UC standard identity appointment. What to expect?

steve1571

Really nervous about this, I was on esa support group income related and had to move over to UC because I moved home. I now have an identity appointment.  What can I expect. They also want my partner to come with me and she is also disabled.  We are also on disability premiums,  any advice or help would be appreciated.

poppy123456

It's just an appointment to confirm your identities and to agree to your claimant commiments. When you attend the appointment i'd advise you to take a letter to confirm which group you were in when you were claiming ESA and this will help to speed up the process of your details being transferred from ESA.

There's no disability premiums payable when claiming UC, as you maybe aware. If your ESA included the SDP and you are still entitled to it then your UC will include the SDP Transitional protection.

Who was the main claimant of the ESA? and which group were you in? Did your ESA include the SDP, if so was it single or couples? and do you still qualify for that now?

steve1571

poppy123456 said:

It's just an appointment to confirm your identities and to agree to your claimant commiments. When you attend the appointment i'd advise you to take a letter to confirm which group you were in when you were claiming ESA and this will help to speed up the process of your details being transferred from ESA.

There's no disability premiums payable when claiming UC, as you maybe aware. If your ESA included the SDP and you are still entitled to it then your UC will include the SDP Transitional protection.

Who was the main claimant of the ESA? and which group were you in? Did your ESA include the SDP, if so was it single or couples? and do you still qualify for that now?

I was the main claimant of the esa. I was in the support group and income related esa. My partner also received premiums with myself  I  believe I would qualify for it now 

poppy123456

Thanks for that information. This means your UC will include the LCWRA element from the start of your claim. As it was your ESA claim then you will not have any commiments and no further appointments will be needed once the details have been sent from ESA to UC and your claim is updated.

If your ESA included couples SDP then your UC will also include the couple SDP transitional protection, which is £313.79/month. This TP will erode over time so if other elements increase or you become entitled to other elements the TP will decrease until such a time it will erode completely.

As it wasn't your partners ESA claim if they haven't been through the work capability assessment process then they will be expected to look for work, unless they are claiming carers allowance for looking after someone or you have small children on your claim. *please take note of the next paragraph*

If your partner isn't claiming carers allowance for looking after someone then they can claim Carers element for looking after you and then they will have no commiments because they will be your carer. 

If they claim this before the end of your first assessment period then you'll only be entitled to single SDP TP which is £132.12/month but you'll then have the carers element of £185.86/month as well. Those 2 added together will be £317.98/month, which works out more than couples TP mentioned above.

If they wait until the 2nd assessment period claim it, then you will be about £4 worse off. This is because when they claim carers element the TP will erode by £185.86, same amount as carers element. Please see link for confirmation of TP regulations here. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/543/regulation/6/made

6) In Schedule 2 (claimants previously entitled to a severe disability premium)—

(a)in paragraph 5(b)(i), for “if the higher SDP rate was payable” substitute “if the higher SDP rate is payable on the first day of the award and no person becomes a carer for either of them in the first assessment period”;

steve1571

poppy123456 said:

Thanks for that information. This means your UC will include the LCWRA element from the start of your claim. As it was your ESA claim then you will not have any commiments and no further appointments will be needed once the details have been sent from ESA to UC and your claim is updated.

If your ESA included couples SDP then your UC will also include the couple SDP transitional protection, which is £313.79/month. This TP will erode over time so if other elements increase or you become entitled to other elements the TP will decrease until such a time it will erode completely.

As it wasn't your partners ESA claim if they haven't been through the work capability assessment process then they will be expected to look for work, unless they are claiming carers allowance for looking after someone or you have small children on your claim. *please take note of the next paragraph*

If your partner isn't claiming carers allowance for looking after someone then they can claim Carers element for looking after you and then they will have no commiments because they will be your carer. 

If they claim this before the end of your first assessment period then you'll only be entitled to single SDP TP which is £132.12/month but you'll then have the carers element of £185.86/month as well. Those 2 added together will be £317.98/month, which works out more than couples TP mentioned above.

If they wait until the 2nd assessment period claim it, then you will be about £4 worse off. This is because when they claim carers element the TP will erode by £185.86, same amount as carers element. Please see link for confirmation of TP regulations here. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/543/regulation/6/made

6) In Schedule 2 (claimants previously entitled to a severe disability premium)—

(a)in paragraph 5(b)(i), for “if the higher SDP rate was payable” substitute “if the higher SDP rate is payable on the first day of the award and no person becomes a carer for either of them in the first assessment period”;

We have two small children and she does the main care giving for them. Would she be expected to look for work ? She is also on adult disability payment.

poppy123456

I had gathered she was claiming a disability benefit based on your previous threads. This is irrelevant to any work commitments. How old is your youngest child? 

steve1571

poppy123456 said:

I had gathered she was claiming a disability benefit based on your previous threads. This is irrelevant to any work commitments. How old is your youngest child? 

My youngest is 1.

poppy123456

That means she'll be expected to attend appointment but what is expected of her exactly will depend on her exact commiments. I would still advise her to go down the carers element route.

steve1571

poppy123456 said:

That means she'll be expected to attend appointment but what is expected of her exactly will depend on her exact commiments. I would still advise her to go down the carers element route.

She gets enhanced living on adp though. She really needs it. We get support from family, making meals and helping us budget and what not  She does what she can with the kids and is a good mum but herself it's a struggle.

poppy123456

I know she claims ADP but this is irrlevant for claimant commiments. She can still be a carer and continue with the ADP, providing she cares for you for at least 35 hours per week. This doesn't need to be physical care, it can be anything.

Having health conditions doesn't mean you can't still be a good mum. There are lots of mum's with health conditions, myself included.

steve1571

poppy123456 said:

I know she claims ADP but this is irrlevant for claimant commiments. She can still be a carer and continue with the ADP, providing she cares for you for at least 35 hours per week. This doesn't need to be physical care, it can be anything.

Having health conditions doesn't mean you can't still be a good mum. There are lots of mum's with health conditions, myself included.

That's a really good point. 

Is it possible for her to also claim Limited capability for work in our joint claim too? What would happen if she did and got approved ?

poppy123456

She can go through the work capability assessment but there will be no extra money for this even if she's found to have LCWRA. This is because you can only receive one element per claim and you are already claiming it.

If she's found to have LCW there's no extra money for this. For those reasons i think carers element is a better option because going through the WCA for no increase each month is an awful lot of stress and anxiety.

steve1571

Wpoppy123456 said:

She can go through the work capability assessment but there will be no extra money for this even if she's found to have LCWRA. This is because you can only receive one element per claim and you are already claiming it.

If she's found to have LCW there's no extra money for this. For those reasons i think carers element is a better option because going through the WCA for no increase each month is an awful lot of stress and anxiety.

Well I don't know what happens now because when she was registering online for uc she wrote she doesn't care for anyone and I wrote no one cares for me. So sadly I don't think this would work x

poppy123456

One good thing about UC if you have a journal, changes can be reported through that, which includes being a carer. She needs to "report a change of circumstances" then click "caring for someone" the carers element will then be included on your next statement.

When she does this in the first or later assessment periods it's her decision. Please refer back to my first comment for the full explanation.

steve1571

poppy123456 said:

One good thing about UC if you have a journal, changes can be reported through that, which includes being a carer. She needs to "report a change of circumstances" then click "caring for someone" the carers element will then be included on your next statement.

When she does this in the first or later assessment periods it's her decision. Please refer back to my first comment for the full explanation.

So I had the appointment today and the guy was not nice and rude. Didn't take my situation into consideration.  Said I have to attend a work capability assessment and get a sick line in. Said my partner also needs a suckling because she put down her mental health conditions even though she is my carer. We done a change of circumstances at the weekend through the journal that she us my carer and she us applying for carers allowance . But she still needs a sickline? Said I will have an assement and have to sign commitment form. I went to benefit advice and the woman seems to think he is wrong and I should have been moved straight to thr group because of my rate of esa. She said she is checking with her manager because it could be new legislation.  The guy today didn't want to know about my group of esa or anything to do with my esa claim, kept saying it doesn't matter it doesn't matter 

steve1571

poppy123456 said:

One good thing about UC if you have a journal, changes can be reported through that, which includes being a carer. She needs to "report a change of circumstances" then click "caring for someone" the carers element will then be included on your next statement.

When she does this in the first or later assessment periods it's her decision. Please refer back to my first comment for the full explanation.

Ps there was no break in my claim,  so I should have been moved over from esa to Limited capability for work no?

poppy123456

You were incorrectly advised. As you were in the Support Group for ESA you will be entitled to the LCWRA element from the start of your claim. 

Did you take a copy of your latest ESA letter with you, as I advised? Also did you put a message onto your journal to tell them that you were in the Support Group for ESA? 

It’s not unusual for it to take a few weeks to update your claim. Once this is done your commitments will be changed and you’ll need to agree to them. You will not need to attend any further appointments once this is done. 

Your partner will not need to go through the work capability assessment if she claims carers element for looking after you. However please refer back to my calculations earlier in the thread about the SDP Transitional Element. She doesn’t need to claim carers allowance to be entitled to carers element. 

steve1571

poppy123456 said:

You were incorrectly advised. As you were in the Support Group for ESA you will be entitled to the LCWRA element from the start of your claim. 

Did you take a copy of your latest ESA letter with you, as I advised? Also did you put a message onto your journal to tell them that you were in the Support Group for ESA? 

It’s not unusual for it to take a few weeks to update your claim. Once this is done your commitments will be changed and you’ll need to agree to them. You will not need to attend any further appointments once this is done. 

Your partner will not need to go through the work capability assessment if she claims carers element for looking after you. However please refer back to my calculations earlier in the thread about the SDP Transitional Element. She doesn’t need to claim carers allowance to be entitled to carers element. 

I did take a copy of my award letter but he didn't even want to see jt, he Was so rude. What should I do now ? Do I still need to provide a sickline or my partner ?

poppy123456

Have you put a message onto your journal?

You can make a complaint about the way that work coach spoke to you. Details here https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/benefits/how_to_complain_about_universal_credit

Your partner doesn’t need a fit note because as a carer they will have no commitments. Going through the work capability assessment is a lot of stress and anxiety when there’s really no need. 

Although as your youngest child is one she wouldn’t be expected to look for work anyway. 

steve1571

poppy123456 said:

Have you put a message onto your journal?

You can make a complaint about the way that work coach spoke to you. Details here https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/benefits/how_to_complain_about_universal_credit

Your partner doesn’t need a fit note because as a carer they will have no commitments. Going through the work capability assessment is a lot of stress and anxiety when there’s really no need. 

Although as your youngest child is one she wouldn’t be expected to look for work anyway. 

poppy123456 said:

Have you put a message onto your journal?

You can make a complaint about the way that work coach spoke to you. Details here https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/benefits/how_to_complain_about_universal_credit

Your partner doesn’t need a fit note because as a carer they will have no commitments. Going through the work capability assessment is a lot of stress and anxiety when there’s really no need. 

Although as your youngest child is one she wouldn’t be expected to look for work anywapoppy123456 said:

You were incorrectly advised. As you were in the Support Group for ESA you will be entitled to the LCWRA element from the start of your claim. 

Did you take a copy of your latest ESA letter with you, as I advised? Also did you put a message onto your journal to tell them that you were in the Support Group for ESA? 

It’s not unusual for it to take a few weeks to update your claim. Once this is done your commitments will be changed and you’ll need to agree to them. You will not need to attend any further appointments once this is done. 

Your partner will not need to go through the work capability assessment if she claims carers element for looking after you. However please refer back to my calculations earlier in the thread about the SDP Transitional Element. She doesn’t need to claim carers allowance to be entitled to carers element. 


Also I don't know if it changes anything but I moved in last Monday and applied for uc last Tuesday as my council doesn't offer HB to esa claiments. So I had no choice to claim uc. So I migrated myself to uc. Would this go against me ?

poppy123456

Yes, i know you claimed UC because of a change of circumstances, this is known as natural migration. It doesn't change all the advice i've given you.