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Will my benefits be affected by doing Jury service?

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DoneAndBeyond
DoneAndBeyond Community member Posts: 9 Listener
in Benefits and financial support
I'm 27, unemployed, live at home with my parents and collect PIP and ESA due to my inability to work due to neurodivergency and depression.

I've been summoned to Jury duty for next year but am worried how this will affect my benefits. 

Do I have to let DWP know about my Jury duty? 
Will it affect my benefits?
Worse still, will the fact I've done Jury duty be used against me in future assessments and be used as proof that I'm fit to work?
If I tell the Court and Tribunal service that i'm mentally fit to do Jury duty(which I think I am... Though i'll need a long sleep and a few days alone to recover when its all done!), will DWP find out and decide that if i'm mentally fit to do jury duty, i'm mentally fit for work?

As you can see, I dont really trust DWP and feel like i'm walking on eggshells with them when it comes to the support I get, which is my only source of livelihood so it causes me a lot of anxiety. I dont want to put a foot wrong but it annoys me how simplistic and un-nuanced the system is! I dont even want to let my doctors know i've succesfully lowered my antidepressant dose for incase it gets back to DWP somehow and they decide i'm all better and to throw me into the deep end.

I would like to do Jury duty as i've never done it before and am interested in it all, but i'm just worried if it will come back to bite me.

Any help at all appreciated!
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Comments

  • calcotti
    calcotti Community member Posts: 10,010 Disability Gamechanger
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    https://www.gov.uk/jury-service/what-you-can-claim-if-youre-not-working
    If you get benefits or financial support
    Show your jury summons to your benefit office or work coach as soon as you get it.
    You’ll continue to get financial support and benefits (such as Universal Credit) for the first 8 weeks. After that, the court will give you a loss of earnings form to give to your benefit office or work coach.

    Information I post is for England unless otherwise stated. Rules may be different in other parts of UK.
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  • DoneAndBeyond
    DoneAndBeyond Community member Posts: 9 Listener
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    calcotti said:
    https://www.gov.uk/jury-service/what-you-can-claim-if-youre-not-working
    If you get benefits or financial support
    Show your jury summons to your benefit office or work coach as soon as you get it.
    You’ll continue to get financial support and benefits (such as Universal Credit) for the first 8 weeks. After that, the court will give you a loss of earnings form to give to your benefit office or work coach.

    I did read this on my Jury summons letter, its what made me think their might be implications for my benefits if I do do Jury duty. It seems a bit vague though. What do they mean by "for the first eight weeks?". Does that mean my benefits wont be affected unless Jury duty lasts longer than eight weeks?
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  • L_Volunteer
    L_Volunteer Community Volunteer Adviser, Scope Member Posts: 7,983 Disability Gamechanger
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    What a great question @DoneAndBeyond. I can hear how it has made you think and it seems a bit vague. 

    Unfortunately, this is not an area of my expertise. This means I am hoping someone with more expertise in this area can respond to you soon.

    In the meantime, I mainly wanted to respond to say I hear you and have seen your post  :)
    Community Volunteer Adviser with professional knowledge of education, special educational needs and disabilities and EHCP's. Pronouns: She/her. 

    Please note: if I use the online community outside of its hours of administration, I am doing so in a personal capacity only.
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