Phoned them today

Ellon
Ellon Online Community Member Posts: 27 Listener

After the job center phoned me last Thursday saying I don't need to submit any more fit notes! I phoned universal credit finally got threw he man said yes that correct I've sent in eights months fit notes , am in a Lcw group waiting to hear from the assessment people (UC50 ) they have had my forms for 10 weeks now not moving far don't tell you much still waiting very annoying lack of communication

Comments

  • onedayatatime
    onedayatatime Online Community Member Posts: 219 Empowering

    @Ellon totally understand your frustration at the lack of communication. Have you had any luck leaving messages on your UC Journal? (I haven't 😞) but am using it more just to keep record of my own attempts of communication with whoever is dealing with my queries and requests for information. I think the Health Assessment Advisory Service have an email address for Customer Relations that can be found on their website. 👍

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 62,565 Championing

    If you've already been found to have LCW did you report changes to your health condition which then prompted them to refer you for another work capability assessment?

    I asked you this question on your previous thread but you didn't answer it. If you reported changes to your health condition, you must continue to provide fit notes up until a decision is made on the work capability assessment.

  • Ellon
    Ellon Online Community Member Posts: 27 Listener

    Hi poppy thank you for the reply as I am new to all this, I am not sure. I submitted everything in my UC 50 from I got a call out the blue saying you don't need to sign in any more fit notes, I hadn't done anything just tried to submit a fit note they couldn't except it as I am waiting for a answer back from my Assessment and I am in a group ats all they told me until I get Answer back from the medical team

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 62,565 Championing

    Is this your first work capability assessment?

  • Ellon
    Ellon Online Community Member Posts: 27 Listener

    Yes it's my first one! that's why I am abit confused at the way they do things I just thought you put in ur UC50 forms you get a letter saying your getting it or not

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 62,565 Championing

    Ah ok, you keep saying you're in the LCW group, that's why I was confused. As you haven't yet had your decision then you won't be in any group.

    You've been advised incorrectly about the fit note, you need to continue to provide them until a decision is made. If you don't then it can affect when the extra money is paid from if you're found to have LCWRA. Once a decision is made you'll receive a letter on your journal.

    Yes, you do have a decision after you returned the UC50 form but how long this will take depends on a number of things. If you haven't yet had the assessment then you should expect one of those because most people have them. Once that is done and the assessment report is returned to UC then a decision can take anything up to 12 weeks.

  • Ellon
    Ellon Online Community Member Posts: 27 Listener

    Hi poppy , I am 61 they put me on a call journal not on line journal I've to phone them up if I need advice or other issues that's why I phoned them with my fit notes the lady couldn't submit the fit job last week so she send over my fits notes to the job center. who phoned me and said the reason I can't sent anymore in as I getting put in a group? So il just need to wait n see! as it's stressful enough I can't cope with all this I get As I get Anxiety and start panicking

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 62,565 Championing

    Ah right, thank you for explaining that. Then you'll need to wait for a decision letter to come in the post. As they've advised no further fit notes then the decision must have already been made. You will only be entitled to extra money each month if found to have LCWRA. If it's LCW then there's no extra money each month.

  • Ellon
    Ellon Online Community Member Posts: 27 Listener

    Thank you poppy

    Sorry for not explaining myself right I get abit stress out with things due to my Anxiety, I get abit confused and uptight when I can't understand what they are going on about I will wait for the letter will let you know the outcome come once I receive the letter,

    kind regards

  • CatherineMC
    CatherineMC Online Community Member Posts: 16 Connected

    Hello.

    When I contacted LCW team via phone in March they said they hadn’t received my paperwork, and I had sent this via tracked mail. When I gave them the tracker reference number they then said they had found it but the paperwork hadn’t been scanned online yet.

    Always best to check they’ve received it and confirm the date it was sent. They do times need chasing up as my decision came pretty soon after I had called to check if they received it.

  • Ellon
    Ellon Online Community Member Posts: 27 Listener

    Hi there, yes they aren't very talkative with any Answers if you do get to talk to any of the UC staff about any issues rised, its like you ask the questions they don't answer you or you need to ask again then you get half a Answer

  • Ellon
    Ellon Online Community Member Posts: 27 Listener

    Hi sorry to ask, do you know roughly know how long you have to wait for your Lcwra letter to arrive after you have been awarded ur Lcwra ?

    It's to tell me dates n payments times this is all new to me I've submitted fits notes since 15th January 2024 ,got my put in to the group Lcwra 20th August my UC pay day is 23th of each month ? Just wondering the time scale of receiving the letter from UC thank you

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 62,565 Championing

    Are you 100% sure that the decision was LCWRA? In previous comments you said you were waiting to hear from the assessment people and now you're saying that you had the decision on 20th August. Sorry but I'm confused.

  • CatherineMC
    CatherineMC Online Community Member Posts: 16 Connected

    You need to speak to the WCA people separately. They aren’t the same as UC people.

    Tell me about UC staff. They’ve not answered any of my questions for over a week about my UC review. And they know it creates massive anxiety. It’s like we serve them what they need or they sanction us and anything we need, screw it and wait in purgatory!

  • Ellon
    Ellon Online Community Member Posts: 27 Listener

    Yes I phoned the dwp yesterday for a up date saying I have to wait for a letter as Ive been put in to the LCWRA group no more fit notes and if I haven't heard back from them i need to get in touch in a couple of weeks as I should get a letter or some kind of communication soon

  • CatherineMC
    CatherineMC Online Community Member Posts: 16 Connected

    I tend to put in a note on my universal journal to confirm the telephone calls I’ve had and with the name of the person I’ve spoken to, so at least your records are intact where everyone can see them.

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 62,565 Championing

    Ellon doesn't have access to a journal. They have to ring the helpline for everything.

    Ah, I see. Your waiting period will be Jan/Feb, Feb/March, March/April.. LCWRA starts from assessment period 17th April to 16th May and first payment will be 23rd May. Any money owed to you will be paid as a separate payment and often takes quite a few weeks to pay it.

  • CatherineMC
    CatherineMC Online Community Member Posts: 16 Connected

    But I thought that everyone who is claiming UC had a journal? Why is Ellon the exception?

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 62,565 Championing

    No, not everyone has access to a journal. Some people may not be able to manage the journal for various reasons so they chose to claim by telephone instead, which means no access to a journal.

    I can't tell you why Ellon is claiming this way but there are some people that also do that same. There's been some other members here that claim UC with a paper claim, rather than having access to a journal.

    I don't really think that's any of our business on their reasons why.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-and-you/draft-uc-and-you#claiming

    Alternatively, you may be given a case manager to help you. If you are unable to use the online claims process, even with assistance – for example, you are unable to access the internet due to a health condition or disability that limits what you can do, you can call the Universal Credit helpline.