Are job centres open? Can I still get benefits?

[Lucy.Honey]

BENEFITS may be essential for some people as shops, restaurants and pubs shut down across the UK in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Are job centres open? Can I still get benefits?

Benefits claimants will not have to attend JobCentre appointments while the coronavirus crisis is ongoing, the Government has announced. The Department for Work and Pensions confirmed that starting from yesterday, claimants will now not be required to attend an appointment in person for at least three months.

Claimants will still receive their payments as normal, but the new measures have been introduced to facilitate payments, as the government ramps up restrictions to combat the spread of COVID-19.

The change will mean claimants won’t be penalised if they cannot attend in person due to sickness or self-isolation, as benefits are often stopped when a person fails to attend an appointment.

People can still make applications for benefits online if they are eligible, the DWP confirmed.
Work and Pensions Secretary Thérèse Coffey said: “As we move into the next phase of our response to coronavirus, it is right we take steps to protect those with health problems.

“Temporarily suspending face-to-face assessments for sickness and disability benefits will allow us to ensure we continue to provide a safety net for those in need, while removing unnecessary risk of exposure to this disease.”

According to the Office for National Statistics, there are five million self-employed people in the UK, who make up 15 percent of the labour market.

The government has said it will make it "quicker and easier" for self-employed people affected by coronavirus to access benefits.

The chancellor Rishi Sunak said that those on contributory employment and support allowance (ESA) will be able to claim from day one, instead of day eight.

Those who need to claim statutory sick pay can now claim from day one instead of day four.

He is also temporarily removing the minimum income floor from universal credit.

The minimum income floor would have taken into account how much someone would normally expect to earn in a month when calculating their entitlement to universal credit.

Its removal means more people will be able to claim for time they spend off work due to sickness.

The changes come after the government has advised the public to practice social distancing and self isolation.

Some key workers that do not have the option to work from home and must continue as normal have been announced today.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/12...l-get-benefits