In this case the customer submitted an application for Jobseekers Allowance on the 2/5/18. The customer was previously in full time employment but left the employment on the 1/5/18 following a probationary period of 3 months. The customer stated in the application the reason the employment ended was because the probationary period of employment was unsuccessful. The employer offered the customer an extended employment period of 3 months following the probationary period but the customer did not accept this offer and informed the employer he would leave the company. The employer offered to reinstate the customer’s employment but the customer did not reply to the employer’s offer.
The regulations state that persons may be subject to a disqualification period on Jobseekers Allowance as determined by a Deciding Officer, but in any case not exceeding 9 weeks, in certain circumstances.
For example
- Refusal of offer of suitable employment
- Loss of employment because of wilful misconduct
- Leaving employment voluntarily without just cause
- Refusal or Failure to Engage with Activation Measures
where penalty rate applied
It is at the discretion of the Deciding Officer whether to apply a disqualification period based on the information provided by the customer and also taking into account information supplied by the employer. In this case a decision was made that a disqualification period of 5 weeks was appropriate and in line with current legislation and guidelines.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
