Hi! Question about PIP and UC?

otterbox

Hi, 

I'm Rachel. I applied for PIP in April and got my text saying I'd been awarded on Monday. The next morning I had a text from DWP saying I had a universal credit appointment to "review" my claim. 

I only saw them a month ago so I'm not due to see them again yet, especially as I'm in the low contact group. Any ideas on what this might be for? I've read a few threads elsewhere that have mentioned that my PIP award might have caused UC to want to check if I should be in the LCWRA group (which I believe I should have been in anyway but my entire UC claim has been a sh*tshow!) 

Any insight would be great, as I'm really nervous about going to it, especially as I've called to ask to put mine and my husband's meetings closer together for childcare reasons and because I can't travel without someone and it just makes sense to be him seeing as we're going to the same place, and they've denied this.

Thanks in advance 😊

barry47

Hi I'm Barry I recently had a universal credit health assessment. I've been on disability support since August 2018. I have a degenerative back condition I receive pip standard daily living and higher rate mobility. I have other health issues aswell including type 2 diabetes and hypertension. So I had my universal credit health assessment done over the phone. They have assessed me as fit to work. How can this be a fair assessment. If they saw me they would see how much pain I'm in and just how much I cant move around.

poppy123456

otterbox said:

Hi, 

I'm Rachel. I applied for PIP in April and got my text saying I'd been awarded on Monday. The next morning I had a text from DWP saying I had a universal credit appointment to "review" my claim. 

I only saw them a month ago so I'm not due to see them again yet, especially as I'm in the low contact group. Any ideas on what this might be for? I've read a few threads elsewhere that have mentioned that my PIP award might have caused UC to want to check if I should be in the LCWRA group (which I believe I should have been in anyway but my entire UC claim has been a sh*tshow!) 

Any insight would be great, as I'm really nervous about going to it, especially as I've called to ask to put mine and my husband's meetings closer together for childcare reasons and because I can't travel without someone and it just makes sense to be him seeing as we're going to the same place, and they've denied this.

Thanks in advance 😊

It will have nothing to do with your LCWRA element. It's highly likely to be they are checking that your UC claim is correct. They often do random checks on claimants. You will need to make sure you attend the appointment otherwise your UC could be suspended.

poppy123456

barry47 said:

Hi I'm Barry I recently had a universal credit health assessment. I've been on disability support since August 2018. I have a degenerative back condition I receive pip standard daily living and higher rate mobility. I have other health issues aswell including type 2 diabetes and hypertension. So I had my universal credit health assessment done over the phone. They have assessed me as fit to work. How can this be a fair assessment. If they saw me they would see how much pain I'm in and just how much I cant move around.

If you disagree with the decision then you will need to challenge it by first requesting the Mandatory Reconsideration. (MR) You have 1 month from the date of the decision to request this. You need to state which group you think you should be in and your reasons why. Claiming PIP will have no relevance on the WCA.

You can see the descriptors here for LCWRA https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/universal-credit-uc/uc-faq/limited-capability-for-work-related-activity

Most assessments are by telephone and the majority of people are found to have LCWRA/ placed into the Support Group without any issues.

otterbox

poppy123456 said:

otterbox said:

Hi, 

I'm Rachel. I applied for PIP in April and got my text saying I'd been awarded on Monday. The next morning I had a text from DWP saying I had a universal credit appointment to "review" my claim. 

I only saw them a month ago so I'm not due to see them again yet, especially as I'm in the low contact group. Any ideas on what this might be for? I've read a few threads elsewhere that have mentioned that my PIP award might have caused UC to want to check if I should be in the LCWRA group (which I believe I should have been in anyway but my entire UC claim has been a sh*tshow!) 

Any insight would be great, as I'm really nervous about going to it, especially as I've called to ask to put mine and my husband's meetings closer together for childcare reasons and because I can't travel without someone and it just makes sense to be him seeing as we're going to the same place, and they've denied this.

Thanks in advance 😊

It will have nothing to do with your LCWRA element. It's highly likely to be they are checking that your UC claim is correct. They often do random checks on claimants. You will need to make sure you attend the appointment otherwise your UC could be suspended.

I've only recently had one so the fact that it's popped up a day after getting my PIP award is suspicious to me. I don't have an LCWRA element at all, but could it not have triggered them to check on that? I don't know how well they all communicate (probably not well at all!). 
I'm not attending this appointment, I've messaged them to say I need it changing so I can travel with my husband as he is my carer around his full time work and I can't be loitering around on my own for almost 2 hours. We don't have a car, it's an absolute nightmare and they know I struggle to get there in person. Everything else was over the phone, so I don't understand why I'm having to go in a month after we've been reviewed 😭

poppy123456

It will have nothing to do with LCWRA. They won’t check for that because you need to report your health condition, supported by a fit note within 7 days of that. They will then refer you for a work capability assessment.

When you said you were in the low contact group I had assumed you’d already been through the work capability assessment. What’s the reason you have no work requirements? Is it because you’re of your husbands earnings? 

Is there any reason why you haven’t reported your health condition? 

otterbox

poppy123456 said:

It will have nothing to do with LCWRA. They won’t check for that because you need to report your health condition, supported by a fit note within 7 days of that. They will then refer you for a work capability assessment.

When you said you were in the low contact group I had assumed you’d already been through the work capability assessment. What’s the reason you have no work requirements? Is it because you’re of your husbands earnings? 

Is there any reason why you haven’t reported your health condition? 

Sorry I never said I hadn't, I have reported my health conditions, right at the start of the claim, and I've been in a low contact group since then. They said I didn't have to look for work because of both my health and because I'm the main carer of a young child. I didn't even know there were other groups until a few days ago so I've never asked them if I should be in a different group, I assumed the one I was in was right but people are saying I should be in a different one that adds an extra amount onto my UC payment so I'm really confident about the whole thing 😂

poppy123456

Yes being a carer means you'll have no work requirements. If you reported your health condition then you'll need to make sure you're sending fit notes and continue to send them without any gaps until a decision is made on your claim.

If found to have LCWRA then you'll receive extra money from the 4th month after you reported your health condition, providing you sent a fit note within 7 days of that and continue to send them without any gaps until that decision is made.

The only issue is that the same person can't be paid both carers element and LCWRA (£390.06/month) at the same time and you'll only receive the highest element, which is LCWRA.

As you're claiming with your husband then he'll be able to claim carers element for either yourself or your child, assuming he looks after either of you for at least 35 hours per week.

With regards to the review for UC you can put a message onto your journal (if you haven't already) and ask them what it's related to and they should be able to tell you.