Claiming Travel Expenses to Interview (on JSA)
Discussion
Whats peoples experiences of getting their money back?
Every jobseeker is entitled to claim (within the rules) and a few weeks back when I was signing on I mentioned to my advisor I had an interview and would it be ok to put in a claim for the train and bus or taxi fares. He said thats fine. Just ned proof of interview and the tickets.
After the interview at my next sign on date I took in my receipts and tickets and proof of interview, the advisor (low and behold a new advisor this time round as mine was on a course apparently) asked me to sign a claim form and that was that. he stapled my original tickets and receipts to the form he said I would be paid within 3 working days. the amount I am due is almost half of my JSA allowance for one week at £31. Money I cant afford to lose.
So we roll round another 2 weeks to my next sign on day. I told my regular advisor I had still not been reimbursed........luckily I had copies of my original claim which I handed one over to him. He ummed and arhhed then lent over to the next desk where the advisor I saw the previous time was sitting and he asked him if he remembered anything about me or the travel claim. Then he got me to sign another form again. No apology. He said I should get paid in 3 working days.
two things strike me after 4 weeks of waiting;-
1. What if you dont keep copies of your tickets and they lose the originals? Chances are you can whistle - not their problem?
2. I dont think there are any hitches in the system at all - I bet the system works just fine except those that operate it do so to maximise the inconvenience of claiming by "losing" paperwork or delaying documents getting to the right person or prey tel simply binning your claim and hoping you get fed up of trying to get your money back? Anything to avoid paying you what the law says you are entitled to claim.
I sign on again later this week so that is going to be interesting to see what the advisor says this time. Why cant they just have a kitty in the jobcentre - you walk in with your evidence and they pay you cash from that kitty - simple. No - this is 2018 and we dont do simple anymore do we LOL. We have systems.
Rant over. Does my head in though - I am supposed to be part of the big society and we are all in this together yet you try to get a job and they just seem to want to bend you over. I didnt get the job but if I had the state would have got its £31 back 10 fold in tax in the first months salary to put this into some perspective.
They arent just incompetent they just dont want to pay out. Very short sighted.
Every jobseeker is entitled to claim (within the rules) and a few weeks back when I was signing on I mentioned to my advisor I had an interview and would it be ok to put in a claim for the train and bus or taxi fares. He said thats fine. Just ned proof of interview and the tickets.
After the interview at my next sign on date I took in my receipts and tickets and proof of interview, the advisor (low and behold a new advisor this time round as mine was on a course apparently) asked me to sign a claim form and that was that. he stapled my original tickets and receipts to the form he said I would be paid within 3 working days. the amount I am due is almost half of my JSA allowance for one week at £31. Money I cant afford to lose.
So we roll round another 2 weeks to my next sign on day. I told my regular advisor I had still not been reimbursed........luckily I had copies of my original claim which I handed one over to him. He ummed and arhhed then lent over to the next desk where the advisor I saw the previous time was sitting and he asked him if he remembered anything about me or the travel claim. Then he got me to sign another form again. No apology. He said I should get paid in 3 working days.
two things strike me after 4 weeks of waiting;-
1. What if you dont keep copies of your tickets and they lose the originals? Chances are you can whistle - not their problem?
2. I dont think there are any hitches in the system at all - I bet the system works just fine except those that operate it do so to maximise the inconvenience of claiming by "losing" paperwork or delaying documents getting to the right person or prey tel simply binning your claim and hoping you get fed up of trying to get your money back? Anything to avoid paying you what the law says you are entitled to claim.
I sign on again later this week so that is going to be interesting to see what the advisor says this time. Why cant they just have a kitty in the jobcentre - you walk in with your evidence and they pay you cash from that kitty - simple. No - this is 2018 and we dont do simple anymore do we LOL. We have systems.
Rant over. Does my head in though - I am supposed to be part of the big society and we are all in this together yet you try to get a job and they just seem to want to bend you over. I didnt get the job but if I had the state would have got its £31 back 10 fold in tax in the first months salary to put this into some perspective.
They arent just incompetent they just dont want to pay out. Very short sighted.
ToothbrushMan said:
1. What if you dont keep copies of your tickets and they lose the originals? Chances are you can whistle - not their problem?
2. I dont think there are any hitches in the system at all - I bet the system works just fine except those that operate it do so to maximise the inconvenience of claiming by "losing" paperwork or delaying documents getting to the right person or prey tel simply binning your claim and hoping you get fed up of trying to get your money back? Anything to avoid paying you what the law says you are entitled to claim.
First thing to recognise is that there is no conspiracy to avoid paying. The money is there and it's not the officer's money so nobody has anything to gain by not paying you. If all the people in the country entitled to travel reimbursement did not get it, the sum total gain to the treasury wouldn't be enough to redecorate a single JSA office.2. I dont think there are any hitches in the system at all - I bet the system works just fine except those that operate it do so to maximise the inconvenience of claiming by "losing" paperwork or delaying documents getting to the right person or prey tel simply binning your claim and hoping you get fed up of trying to get your money back? Anything to avoid paying you what the law says you are entitled to claim.
The second thing to recognise is that s
t happens and documents can be mislaid. A lesson learned is to take a copy of what you pass over - take a photo on a phone.Keep pushing and I hope you get it.
had my sign on last Thursday and again no news on my expenses. the advisor said its been authorised just not paid. this is nigh on 6 weeks now.
i am sure that if I owed the DWP money then after 6 weeks I would probably have an arrest warrant out now !! LOL. ridiculous. Steve has more faith than me in the system - just go on you tube and listen to some of the toe curling stories about JSA/UC/expenses/Sanctions etc.
Personally I think they are just incompetent or failing that there is state sponsored harassment or maladministration.
How hard can it be to just credit my account £30 in the 21st century? I think they are just hoping I go away and drop my expenses claim if they delay it long enough.
When I get another interview that requires me to incur travel expenses - what do I tell the "advisor" at the jobcentre if I have still not had my money from the last interview? I know what I would like to say to them and it would be along the lines of "well I cant afford to attend any more interviews I might be invited to until I have had my travel expenses paid from the last interview". You can see "sanction him" written all over that one........they are the ones that lay down that I should look for work up to 90 mins travelling time each way. If they said the distance could be closer then of course I could walk for free but I didnt make up the rules.
i am sure that if I owed the DWP money then after 6 weeks I would probably have an arrest warrant out now !! LOL. ridiculous. Steve has more faith than me in the system - just go on you tube and listen to some of the toe curling stories about JSA/UC/expenses/Sanctions etc.
Personally I think they are just incompetent or failing that there is state sponsored harassment or maladministration.
How hard can it be to just credit my account £30 in the 21st century? I think they are just hoping I go away and drop my expenses claim if they delay it long enough.
When I get another interview that requires me to incur travel expenses - what do I tell the "advisor" at the jobcentre if I have still not had my money from the last interview? I know what I would like to say to them and it would be along the lines of "well I cant afford to attend any more interviews I might be invited to until I have had my travel expenses paid from the last interview". You can see "sanction him" written all over that one........they are the ones that lay down that I should look for work up to 90 mins travelling time each way. If they said the distance could be closer then of course I could walk for free but I didnt make up the rules.
Things must have changed a lot since i worked in a jobcentre many moons back, back then it was simple, and was two ways of doing it. first was for the customer to bring in proof of interview prior to going, i would then work out the appropriate method of transport and cost , fill out a travel claim form and take it to our finance office and get the money, claimant would have to bring in the purchased ticket at the next appointment after the interview as proof they bought one and didnt buy fags etc. if not it would come out of the benefits. the second way was the same but would come in after the interview with ticket or receipts then fill out a form then go to the finance office and get the cash. only took ten minutes. sounds like they have realy complicated things now.
thing is if the intent is to frustrate to save money (not much in the grand scheme of thing but then again travel expenses for interviews is intended to get me off benefits so long term surely its worth paying me?) everytime i go to sign on and this gets discussed I am keeping my advisor from talking to his next "customers" so is actually saving money?
Personally I've not had a problem.
It sounds like your claim has gone astray somewhere which isn't acceptable. It might be a genuine mistake or your local centre is a bit slack in general.
If it isn't paid by your next visit then you will need to ask someone to find out what is happening. This may require you to be polite but firm (don't want you getting thrown out by security).
Obviously, keep copies of everything going forward.
Hope you get it sorted.
It sounds like your claim has gone astray somewhere which isn't acceptable. It might be a genuine mistake or your local centre is a bit slack in general.
If it isn't paid by your next visit then you will need to ask someone to find out what is happening. This may require you to be polite but firm (don't want you getting thrown out by security).
Obviously, keep copies of everything going forward.
Hope you get it sorted.
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