanctions seem to be quite damn harsh! What does one do if ever in such situation? If they were sanctioned for being unable to meet the demands of a work placement, are they eligible for hardship payments?

I've heard conflicting information: some say that they are whether they intend to/can work or not and are there to fill the time between sanctions/benefit applications, and others say that they are not eligible for hardship payments.

Thanks!

Best answers:

• I know many consider the sanctions harsh, but to be honest, unemployed people aren't asked much and if they are unable to keep track of appointments etc, then they should be sanctioned. It is the same in the workplace. Where my husband works, if you fail to turn up for work, or need time off at short notice, then it is considered to be an unauthorised absence and pay is docked accordingly. I see no difference in the two scenarios.
  I *think* that claimants can apply for hardship payments when they've been sanctioned. I think its about 40% of their benefit claim.
• I'm in the ESA WRAG group and would have been ok with that had it not been for sanctions. I'm appealing to be put in the support group as I have severe agoraphobia and whilst on a very good day it's possible I might be able to attend WFI or WRA it's more likely that I could not and would therefore face sanctions. I certainly could not do so consistently and repeatedly.
  I'm not particularly hopeful that I will win the Tribunal, so I've no idea what will happen to me afterwards and it's extremely worrying.
• Yes, I have had a telephone interview after having to phone, explain myself and been unable to attend three interviews. What worries me is that I spoke to two different advisors. One was understanding of my situation and postponed interviews and finally granted me the telephone interview, the other was, quite frankly, a nasty piece of work who seemed to have no inkling of my condition and was threatening me with sanctions. Needless to say after speaking to her I would only speak to the other advisor.
  At the moment I do not have to have any further interviews until I'm reassessed. My current Wrag group ESA is for two years and it's up in December. I've had agoraphobia for over 20 years and my prognosis is not good in that I'm unlikely to recover. So it's a continual worry that I'll come across another advisor some day that will sanction me, unless I can get put in the support group.
• If you don't bother turning up for an appointment regarding claiming hardship [payment then why should you expect to receive them? Why would you assume that psychosis was the reason for not doing so as opposed to couldn'tbe@rsedness?
• Hearing about some people's sanctions. Some of them seem very harsh in the time they are given. How will this help them, i don't know!
  I have heard that job centre's have been reprimanded for not giving more sanctions!!! How can this be right!!!
  They seem to degrade people.
• I used to work with young people in supported accommodation and know of one young man who was sanctioned for 52 weeks because an appointment letter had gone to his dads house after he had moved out, he changed job centres but the sanction applied. He didnt get hardship payments, this was appealed, still nothing. His rent got paid because his support worker wrote to HB and explained that he was living on nil income, it wouldnt have been automatic.
  I think when talking about people who are signing on we could do well to remember that some people lead extremely chaotic lives and that could be due to mental health issues, addictions, homelessness and yes, Ive also worked with young people where I was tearing my hair out at the fact all they had to do was get up out of their bed and sign on and they wouldnt.
  But some of these sanctions now last up to 3 years, 3 years without benefit? Its beyond harsh and whereas I always managed to sign on and get my jobsearch diary handed in when I was on JSA, there were times when I was late. The couple of harsh winters we had where all transport ground to an almost halt. Its a 6 mile round trip to my local office. Its a 15 mile round trip for some people further afield. Fortunately Im capable of speaking up and telephoning when I need to, if I were going to be late for example.
  But then I have a landline phone. If someone doesnt have a landline phone (which a lot of young homeless people dont), it costs a fortune to phone the DWP.
  Some people who get sanctions will deserve a sanction for a time period, but its not automatic that harship gets paid and as I said, some people live extremely chaotic lives, some with mental health issues, addictions, moving from one place to another over a short period of time. Sometimes when peoples lives are in chaos the simplest thing can end up being a massive issue. And when people are moving around a lot its not surprising that some people miss appointments.
  And having worked with people who have suffered from psychosis and schizophrenia, many of these people dont have an advocate who can help them with benefit issues, or if they do, they arent guaranteed that that person is going to be around when they need help with a housing or benefits issue.
• So getting a sanction be it for ESA or JSA is always the fault of someone else? Never the fault of the claimant.?
  If someone is claiming ESA and is in the Work Group and is unable to carry out the instructions given that form part of the requirements of claiming ESA, they should go to their GP and have him/her write a letter explaining the medical reasons why that the patient/claimant should not be expected to ..........