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New claim; been told that it will be at least a year and multiple fit notes before health assessment

forgoodnesssake

I am helping my adult son with quad CP to apply for UC and it is a bit complicated as he is currently a student but will leave Uni soon.

He gets PIP so I know he can apply for UC but having student finance means he will get 0 at this stage. However the advisor on the phone has just told me that he'll need multiple fit notes before he is flagged as needing a health assessment and it'll be about a year…I asked surely multiple fit notes are not needed by someone with a lifelong severe disability but she said "that's how UC works". I asked what he was meant to live on and she said he's get a basic amount and he could get housing benefit if needed. Is this correct? Thanks (the last UC adviser I spoke to told me that students couldn't apply for UC, end of, and I had to point out that if they get PIP they can! so now I need to triple check everything they say)

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Kimi87

At the start he will be entitled to Standard Allowance, Housing Element if he has legal liability for rent.

He needs to report health condition & submit a Fit Note asap, and keep supplying them without gaps until a decision is made. That's really important.

After submitting the first Fit Note, what should happen is on day 29 he is put forward for a Work Capability Assessment.

He'll receive a UC50 form in the post, I highly recommend he go to a local welfare rights organisation for guidance in filling in the form.

Then it's a wait for the Health Assessment Service to issue an appointment for assessment. Occasionally paper based assessments are done, when the assessor has enough information to make a recommendation with minimal or no further input from the claimant. These are rare.

Then the assessment report goes to the DWP Decision Maker, who make the decision. They usually follow the report recommendation but not always.

forgoodnesssake

@Kimi87 Thanks that's a helpful timeline. I did know about the initial fit note, and he has one which we'll submit..just some issues around his address and I'm pretty sure the advisor was incorrect. He's in student halls but will leave in 3 months but hopes to continue living in that city. I want our home address as his c/o since once he leaves halls he'll have no access to any post. But she said we should put our home address and mark him as homeless..and not mention the uni address or rent at all as it's paid from student finance…but there's a complication there, which I won't go into…but it may be that he ends up having to pay the next 3 months himself if he is not technically a student any more…hmm

Kimi87

Disability Rights UK have a disabled student helpline:

https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/disabled-students-helpline?srsltid=AfmBOooxRh16JADP4fMRWLbJGJB6AJQygpvcWo5gaWD7aPOtyes-_h6m

g7iqj

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/132030/new-claim-been-told-that-it-will-be-at-least-a-year-and-multiple-fit-notes-before-health-assessment

I 61 now accident & work 39 yrs back . NOW 2024/ 2025 , 2nddegerative changes & disabilty for life treatnment no cure . HAD stop work due disabilty . payed 42 yrs class1 tax/ national insurance (paye) by pay min 35 yrs state oap payed for but cant claim it 66 rising . (DWP) Dont care about that . SO all you can claim PIP / UC / (LCWRA) . IN MY case handed in fit notes after 12 weeks got uc50 . had wca failed . 1 mouth later . 16 weeks first fit note to wca pdq . DID MR RAISED TRIBUNRAL . COMPLAINED to assetnment company FLAWED REPORT , to dwp . went 2 tier clinical standards . TOOK 6 MOUTHS THEY agreed flaw report . AS soon dwp heard RE REVEIW MY CASE . I was awarded LCWRA . MYadvice go with him to assetnment inform them it be recorded for reference . BEST luck its tougth assetnment .