Illness benefit problems since new form

Always Be Closing

Lads and ladies

Good news

I had to go back to CWO- while waiting I spoke to 2 or 3 people who were without payment as of yet and showed me their bank apps to prove it but their CWO’s showed them his computer screens to illustrate that payment had been made today into their accounts and will be with them today, tonight or in the morning so I’d expect you all to get paid within the next 12 hours.

Keep checking your mobile and online banking!

nicrob08

Always Be Closing wrote: »

Lads and ladies

Good news

I had to go back to CWO- while waiting I spoke to 2 or 3 people who were without payment as of yet and showed me their bank apps to prove it but their CWO’s showed them his computer screens to illustrate that payment had been made today into their accounts and will be with them today, tonight or in the morning so I’d expect you all to get paid within the next 12 hours.

Keep checking your mobile and online banking!

Its a lottery to what will actually be paid...Im missing half payments. May only be another half payment if anything, due to go in

BohsCeltic

Couldn't make it to see CWO as not feeling well enough.
Still nothing in bank. I'm tired of checking all the time.
I have been working all my life. Even part time when I was in school aged 16 and this is the treatment we get.

I'm tired and shy of asking people to borrow money from but there is nothing else I can do.

Also when CWO does give you a cheque you see all the no hopers wearing the best of clothes collecting their weekly payments in the post office.

NickD

I GOT THROUGH TO THEM!!! Which is good news. But the rest is not.

My claim is still on hold as I previously went to the CWO. Their system is set up in such a way that if it sees an overlap in payments it immediately puts the claim into credits only. So because of their advise to see the CWO it has further delayed the claim. Now my claim is being sent to the over payment department so they can take from the arrears the money owed to the CWO.

This is exactly the same place as I was last week, apparently the over payment department is backlogged.

The gentleman on the phone could offer no more than that, but said if it's not sorted by Wednesday to call back.

BohsCeltic

Still nothing. I am going to have to try sell my phone to pay for food and bills.
I cannot wait any longer.

The minister who implemented this should be sacked or resign.

Always Be Closing

Payment gone into bank

Hope you all got sorted :-)

BohsCeltic

Got nothing

Always Be Closing

BohsCeltic wrote: »

Got nothing

**** sake absolute joke

where abouts in Dublin you based? Cabra/Phibsboro?

nicrob08

Nothing in my account. Im on my own with 3 kids, ive nothing now to buy food with and no one to ask for help from. They left me short last week and nothing this week.

BohsCeltic

Always Be Closing wrote: »

**** sake absolute joke

where abouts in Dublin you based? Cabra/Phibsboro?

Blanchardstown.

I'm out sick with depression so this is not helping me in any way.

BohsCeltic

nicrob08 wrote: »

Nothing in my account. Im on my own with 3 kids, ive nothing now to buy food with and no one to ask for help from. They left me short last week and nothing this week.

We need to do something about this properly.
I am lucky I have no children but it looks like I will be eating cheap noodles.
Feel so sorry for everyone that has a family to support.

Wish I could help you.

I'm trying to sell my phone and also car just to get by.
This is the Ireland we live in now

nicrob08

BohsCeltic wrote: »

We need to do something about this properly.
I am lucky I have no children but it looks like I will be eating cheap noodles.
Feel so sorry for everyone that has a family to support.

Wish I could help you.

I'm trying to sell my phone and also car just to get by.
This is the Ireland we live in now

The fact that the issue hasnt even been addressed or aknowledged is a major issue. I suffer from chrons disease, due to all the stress it excerbates the condition. I have a few boxes of cereal but only .39 cent in my bank so I cannot even get milk for the kids to have with it. Its a disgrace that people are in this boat in this day and age

Callymosh

I actually managed to get through to them on Monday and was told my cert was being extended, and I would get an arrears payment for the 3days I was left short last week.
Well, just checked my bank and I did get this weeks pay but no arrears payment. They’re blaming a lot on the gps-I’ve spoken to mine and been told that they have not gotten the new forms, but worse than that they’ve run out of old ones and are now having to resort to using photocopies.
I’m pregnant atm so have a lot of medical appts and can’t afford to let missed payments slide. But my husband works so don’t think I’d have any luck with cwo.
I’m out with mental illness and could really do without all this extra stress-it’s just making me spiral.... 😕

BohsCeltic

nicrob08 wrote: »

The fact that the issue hasnt even been addressed or aknowledged is a major issue. I suffer from chrons disease, due to all the stress it excerbates the condition. I have a few boxes of cereal but only .39 cent in my bank so I cannot even get milk for the kids to have with it. Its a disgrace that people are in this boat in this day and age

That is terrible. Especially with children.
To think that we fought for freedom then to get turned over by bankers and now all this crap.

I am going to raise this issue with a proper TD that knows me.
I only got the standard response when I emailed Regina Doherty, the so called minister for social protection.

I am going to fight this shambles.

If I sell my phone today i can PM you and arrange to give you some food and milk.

ANXIOUS

nicrob08 wrote: »

The fact that the issue hasnt even been addressed or aknowledged is a major issue. I suffer from chrons disease, due to all the stress it excerbates the condition. I have a few boxes of cereal but only .39 cent in my bank so I cannot even get milk for the kids to have with it. Its a disgrace that people are in this boat in this day and age

Have you approached St Vincent DePaul?

Always Be Closing

nicrob08 and bohsceltic sent you Pms

vectorvictor

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2018/1012/1002844-illness-benefit/

Well it's still making the news.
Awful treatment of people

splinter65

nicrob08 wrote: »

Nothing in my account. Im on my own with 3 kids, ive nothing now to buy food with and no one to ask for help from. They left me short last week and nothing this week.

Go to the Catholic presbytery nearest you. Don’t worry about being Catholic or not. Ask for contact details of the St Vincent de Paul. They can bring you groceries and electricity etc.

nicrob08

ANXIOUS wrote: »

Have you approached St Vincent DePaul?

I managed to get their representative in my areas number and he is calling after lunch. Can I just say i am blown away by the people on this thread. Selfless people who are going through their own hardships but still offfering help.

nicrob08

vectorvictor wrote: »

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2018/1012/1002844-illness-benefit/

Well it's still making the news.
Awful treatment of people

it said that all customers had received payments "in line with the illness certificates presented".

I think not!!!

ayux4rj6zql2ph

This doesn’t affect me personally, however a member of my household is in receipt of IB, only 50% payment last week, nothing this week and all certificates are up to date.

wonski

Well, nothing received this week apart from 33 on Wednesday with all certs send on time.
And if they for some reason haven't received it they should at least call customers before cutting off payments. Takes a minute.

splinter65

nicrob08 wrote: »

I managed to get their representative in my areas number and he is calling after lunch. Can I just say i am blown away by the people on this thread. Selfless people who are going through their own hardships but still offfering help.

I’ve tweeted both The Minister and SW re your situation but needless to say I’ve heard nothing. Thank God for the St Vincent de Paul. If your on a pay as you go electricity card don’t forget to point that out to them when they call and please don’t down play your situation. I know your probably terribly hurt by all this but people give to the St V de P generously so that people like you can be taken care of. It could be any of us on any day. Not your fault.

Always Be Closing

Folks I'm still in the city centre, PM me and I'll try help out with transfers or meeting up in person

Hesthea

I thought i was the only one having problems with IB until i stumbled on this thread. I didn't know that things were so bad for so many people.

I got hit by a car last month while crossing the road and since then i have been on IB. The problem is that 4 weeks later i have not received a single payment.

Its just me and my child. My savings are gone and now i will have to return to work while still in pain because i have no money whatsoever.

4 weeks ago i sent the forms.
3 weeks ago i received the certificate back because i didn't signed it. The next day i sent it with the next week certificate by registered post.
2 weeks ago i called IB to know why i haven't received any payments. The person told me he would ring me back and never did.
Since last week i have been calling them without much luck not to mention that majority of time i'm on hold for over 2h.

When i got a hold of one i was informed that there was nothing about my IB certificates on their system. I told them i have been leaving them at my local welfare office every week except for the 1st two because i sent them by registered post and a person named Alex signed them in. So they have to have it. The lady asked me to send them the photocopies of the certs to which i said i didn't have. Only some photos that i had taken and the tracking number of the letter.

Gave me an email. Sent the email with all the info and photos that proves what i said and yet nothing.

Kept ringing them. After many tries i got through. Same answer. Nothing in the system. Explained situation once again and said i had already sent an email but didn't get any answer to it. The lady told me she would look for the email but that they had a big backlog.

Since Wednesday that i have been trying to get in contact with someone to no avail. No one picks up the phones or they are dead. They only seem to give any signal when its between 13h to 14h and after 17h10 when an automatic message kicks in informing me about their working hours.

Any advice about what should i do?

wonski

Hesthea wrote: »

I thought i was the only one having problems with IB until i stumbled on this thread. I didn't know that things were so bad for so many people.

I got hit by a car last month while crossing the road and since then i have been on IB. The problem is that 4 weeks later i have not received a single payment.

Its just me and my child. My savings are gone and now i will have to return to work while still in pain because i have no money whatsoever.

4 weeks ago i sent the forms.
3 weeks ago i received the certificate back because i didn't signed it. The next day i sent it with the next week certificate by registered post.
2 weeks ago i called IB to know why i haven't received any payments. The person told me he would ring me back and never did.
Since last week i have been calling them without much luck not to mention that majority of time i'm on hold for over 2h.

When i got a hold of one i was informed that there was nothing about my IB certificates on their system. I told them i have been leaving them at my local welfare office every week except for the 1st two because i sent them by registered post and a person named Alex signed them in. So they have to have it. The lady asked me to send them the photocopies of the certs to which i said i didn't have. Only some photos that i had taken and the tracking number of the letter.

Gave me an email. Sent the email with all the info and photos that proves what i said and yet nothing.

Kept ringing them. After many tries i got through. Same answer. Nothing in the system. Explained situation once again and said i had already sent an email but didn't get any answer to it. The lady told me she would look for the email but that they had a big backlog.

Since Wednesday that i have been trying to get in contact with someone to no avail. No one picks up the phones or they are dead. They only seem to give any signal when its between 13h to 14h and after 17h10 when an automatic message kicks in informing me about their working hours.

Any advice about what should i do?

Get your gp to issue you with duplicates if possible.

You shouldn't leave any documents with your local office as far as I know. You just send them to Dublin po box as printed on the form.

Not that it guarantees anything judging by my own experience anyway.

nicrob08

splinter65 wrote: »

I’ve tweeted both The Minister and SW re your situation but needless to say I’ve heard nothing. Thank God for the St Vincent de Paul. If your on a pay as you go electricity card don’t forget to point that out to them when they call and please don’t down play your situation. I know your probably terribly hurt by all this but people give to the St V de P generously so that people like you can be taken care of. It could be any of us on any day. Not your fault.

Thank you so much. Thank God for SVP, they sorted me with Dunnes vouchers. Its sickening due to no fault of anyones being on IB, unable to work, being treated like this. Societies like SVP having to pick up their mess. Im blown away by the messages offers of help and support Ive received. However another week of uncertainty ahead again for us.

Hesthea

wonski wrote: »

Get your gp to issue you with duplicates if possible.

You shouldn't leave any documents with your local office as far as I know. You just send them to Dublin po box as printed on the form.

Not that it guarantees anything judging by my own experience anyway.

Thank you.
I didn't know they could give duplicates. i'll go to my GP and ask for it Monday.

Weird as it is, even if i send them by post they never get it hence i always send it by registered post (and was still told they have nothing).

wonski

Hesthea wrote: »

Thank you.
I didn't know they could give duplicates. i'll go to my GP and ask for it Monday.

Weird as it is, even if i send them by post they never get it hence i always send it by registered post (and was still told they have nothing).

To be fair I don't know if they do duplicates, but pretty sure they can reissue one with the dates.

As for registered letter you should have a proof it was sent, but it isn't a proof what was sent and what dates it covered so I don't even bother with registered. Regular post is very reliable.

Attach a note to the cert to make them aware of the issue with payments. That's what I am going to do next week.

Always Be Closing

Lads and ladies

So as you know when I went down to the CWO, it said on his system I'd been paid, so I showed him my account - no payment

So he was like 'grand' and wrote me a cheque for 198.

Then this morning about 5am 198 got paid into my account.

Does this mean that I won't get paid next week? Who's fault is it? The fact that payment was electronically transferred before issue of cheque but just remained in a state of limbo for 24 hours, does it mean there's a chance I may still get my IB payment next week?

BohsCeltic

So many kind people on here. Really is heartwarming to see there are still good people out there.
I hope we all get fixed soon.

But for sure I am raising this matter with TD and maybe try call Ireland AM or some other talk show about this mess.

Yes I will be nervous as I have anxiety and depression but maybe this will kick start this whole fiasco and also help me get over these fears.

Always Be Closing

My offer stands to anyone in Dublin City Centre or on the Green Luas line for assistance until you get through to those gob****es

PM me

Bubabear

It brings my faith back in humanity to see people coming together to help each other out. Especially when everyone is in the same boat (so to speak). What's happening is a disgrace, its an attack on the vulnerable. I'm only sorry I'm not in a position to also offer assistance, but I will offer an ear or hand to find resolution.

Vermelho

Has anyone else been getting random text messages about the date that your next cert is due? I no longer get the letter re: cert dates in the post but got a text in Sept and Oct (I am on monthly certs).

The Sept text gave the correct date as the due date for my next cert, however, the Oct text specified a date one week after the date it should have been. I had already sent in my cert the week before.

So now I don’t know whether to stick to the schedule I think it should be or start following their schedule. If I follow theirs it will mean I have a week gap in my certs as I will need to skip a week to catch up with them. I don’t want to then be accused of missing a week in case they do not accept the subsequent cert.

My payments have also been all over the place as with many of you.

BohsCeltic

Vermelho wrote: »

Has anyone else been getting random text messages about the date that your next cert is due? I no longer get the letter re: cert dates in the post but got a text in Sept and Oct (I am on monthly certs).

The Sept text gave the correct date as the due date for my next cert, however, the Oct text specified a date one week after the date it should have been. I had already sent in my cert the week before.

So now I don’t know whether to stick to the schedule I think it should be or start following their schedule. If I follow theirs it will mean I have a week gap in my certs as I will need to skip a week to catch up with them. I don’t want to then be accused of missing a week in case they do not accept the subsequent cert.

My payments have also been all over the place as with many of you.

I have never got one text message from them. But I cannot remember them ever asking for my number apart from I got through to them and they said they would call back but they never did.

NickD

I got a text from them last week, first ever. No payment but a text for some reason

Rebel_Kn1ght

Nothing in the bank either today

Flippyfloppy

Phones are off today too!!

Callymosh

Flippyfloppy wrote: »

Phones are off today too!!

Phones are on, just spent over an hour on hold only to be cut off....
Now I have to start all over. This is ridiculous..

Callymosh

Vermelho wrote: »

Has anyone else been getting random text messages about the date that your next cert is due? I no longer get the letter re: cert dates in the post but got a text in Sept and Oct (I am on monthly certs).

The Sept text gave the correct date as the due date for my next cert, however, the Oct text specified a date one week after the date it should have been. I had already sent in my cert the week before.

So now I don’t know whether to stick to the schedule I think it should be or start following their schedule. If I follow theirs it will mean I have a week gap in my certs as I will need to skip a week to catch up with them. I don’t want to then be accused of missing a week in case they do not accept the subsequent cert.

My payments have also been all over the place as with many of you.

This happened to me. Got a text saying my cert was due on the 10th when it was due on the 6th. I sent in the cert dated from the 6th but then only got paid fir 3 days that week.
Called them and was promised it would be back paid, it wasn’t so tried to call them this morning but got cut off after over an hour on hold..

Rebel_Kn1ght

I just rang the local office and was told there was a payment made into my acc on friday evening but i still haven't gotten it but at last it sounds like I'm going to be sorted

Flippyfloppy

Rebel_Kn1ght wrote: »

I just rang the local office and was told there was a payment made into my acc on friday evening but i still haven't gotten it but at last it sounds like I'm going to be sorted

Did you ring your local intereo office?

Flippyfloppy

Callymosh wrote: »

Phones are on, just spent over an hour on hold only to be cut off....
Now I have to start all over. This is ridiculous..

Same. The hold music and the message in Irish every couple of minutes is depressing AF.

Rebel_Kn1ght

Flippyfloppy wrote: »

Did you ring your local intereo office?

Yes my local office sorted it for me but I live in a small town and know the people working there anyway.

NickD

Hey guys bit of an update, they rang me just now. I'm assuming it's all the messages I've been sending them on Twitter. The dude sorted it out over the phone and said I'll be paid Wednesday as normal (????) And that I'll receive a grand total of €129 in arrears. I have no idea where they got that figure from, by my calculations I'm due at least three weeks, but at this stage I just don't care.

nicrob08

NickD wrote: »

Hey guys bit of an update, they rang me just now. I'm assuming it's all the messages I've been sending them on Twitter. The dude sorted it out over the phone and said I'll be paid Wednesday as normal (????) And that I'll receive a grand total of €129 in arrears. I have no idea where they got that figure from, by my calculations I'm due at least three weeks, but at this stage I just don't care.

I got a call as well this morning, most likely as I was on and on at them on Twitter also. He said to me my certs covered my claim until the 10th, I said thats right and I put my other certs in, he said thats right we keyed them on the 12th. He started saying this to me as reason why I hadnt been paid but stopped himself obviously as there was no reason. He also mentioned my arrears to be paid which is a much lower figure than Im due. But hey, at least something will be there at some stage this week.

Bannasidhe

I only began my claim end of September so haven't got a brass farthing yet have been told claim awarded that are just waiting for employer to return one form about sick pay.
But I have been sending in sick certs every week and I noticed they are photocopies. Said it to the GP Practice Manager (large Cork city GP service)today and she said the GP's issue with the new forms is data protection related, they don't know exactly who has access to the electronic format and the GPs have no way of keeping track. According to her they received a grand total of 11 forms on a Friday afternoon, were told to begin using them from Monday with no consultation and they took one look at the forms and said a) these have data protection issues and b) 11 forms wouldn't last us til lunch time on the first day. I said the dept say it's about money and she laughed and said they always say that but she we get paid either way.
The whole thing is, in her words a 'clusterf*ck' where someone in the dept thought let's streamline all this but didn't consider the data protection implications from the GPs/medical point of view.

My brother-in-law was on illness and his GP never even got the new forms - they were told to use up the old ones - which have now run out so they are also using photocopies.

wonski

Not sure what data protection issue there could be tbh.

My gp has used new forms and thats what I was sending so that wouldn't be the reason for my payment to be stopped anyway.

Those two groups keep blaming each other and the patients are the ones paying the price.

My gp has requested me collecting the form weekly despite me being on crutches after knee surgery and being signed off from work for 6 weeks initially with no chance for me to get back to work within 8 weeks anyway.

Let's just say walking up and down on crutches around the town was not fun. And risky. Especially in wet weather. Something my surgeon would not recommend tbh.

My next payment should be in on Wednesday, but as positive as I usually am I expect nothing tbh. Better than being disappointed.

tonybuzz32000

Hi all, just a quick update. So after failing to get through to the illness benefit since last week, I contacted them on Twitter and spoke to someone who said they'd call me back. Heard nothing and rang the general inquiry's line 071 9193302 to understand what was going on. They can't do anything but can give you info. They emailed up to illness benefit and within 30 minutes I received a call. Arrears and payment sorted with the click of a button. Hope this helps.

Hesthea

I sent them yesterday a message by twitter. Today i've got an answer in which they asked me for my contact number to pass to IB. I did that and so far nothing.

Today i went to Welfare and requested to speak with a CWO. Their answer was the same as always. Nothing in the system. Explained what i have done till that moment. They gave me a few papers to fill in and then they told me to go to my GP to get a duplicate of my certs (which they gave me), my workplace to get a doc in which states i am employed by them and not receiving any payment and to go to my bank to get a bank statement (they gave the option to print one if i have online banking). Only the one from my job is missing atm.

Meanwhile, when i got home i had an envelope from welfare. It was an Application form for Illness Benefit and Injury. No letter. No indications of what i should do or where i should send it to. Just the form and nothing else.

Tomorrow will got to the welfare again and ask what i should do with it tbh.

Any thoughts?