Jobseekers Allowance (JSA): Sanction & disallowance decision statistics

Statistics on Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) claimants who have had their benefit sanctioned or disallowed. The data counts referrals for variable and fixed length sanctions and entitlement decisions

Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)

Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)

http://83.244.183.180/sanction/sanction/LIVE/tabtool.ht
ml

Great Britain

Local Authority District (LAD), Government Office Region (GOR), National

2012

2009 to 2012

Quarterly

Administrative data

-

• REFERRALS FOR A DECISION: Whilst claiming JSA, a customer can have a Labour Market ?doubt? raised against their claim. LM doubts are normally identified by staff at the Jobcentre Plus office and are referred to the Sector Decision Makers (SDMs). Once the SDM has made a decision on whether to sanction or disallow/allow a referral, they enter their decision on a system called DMAS (Decision Making and Appeals System). The decision is also sent back to the Jobcentre Plus office for entry to LMS (Labour Market System) and JSAPS (JSA Payment System) which then makes the appropriate changes to the actual payment to the customer.
• REFERRALS FOR AN OPINION: The SDM may be asked to give their opinion on whether the jobseeker was available and/or actively seeking employment, or a sanction would have been imposed. This is usually where a payment DM has decided there is no entitlement to JSA and a LM doubt arises. The LM opinion given by the SDM is taken into account when a payment DM decides whether to award National Insurance (NI) credits and other passported benefits.
• VARIED LENGTH SANCTIONS: A sanction of between 1 week and 26 weeks is imposed for leaving employment voluntarily without just cause, refusing employment without good cause, or losing employment through misconduct. The actual period in each case is at the discretion of the Adjudication Officer who makes the decision.
• FIXED LENGTH SANCTIONS: A sanction of 2 weeks (4 weeks if repeated within 12 months, and 26 weeks if already received a 4 week sanction within last 12 months) are imposed for refusal, without good cause, to attend an employment programme or carry out a Jobseeker?s Direction. Payment of benefit continues in full pending the Adjudication Officer's decision.
• ENTITLEMENT: These are questions on which entitlement to JSA depends. For example, if there is doubt around whether the Jobseeker?s agreement (JSA) is suitable, whether they are actively looking for work or making themselves available for work. In most cases payment of JSA will be suspended by benefit processing until the doubt is resolved.
• REFERRALS/INDIVIDUALS: Tables based on referrals count every time a referral is made for either a varied or fixed length sanction, or entitlement decision. Tables based on individuals show a count of how many times an individual has been referred for a specific decision type - i.e. how many times an individual has been referred for a varied length sanction, a fixed length sanction, or entitlement decision.

-