First off - apologies if this should be in the work etc forum, it kind of falls between 2 stools so wasn't sure where to post it!
My situation is this. At the end of Jan 09 I was put on a 3 day week and started claiming JSB for the other 2 days. This continued until November when I was made redundant and went on to full JSB. After being let go I wrote to everyone I could think of looking for work, offering to work for free if necessary. A couple of weeks ago a community organisation rang me and asked if I could come in and do some "work experience" with them...notified SW etc and have been working roughly 15-20 hours the last 3 weeks. It transpired that one person had recently finished her CE placement and another is due to finish in 6 weeks and up to now they have been having difficulty finding suitable people to fill these vacancies.
I contacted FAS and asked if I would qualify for the part time integration option as I had been claiming JSB for 12 months even though I did work as well ( see link below re the 30 days of work rule) they confirmed I would still qualify as I had claimed the benefit continually. When I got to Fas the story had changed and I was told as I had worked more than 30 days I did not qualify. The lady I saw conceded the criteria did not take into account people who had been on short working weeks within the 12 months and it was open to interpretation! She agreed to send it off for consideration ( after much pleading from me) and says is now depends of how the SW office word their reply.
I am trying to find out if anyone has any experience or knowledge of a similar situation and what the outcome was, I surely cannot be the only person in the country who finds themselves caught in the middle like this. I can see where she is coming from and likewise she agreed that she can understand my view, most people I spoke to thought the 30 days thing was only an issue if I had signed off for that length of time while working.
It would be a shame if I lost out on the placement and if they do refuse me my manager has said she will appeal the decision, it would be useful if there was some precedent I could use.
Link to Fás
http://www.fas.ie/en/Communities/Community+Employment/Eligibility+–+Participant/Part-time+Integration+Option.htm
My situation is this. At the end of Jan 09 I was put on a 3 day week and started claiming JSB for the other 2 days. This continued until November when I was made redundant and went on to full JSB. After being let go I wrote to everyone I could think of looking for work, offering to work for free if necessary. A couple of weeks ago a community organisation rang me and asked if I could come in and do some "work experience" with them...notified SW etc and have been working roughly 15-20 hours the last 3 weeks. It transpired that one person had recently finished her CE placement and another is due to finish in 6 weeks and up to now they have been having difficulty finding suitable people to fill these vacancies.
I contacted FAS and asked if I would qualify for the part time integration option as I had been claiming JSB for 12 months even though I did work as well ( see link below re the 30 days of work rule) they confirmed I would still qualify as I had claimed the benefit continually. When I got to Fas the story had changed and I was told as I had worked more than 30 days I did not qualify. The lady I saw conceded the criteria did not take into account people who had been on short working weeks within the 12 months and it was open to interpretation! She agreed to send it off for consideration ( after much pleading from me) and says is now depends of how the SW office word their reply.
I am trying to find out if anyone has any experience or knowledge of a similar situation and what the outcome was, I surely cannot be the only person in the country who finds themselves caught in the middle like this. I can see where she is coming from and likewise she agreed that she can understand my view, most people I spoke to thought the 30 days thing was only an issue if I had signed off for that length of time while working.
It would be a shame if I lost out on the placement and if they do refuse me my manager has said she will appeal the decision, it would be useful if there was some precedent I could use.
Link to Fás
http://www.fas.ie/en/Communities/Community+Employment/Eligibility+–+Participant/Part-time+Integration+Option.htm
