New AET universal credit

emilh

hiya I was wondering if somebody could give me some advise. I am a single mother with a 3 year old. I had diagnosed ADHD. Anxiety depression. I get standard rate pip and work an average of 16 hours a week. This was never a problem untill the AET has gone up to £892 per month. I am now having to go to weekly meetings with a work coach where they are trying to get me to do more hours and look for another job. I really enjoy my job but to do more hours is just way to overwhelming for me and will send me into a major downward spiral effecting both me and my son. I also do not want to leave and have to start a new job I don’t enjoy with more hours.
I am just reading about LCW, if I asked my physiatrist to do me a fit note would that stop all this from happening and let me still do my 16 hours without the pressure from DWP to earn more? It’s all very confusing to me.

Any advice is much appreciated

Thanks for reading

poppy123456

If you report your health condition and provide a fit note then you will need to go through the work capability assessment first. A fit note doesn't automatically entitle you to LCW. As you're claiming PIP you will be able to be referred for a WCA regardless of earnings.

When you report your health condition, make sure you "report a change of circumstances" and then click health condition and report it that way. You will need to make sure that you provide a fit note within 7 days of that. You must continue to provide the fit notes without any gaps until a decision is made on the WCA.

Once you report your health condition you will be referred for a WCA, usually from day 29 after providing a fit note. Once this is done you will receive a letter on your journal telling you that they have referred you. A few days later you will receive the form in the post.

People do work and claim either LCW or LCWRA but if the work you do contradicts the reasons for your claim then it could go against you.

emilh

Thankyou, I had to leave a stressful more high paid job because I just couldn’t handle it. I now work in a quiet shop on min wave and only do three 5 hour shifts a week and 1 Saturday a month but it is all I can handle. I have an appointment with my psychiatrist in a few weeks so I will speak to her about it.
I used to earn just on the AET and had no idea it was going up untill Iv started getting weekly meetings at the job centre. Sounds stupid it there is no parking other than a few staff spaces and I have to take my son with me it gives me such bad anxiety having to go in there
Thankyou for your help

emilh

also to add my job doesn’t actually have any extra hours for me to even meet the new AET so I am relying on people calling in sick last minute or having holidays so in can cover (if I have the childcare)

poppy123456

The new AET increases are brutal! They announced last year that it would increase. It's even worse for you because your little one is only 3! not forgetting your health condition too. Sometimes a work coach has no heart.

Have you explained your circumstances to them? With regards to the fit note, can you speak to your GP sooner than your psychiatrist and ask for a fit note? Once you provide your fit note a work coach has discretion to turn off commitments, even more so as you're already earning 16xNMW. The sooner you provide a fit note, the sooner the process is started.

emilh

Thankyou I will try and book an appointment with my GP to do this sooner. Do you know what I say when I ring the doctors, I may get my mom to do it for me as I hate speaking to them on the phone. I have another appointment at job centre this afternoon but if it’s with the same work coach as last time I won’t hold my breath for any empathy there 😂

poppy123456

Just ask them for a fit note.