When jobseeker Mr J said he wanted to claim for the cost of his travel to interviews, Jobcentre Plus did not tell him that he might not have all his costs reimbursed and that he would have to travel at his own expense.
What happened
Over a period of around four months, Mr J travelled to numerous job interviews and submitted claims to have his travel costs reimbursed by Jobcentre Plus under its Flexible Support Fund. Jobcentre Plus did not process most of his claims until several weeks after he had submitted them.
After he had been attending interviews for more than three months and had submitted claims for around 18 interviews, Jobcentre Plus told Mr J that there was a limit of five claims per person and that most of his claims would not be paid. Mr J complained that Jobcentre Plus led him to believe his claims would all be paid and that he had borrowed money for travel that he could not now pay back.
What we found
Jobcentre Plus's guidance said that when Mr J asked to claim under the Flexible Support Fund, Jobcentre Plus should have made sure that before he travelled, he knew that reimbursement was not guaranteed and that he would travel at his own expense.
Instead, Jobcentre Plus gave Mr J confusing and conflicting messages. Although one adviser mentioned a claiming limit to Mr J in an email, the adviser also gave Mr J the impression that all of his claims would be paid eventually.
Mr J complained to the Independent Case Examiner (ICE), which reviews complaints about Jobcentre Plus. It failed to identify that Jobcentre Plus had not properly advised Mr J and it too provided confusing and contradictory information.
Jobcentre Plus's guidance for managing claims under the Flexible Support Fund was unclear. The lack of clarity probably contributed to the confusing and inconsistent information Mr J received from Jobcentre Plus and, later, from the Independent Case Examiner.
Although we could not say that Mr J would not have attended so many interviews had he known his costs would not be reimbursed, the failure to properly inform him caused him inconvenience and denied him the opportunity to make an informed choice about spending money on interview travel.
Putting it right
Jobcentre Plus apologised to Mr J and made him a consolatory payment of £300. It also reviewed its guidance and took steps to make sure relevant staff were properly trained. The Independent Case Examiner also apologised to Mr J and made him a consolatory payment of £150.
Jobcentre Plus
Independent Case Examiner (ICE)
UK
Not applicable
Apology
Compensation for non-financial loss
Recommendation to learn lessons or draw up an action plan
Other