Is it mandatory to attend jobcentre appointments if claiming carers allowance

Discombobulated

My mother has vascular dementia, and at the request of my dad I moved in with my parents just over a week ago as my father can no longer look after my mother.  I applied for carers allowance a few days ago.

Currently, I'm on universal credit and I have been designated as having a "limited capability for work". This decision was made as a consequence of my health anxiety.  This means I excessively worry about my health, and especially being in close proximity to others due to my specific vulnerability to COVID-19. Due to this, for the past 3 years all my jobcentre appointments have been via telephone.

But now that I've moved I've been told that my claim is being held at a different jobcentre, one that is 23 miles away (despite my old jobcentre being just 9 miles away). I've also been told that I must attend a face-to-face appointment there on the 4th of July. There are a number of reasons why it is not feasible that I can attend this appointment.  My health anxiety is still there. I don't drive, so would have to travel there by bus or taxi.  However, I now live in the middle of nowhere and buses are very infrequent, and taxis are expensive. Also, my mother has recently suffered a steep decline in health, and it is not a good idea for me to be away for hours.

So, I'm wondering what my options are here? Could I just claim carer's allowance by itself without any UC that would free me from the obligation of attending this jobcentre?

poppy123456

You can only claim carers allowance/carers element of UC if your mother claims a qualifying disability benefit such as PIP daily living, DLA mid/high rate care or AA.

Claiming carers allowance means there will be no financial gain because it’s just deducted in full from any UC entitlement.

You can claim carers element of UC which will increase your maximum UC entitlement by £185.86/month. To claim this you’ll need to report a change of circumstances. Click caring for someone and tell them you care for her for at least 35 hours/week. You do not need to claim carers allowance to be entitled to carers element. 

Claiming either carers allowance or carers element will mean you will have no work commitments so no further appointments will be needed. 

Discombobulated

I find all this fairly confusing, so I hope you'll bear with me.  My mother (and father too I think), both claim attendance allowance.  I've informed them through my UC journal about the change in circumstances.  I've also said in my journal to them that I've applied for carers allowance.  Despite all this, they say I must attend the appointment on the 4th of July that is 23 miles away. The problem here is that I only applied for carer's allowance a few days ago, so a decision won't have been made by that date (4th July).

Just looked at the bus timetable, and the bus only leaves or comes to where I live 3 times a day and if I did attend that appointment I would need to get the taxi back from the nearest town 6 miles away (or walk, but I'm now in my 60s myself!).

Incidentally, I have no work commitments anyway, but I still am being obliged to travel 23 miles for this jobcentre appointment.

poppy123456

My thoughts on the appointment could be because of the change of address. You can ask for this to be done as a telephone call and remind them about reasonable adjustments and they must take into consideration your health conditions when asking you to appear in person.

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/discrimination-in-the-provision-of-goods-and-services/discrimination-in-the-provision-of-goods-and-services1/disability-discrimination-and-welfare-benefits/

If you reported your caring duties on your journal then the carers element should be included in your next statement.

Before you moved in with your parents, was there anyone else living with them? If not and they were claiming pension credit that included the SDP then they will lose this because you're now living with them (unless you're claiming a qualifying disability benefit yourself) such as PIP daily living or DLA mid/high rate care. If you are the they will now only be entitled to the single SDP instead of the couples rate. They will need to make sure they contact pension credit to report the changes.

Discombobulated

My understanding is that my parents are only claiming attendance allowance. They have money in the bank that might prohibit them from claiming anything else.

Just to clarify.  I specified a change in circumstances in my journal, but only in regards to my change of address. I have applied for carers allowance and am awaiting the decision on that.  If the decision is that I am entitled, then I guess I report that in my journal at that juncture and not beforehand?

I have asked in my journal for the forthcoming appointment to be a telephone or a video call, and have reminded them of my own health condition, but the people who respond in my journal are entirely unmoved and insist I must attend the appointment in person.

calcotti

Discombobulated said:

My understanding is that my parents are only claiming attendance allowance. They have money in the bank that might prohibit them from claiming anything else.

There is any capital limit for claiming Pension Credit, whether or not there is any Pension Credit entitlement will depend on their joint income and any capital over £10,000 will reduce the entitlement.

Discombobulated said:

Just to clarify.  I specified a change in circumstances in my journal, but only in regards to my change of address. I have applied for carers allowance and am awaiting the decision on that.  If the decision is that I am entitled, then I guess I report that in my journal at that juncture and not beforehand?

As advised by poppy you do not need to receive Carer Allowance to get the carer element of UC. You should declare that you are a carer by reporting a change of circumstance. You don’t need to wait for a CA decision. 

You will need to tell UC know when CA is into payment because the CA will be deducted from your UC.

Discombobulated

So in addition to carer's allowance, there is a carer's element to UC that is different? Does this need to be separately applied for? Or should I just report a change in circumstances in my journal saying I'm a carer now and to do this immediately?  

calcotti

Discombobulated said:

So in addition to carer's allowance, there is a carer's element to UC that is different? Does this need to be separately applied for? Or should I just report a change in circumstances in my journal saying I'm a carer now and to do this immediately?  

They are different. 

As poppy mentioned, carer element adds £185.86/month to your UC. 

CA is a separate benefit. If you receive both UC and UC the CA is deducted from the UC so, as a UC claimant, claiming CA does not increase your total income.

The carer element is simply claimed by reporting a change of circumstances to UC.

Discombobulated

OK, I have just reported this change in my circumstances. It asked me whether I am in receipt of carer's allowance.  I'm not yet, so I put "no", although that might change in the next few weeks. 

poppy123456

You'll need to check your next statement to see if the carers element is included. If your statement is due quite soon there may not be enough of time to include it so they will owe you 1 month.

Answering no to that question is correct at the moment. It may take up to 12 weeks to award the carers allowance but it will make no difference to your overall benefits entitlement anyway. It will be deducted in full from UC and then you'll receive the carers allowance as a separate payment either weekly or 4 weekly, which ever you chose when you claimed.

Discombobulated

Now that I've reported the change in circumstances, hopefully this jobcentre interview 23 miles away will be cancelled? I'll see if anything happens tomorrow.

Discombobulated

Yes!  The appointment has just been cancelled! 😀 Thank God for that, it would have been a nightmare trying to get there and back.

Also, just last night, I received a payment of £76 odd. So that was astonishingly quick! I had assumed it would take a fair few weeks.

poppy123456

Glad it's been cancelled. Was the payment you received for carers allowance? That was extremely quick if it was. You must have applied before you posted here?

Don't forget to report receiving the carers allowance on your journal. It will be deducted in full from your UC with a total of £332.58/month.

Carers element will be added, so in total you will be £185.86/month better off.

Discombobulated

I think I might have applied exactly a week ago.  OK, I will notify in my journal I have applied for caretakers allowance and have just received my first payment.

Discombobulated

Do I report it as in a message in my journal? Or as a change in circumstances?

Discombobulated

On Saturday I had already reported I had started caring. It says in my journal "report caring started". So do I need to do anything else?

calcotti

You don't need to see anything else at the moment.
When you get a award letter for Carers Allowance I recommend posting a message in your UC journal letting them know (probably best to post as a payment message).