SVM 286
Member
Registered: 13th Feb 05
Location: pain
User status: Offline
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Morning all.
Long story short, unbeknown to me, my SSP expired last week.
I only found out this morning when I went to make the minimum payment to one of my credit cards and discovered that I don't have a penny in the bank.
I have essentially lost my job too.
Does anyone have any idea what my next step is? I.E. can I claim for anything similar or equivalent to SSP from the DSS? And how do I go about it?
Do I need a confirmation letter from my employer for example?
Am in a bit of a panicky flat-spin as I now have zero income, plus i've never been in this situation before.
Cheers all in advance.
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SVM 286
Member
Registered: 13th Feb 05
Location: pain
User status: Offline
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Oh, i'm just off out to see if I can find an open citizen's advice bureau btw, so i'll be offline for a while.
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RichR
Premium Member
Registered: 17th Oct 01
Location: Waterhouses, Staffordshire
User status: Offline
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Employment and Support Allowance
If you are off sick for longer than 28 weeks or if you do not earn enough to qualify for SSP, you may qualify for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) instead. There are two sorts of ESA. One sort is called contributory ESA and it depends on whether you have paid enough national insurance contributions. The other sort is called income-related ESA and this depends on your income and savings. You can get either one sort of ESA or both sorts. If you get income-related ESA, you will automatically get the maximum amount of help with your Council Tax (rates in Northern Ireland) and Housing Benefit, as well as other means-tested benefits.
ESA is paid by the Department of Work and Pensions and, for most new claims, it replaces an old benefit called Incapacity Benefit.
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VrsTurbo
Premium Member
Registered: 8th Jun 10
User status: Offline
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Whats actually wrong with you? If the illness stops you from working you'll have to be assessed to see if you'll get more money from DSS.
Your on SSP you have no job yet you still go out and buy GTA nice priorities there
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SVM 286
Member
Registered: 13th Feb 05
Location: pain
User status: Offline
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Cheers gents. I'll look into that. Head's in a spin because of the situation and the medication i'm on, hence me asking real humans.
Mr Turbo, sorry, I probably wasn't clear enough. I have been assessed several times and am presently signed off by my GP.
I did have a job and my position was being held open. I have a back injury consisting of varying damage to L3, 4 & 5, plus nerve issues, that occurred at work in late March of this year.
I discovered this morning shortly after 9, that my SSP had ceased and that my employment had been terminated. Without warning or notice. Hence my panic.
I have been awaiting an operation on my spine since March and was expecting it to take place in Oct/Nov of this year and for me to return to work for at least light duties in either December or Jan. Hence my surprise and worry.
Incidentally, I bought the game because i'm at home, climbing the walls and have been for nearly six months.
It's the only luxury i've bought this year and the first game i've purchased in over a year. And one i've been looking forward to for a very long time, hence the frivolous purchase.
I paid for it on my credit card, which i've been maintaining payments on for the entire duration of my work absence, so any criticism of my purchase is not really pertinent to my little crisis and not helpful obviously.
Oh and the C.A.B. were all shut or unavailable and won't be open or available again until next Monday & Wednesday.
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RichR
Premium Member
Registered: 17th Oct 01
Location: Waterhouses, Staffordshire
User status: Offline
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I got the above information off the CAB website; it might be prudent to contact the Dept. for Work and Pensions
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Half Pint
Member
Registered: 25th Mar 02
User status: Offline
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sorry to hear of your problems Jim, hope you get it sorted soon.
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SVM 286
Member
Registered: 13th Feb 05
Location: pain
User status: Offline
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Thanks again Lee Will do Sir.
Hi Tone Cheers Pal. So do I Sir. Long time no see/speak Chieftan. Hope you're good.
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DaveyLC
Member
Registered: 8th Oct 08
Location: Berkshire
User status: Offline
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Sounds like you're really on-top of your affairs? 
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Rob R
Member
Registered: 31st May 03
Location: Kent
User status: Offline
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On what grounds have work terminated your contract? If your injury was sustained at work then I can't see how they can just cease your employment with them. Has an investigation been carried out and concluded to how you obtained your injury? U2U me if you want as I deal with this sort of stuff at work.
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SVM 286
Member
Registered: 13th Feb 05
Location: pain
User status: Offline
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No investigation has been carried out. And no grounds for termination other than the period of SSP has expired and I am still unfit for work/signed-off, so i'm prsumably no use to them and their legal obligations have been met.
The GP and the hospital have been mucking me about for months, keeping me waiting and trying bits and pieces of physio etc, but all to no avail as there's no real improvement.
The whole scenario has been crap from the start.
And sorry Davey, what did you mean Sir?
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DaveyLC
Member
Registered: 8th Oct 08
Location: Berkshire
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by SVM 286
And sorry Davey, what did you mean Sir?
I would imagine with not working you've got lots of time on your hands to make sure you keep on top of your 'affairs' i.e. make a note of when "important shit is going to occur"..
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VrsTurbo
Premium Member
Registered: 8th Jun 10
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by DaveyLC
quote:
Originally posted by SVM 286
And sorry Davey, what did you mean Sir?
I would imagine with not working you've got lots of time on your hands to make sure you keep on top of your 'affairs' i.e. make a note of when "important shit is going to occur"..
 too busy sitting/laying on the sofa playing gta
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Pauly
Member
Registered: 16th Jan 10
Location: Perry Barr, West Midlands
User status: Offline
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As LiVe LeE said, Employment and support allowance is the next step. Contact them asap to get it sorted as can take a couple of weeks for all the paperwork to be processed etc
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evilrob
Premium Member
Registered: 16th Mar 12
Location: Your mum's house
User status: Offline
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If they've laid you off on the grounds of incapacity you should have been consulted about this, and they should also have given you pay in lieu of notice period, holiday etc.
Talk to ACAS:
http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1461
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SVM 286
Member
Registered: 13th Feb 05
Location: pain
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by DaveyLC
quote:
Originally posted by SVM 286
And sorry Davey, what did you mean Sir?
I would imagine with not working you've got lots of time on your hands to make sure you keep on top of your 'affairs' i.e. make a note of when "important shit is going to occur"..
Such as what Dave?
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DaveyLC
Member
Registered: 8th Oct 08
Location: Berkshire
User status: Offline
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You know, important things like; When you're going to stop getting paid.
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SVM 286
Member
Registered: 13th Feb 05
Location: pain
User status: Offline
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No, not a sausage Rob. They always seemed like a reasonable bunch. They're a family business and they have suffered with injury in the past so seemed sympathetic.
Then all out of the blue and without even a day's notice, not even a text message, they have stopped my SSP.
When I texted my boss, he said he thought ''the way forward was to terminate employment and then I can seek other benefits''
I can see his point, but it would have been nice if they'd sent me a letter a week or two ago, instead of just stopping payement and then awaiting my contact.
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pow
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 06
Location: Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire
User status: Offline
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You've got grounds for unfair dismissal them.
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SVM 286
Member
Registered: 13th Feb 05
Location: pain
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by DaveyLC
You know, important things like; When you're going to stop getting paid.
I wasn't actually getting paid a wage, or partial wage Davey.
I was only receiving basic SSP and there has never been any mention of a cut-off point or a termination of sick pay or employment. Nothing. They've been as nice as pie the whole time.
This is completely out of character.
All they've said all along is don't worry, just get better and keep us updated.
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SVM 286
Member
Registered: 13th Feb 05
Location: pain
User status: Offline
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I don't want to sue them, or have any bad blood between me and them, as i'm not that kind of person.
I'm just disappointed.
And worried about my finances... which I wasn't until I phoned the bank this morning.
I know companies can get away with this as i've had it done to me before in 2002.
I really wasn't expecting it this time though.
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DaveyLC
Member
Registered: 8th Oct 08
Location: Berkshire
User status: Offline
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Do you mind me asking, what is actually wrong with you?
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SVM 286
Member
Registered: 13th Feb 05
Location: pain
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by VrsTurbo
quote:
Originally posted by DaveyLC
quote:
Originally posted by SVM 286
And sorry Davey, what did you mean Sir?
I would imagine with not working you've got lots of time on your hands to make sure you keep on top of your 'affairs' i.e. make a note of when "important shit is going to occur"..
too busy sitting/laying on the sofa playing gta
What, for one day out of six months?
And I can't sit down really as it's too painful. Just standing, walking, or laying down are the only tolerable options.
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SVM 286
Member
Registered: 13th Feb 05
Location: pain
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by DaveyLC
Do you mind me asking, what is actually wrong with you?
Lower back injury from moving equipment Davey.
I have a combination of different types of damage to my L3, 4 and 5 vertebrae, plus I have trapped nerves including the Sciatic nerve and possibly some minor nerve damage.
I am on Morphine based pain killers, plus Diazepam for the spasms. Also anti-inflamatories and neuropathic pain killers for night time.
The first few months were the worst, for a couple of reasons, one of which being the side effects of the medication.
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DaveyLC
Member
Registered: 8th Oct 08
Location: Berkshire
User status: Offline
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Did you not seek compensation/insurance payout?
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