Hi, my name is GawgeS1! Getting accustomed to the view down here under the wheels of the UC bus!

GawgeS1

Carer for a 19 year old vulnerable young adult with complex & profound learning disabilities, made to wait 5 weeks for first Universal Credit payment through July & 1st half of August, after being forced to migrate from the Child Tax Credit system by the 24th of July. Almost 20 years in the Child Tax Credit system & never had so much as a week or two of missed payments that weren't always backdated. They say you don't know what you had 'til it's gone. I knew there was a reason I was dreading the inevitable forced migration. After only a single proper payment in August, UC have already decided to throw my son & I under the bus by ending our entitlement to the child & severe disability elements of UC from the 31st of August, wiping out his entitlement for the rest of August and £820 along with it. Claiming that he's no longer a 'qualifying young person', despite being on an approved full-time training course organised by the local adult social services learning disability team. The remainder isn't enough to even cover the utility bills. They don't care. UC's suggestion; take out an advance on son's new claim once identity is confirmed. Simple as that, eh? Why should my son have to pay back money we should've already been paid? What happens when they turn around & say he's not eligible to claim in his own right because he's on a full-time course?

My son's social worker is trying to reassure me that he should bypass the WCA & that they should have already established that he's considered LCWRA out of the gate. But honestly, I'm not feeling very reassured. I've got nightmare visions of it taking months & months to get my son's monthly income up to within £500, or anywhere near parity with what we've lost. Am I just supposed to absorb this loss of income for months on end with rising costs of living? Surely, the previous month's amount & the similar amounts we'd been getting on the legacy benefits systems were what they, the government, had deemed was the minimum they could get away with giving us for his care needs as a child? How can they now realistically expect me to do the same with £800 less & expect something not to give? His care didn't suddenly get any easier or cheaper when the clock struck midnight on the 1st of September!

Albus_Scope

Hi there @GawgeS1 and welcome to the community.

I'm so sorry to read your troubles with the DWP. I'm afraid I still don't know the many ins and outs of the labyrinthine UC system, so I'm unable to advise with any great certainty. But I'm hoping some of our super smart regulars will be able to come up with some ideas of how to help.

Kimmy87

I see a social worker has been trying to help, but I'd recommend you see a local welfare rights organisation for advice, they are experts with benefits

https://advicelocal.uk/welfare-benefits

Lauren29

I found some useful information on the Disability Rights UK www.disabilityrightsuk.org/resources/student-faqs

They also have a Disabled Students Helpline on 0330 995 0414. The line is open 11am-1pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I called them a few months ago for a friend’s daughter and they were really helpful.

I sometimes find that social workers try their best to help but don't always give the best advice on benefits.

GawgeS1

Thank you guys for your responses. I was reading a thread from around 2 years ago where one of your contributors replied to a lady in a very similar circumstance. Seems the cut in income is legitimate, if somewhat unfair.

We have an appointment this afternoon with my son's new work coach at the local JC+ supposedly just to confirm his identity. I have his most recent PIP award letter, national insurance number letter, DWP appointee letter, birth certificate & blue badge, so hopefully that should be pretty straightforward.

I believe he was deemed as having limited capability before being accepted on the approved training course he's currently enrolled on, so should bypass the WCA & be considered LCWRA already. Hopefully I'll get clarification of this from the work coach.

Coming around to accepting I'm just shouting into the void, complaining & arguing with UC agents over this month's measly payment. I'm just going to have to accept the loss for now, get my son ID verified & take out an advance on his claim to get through the next 5 weeks.

GawgeS1

Nope, social worker talking out his backside! Today's appointment was just to confirm ID & verify me as appointee. He's not considered LCWRA yet & will need to do the WCA process, likely leading to months of around £500 monthly loss of income. The new work coach is going to call tomorrow afternoon to get me to agree to his "work commitments", or whatever on his behalf & start the WCA ball rolling!? Absolute joke! They'd only authorised a £300 advance on the new claim, leaving me still with a £500 shortfall on making ends meet this month. Not sure how we're going to get through the next few month & Christmas.

WhatThe

Gawge, he (you) does not have to consent to the WCA.

I believe he was deemed as having limited capability before being accepted on the approved training course he's currently enrolled on, so should bypass the WCA & be considered LCWRA already. Hopefully I'll get clarification of this from the work coach.

Nothing a work coach says is reliable. The agents on the helpline want your compliance and they aren't worth arguing with (makes no difference). Stick to your guns.

Jimm_Scope

Sounds pretty horrid @GawgeS1. I will say, if someone is on the path to the WCA then a work coach can put work commitments aside.

I wouldn't so much say the social worker is talking out of their ****. More just the social worker is giving the best possible outcome, what they mentioned are things that the work coach and DWP can do. But the best possible outcome and the DWP are two things that don't seem to go together.

It'll likely be a bit of a fight. I wouldn't blame the social worker too much, only in giving you a bit of false hope perhaps.

GawgeS1

I don't blame him too much @Jimm_Scope , he's trying his best to be fair to him. He's tried to speak with them directly but they won't discuss our claims with him. I mentioned to the JC+ staff member this afternoon that I wanted to give permission for him/them to discuss our cases/claims, but not to make changes/edits. I'm not sure if she actually made a note of that, she seemed to be typing something… Maybe I should make a journal entry in both accounts just to reiterate.

The JC+ staff member also said it shouldn't take months to sort out. But, she also mentioned needing 'fit notes', which I feel kind of already contradicts that, since surely you'd need 30 days worth of 'fit notes' to trigger the WCA process to begin with…? @WhatThe is certainly correct that they (the UC agents/JC+ staff) don't seem to be able to give consistent or reliable advice.

I intend to insist to the work coach on the phone tomorrow that the commitments be the same as mine as a full-time carer, which are basically just to check & update the journal as necessary. Any work commitments they could possibly suggest would be mine alone anyhow, as my son is non-verbal, doubly incontinent, can't read or write or use a computer & cannot go outside safely without a Crelling harness & officially two-to-one care worker support.

Been advised to write my MP also, apparently she's one of the better ones.

WhatThe

Claiming that he's no longer a 'qualifying young person', despite being on an approved full-time training course organised by the local adult social services learning disability team.

Ask DWP for the evidence to support this assertion. There is none. You're doing everything right and obviously a brilliant parent! Maybe I should make a journal entry in both accounts just to reiterate. Definitely.

The local adult social services learning disability team needs to stay on board and resolve this with the help of your MP. They all need to get to grips with the migration regulations. That is their job in local government.

I once had a conference call with UC and my landlord so that should be possible for you.