Universal Credit - Treatment of Those With Disability

Aznarder

I had a Universal Credit health assessment in January 2022 that saw me with a low capability for work & this last February after my situation worsened I was granted PIP (all due to severe mental health issues). My issues (in a nutshell) are PTDS that result in me unable to plan journeys, handle crowded spaces like shops etc.

Two weeks ago I got my own bank account & changed my bank details with PIP & then Universal Credit - Two days later my U.C. journal had a post saying I had to attend the local job centre for a meeting to ascertain whether my new bank account was legit, I instantly contacted them saying that I was unable to attend for reasons they already know & have indeed assessed me as not being capable of taking part in. I have been hit square between the eyes with the fact that the DWP will contradict the reams of medical evidence supplied and try and force people like me into meetings that I/we are not capable of attending. It took numerous phone calls, journal entries and a lot of stress but now I have a DWP agent coming to my house to do this utterly pointless bank details check.

The way they have contradicted themselves with trying to force me to do something they claim I would never have to worry about has made my condition worse & the fact that our details are not front and centre when issues like changes of bank details arise is shameful. Never be fooled by the DWP blanket policies - they are there to try and undermine us at every turn of the dice.

This experience is highly nuanced & trying to write in clearly here is hard to do.
All the best 

poppy123456

Yes, they do usually ask you to attend your local Job centre with proof of your new bank details. Glad to here they are attending your home to complete this.

I'm assuming you were found to have LCWRA rather than LCW? For those with LCW then usually you need to attend work focused interviews. With LCWRA then you don't need to attend any appointments. (apart from the bank details one)

Aznarder

What does not make any sense is on the one hand accepting I can not plan journeys and the stress of crowds etc makes me go into a panic that is utterly awful & leaving me alone & then demanding I go in when I change my bank details - the absurdity of the contradiction is obvious.

The irony of using my sisters bank account since I became unwell & the fact that they never questioned that but when I get an account in my own name they question it - ridiculous red tape that is about nothing more than control, they love getting people into the job centre for no real profitable reason!

It boils down to them saying "yeah, you are disabled and accept the medical evidence but only until we want to hit you with meaningless bureaucracy". 

2oldcodgers

There are two types of civil servant. One that follows the rule book to the nth degree even knowing that the rule is stupid.
Or the other type who knows how to bend and manipulate the rules to suit someone's difficulties.