From 22 October 2012, DWP intends to introduce a new sanctions regime and hardship reforms for Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) claimants. This is part of the rules set out in the Welfare Reform Act 2012, and paves the way for the introduction of Universal Credit in 2013.
There will be three levels of sanctions for people who fail to comply with the conditions for claiming JSA. These are:
Higher level sanctions
These will apply when claimants fail to comply with the most important jobseeking requirements, for example failing to accept a suitable job. They can also be applied to people who leave a job voluntarily, or lose their job through misconduct.
These failures will lead to claimants losing all of their JSA for a fixed period of 13 weeks for a first failure, rising to 26 weeks for a second failure and 156 weeks for third and subsequent failure within a 52 week period of their last failure.
Intermediate level sanctions
These sanctions are applied following a period of disallowance for not actively seeking employment or not being available for work.
The period of disallowance may be followed by a sanction for a maximum of four weeks for a first failure, rising to up to 13 weeks for second or subsequent failure within a 52 week period of their last failure.
Lower level sanctionsThese are applied when claimants fail to comply with a requirement designed to improve their chances of finding or preparing for work.
These failures will lead to claimants losing all their JSA for a fixed period of four weeks for a first failure, followed by 13 weeks for any second or subsequent failure within a 52 week period of their last failure.
