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Appointments in person.

stepheny12

Hi I’ve been claiming universal credit since august 2024 my first appointment was made for in person but i requested it be switched to phone call due to my health conditions. I’ve been handing sick notes in and filled the uc50 form in 3 months into claiming however this will be coming up to a year in October since I sent the forms and haven’t yet heard anything back from them. My work coach initially was giving me appointments on the phone every few months but then said he must change it to video app which i didn’t really wanr to do and had asked again to change back to telephone but was told no. I’ve since had 4 video calls and now the work coach is saying I must attend the next appointment in person at the job center as they haven’t seen me in over 6 months even though I’ve done video calls? I really don’t think I’ll be able to cope attending in person I suffer severe anxiety, depression and a sleep disorder where I constantly fall asleep and it’s not safe for me to be on public transport. Does anyone know if there’s anything I can do to not attend in person? Thanks

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Comments

Mary_Scope

Hi @stepheny12

You can ask for a reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act 2010 because of your health conditions and you can do this by popping a message in your UC journal explaining your situation and that due to your disabilities it’s not safe for you to travel or attend in person so you need to continue with phone appointments instead😊

Kimi87

You can enquire with the health assessment provider directly to get an idea of waiting time for your assessment, making a formal complaint if you feel that would be appropriate.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/find-your-health-assessment-provider

stepheny12

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1068967#Comment_1068967

Thank you I had popped this message on my journal when I was first issued an appointment at the job center in august 2024 and they switched it to telephone straight away but a few months in my work coach said it was only letting him book the next one as a video now he’s saying that it will only let him book this next app as in person due to not being seen and there’s nothing he can do is this correct? Thanks again

Mary_Scope

That doesn't sound right @stepheny12 because even though the UC system might prompt certain appointment types, I would think your work coach should still have the ability to request a one manually especially if attending in person would put your health or safety at risk as its a reasonable adjustment

stepheny12

thank you I have just also realized that the appointment that my work coach has booked for me is with a completely different work coach and I wasn’t told I would be swapping to a new one can they do that without asking me? Thanks

WhatThe

Hi Stepheny and welcome to Scope 😊

Unfortunately, this is common practice, in my experience.

Changing appointment times and Work Coaches, not ringing at the appointed time, ignoring journal questions, keeping you guessing is all part of the test. The most important thing is turning up to that appointment or they can issue a sanction for failure to attend. If you need to change the date or time then make that request.

Make sure you take the right ID with you and a copy of your 'fit note' in case the new WC pretends to know nothing about you (my experience, again). It's likely to be a short appointment - 10 minutes or so - then you'll go back to video meetings. They don't ask much and you won't have to say much: you just have to be there.

How do you usually travel? With a friend or alone with a lift, bus or cab? Can you set alarms on your journeys and waits? This has to be done to keep your claim running smoothly and it's never easy. Keep asking questions on the forum about anything you are unsure of.

stepheny12

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1069037#Comment_1069037

Thankyou would it be worth asking on the journal again for it to be switched and quoting the equality act or is it as the work coach says and can’t be changed as it’s the only option showing to them to book?
In all honestly I do not travel I am house bound the majority of the time as my condition has gotten alot worse and I’m awaiting more tests from the specialist and hopefully treatment but it’s all a big waiting game really could be doing without the added stress of it all. If I had to I would need to have someone with me. Thanks again for your help.

WhatThe

Hi again. Do you know what the appointment is for and what documents they need to see from you? Would you prefer a home visit if they agree to that?

You can ask to change the date but should attend unless they say otherwise.

stepheny12

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1069067#Comment_1069067

It’s a work focused appointment I’ve been having them monthly via phone call as I’m on a lengthy sick notes back to back for over a year now. The first work focused meeting was scheduled as in person I requested it be changed to phone because of the health issues and they had been changed to phone for months then the work coach said he had to now switch it to video call as it wasn’t giving him any other options to book I asked on journal again to go back to phone calls he told me the only option was video or attend in person so I reluctantly agreed to the video calls this has been the case for around 4 months now but today he’s told me now the next work focused appointment has to be face to face in the job center as it’s the only option available for him to book me in under and said it’s because they haven’t seen me in over 6 months even tho I’ve been doing the video calls?

WhatThe

I don't know what else I can say..

OverlyAnxious

Hi,

Given the clear practical limitations of your conditions, the work coach should have switched off your work focussed appointments while waiting for the outcome of the WCA months ago. It's just wasting both of your time. It probably is true that the computer system forces them to physically see a claimant every 6 months, as people can 'put it on' for a video call. (Not suggesting you are, but some people will be).

I would recommend trying to deal with someone higher up than a Work Coach, their supervisor at minimum, as they will have the discretion to over-ride the computer system and the Work Coaches decisions. They are still not legally obliged to switch off your work appointments, but in this case I'd be surprised if they didn't.

Rachel_Scope

Hi @stepheny12. I'm sorry you're having to deal with this, I understand how stressful it can be. I can see that you've put a note on your journal already but they still said it had to be face-to-face. You could contact your Job centre directly by using the contact details on any letters they have sent to you. As OverlyAnxious suggests, it would be good to speak to someone higher than the Work Coach who could possibly do more to help.

Or maybe you could call the ESA helpline?

Telephone: 0800 169 0310
Textphone: 0800 169 0314
Relay UK (if you cannot hear or speak on the phone): 18001 then 0800 169 0310
Welsh language telephone: 0800 328 1744
Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm

As @Mary_Scope said, you have the right to reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act 2010. I hope that someone is able to help you.

Lauren29

I would be concerned about what has happened to the UC50. There are long waits for Work Capability Assessments to be carried out but this seems an excessive time to wait. There are very long waits for those who already have Limited Capability for Work requesting reassessments but this is because initial assessments are being prioritised. I would ask your work coach where your UC50 is. If it has been passed to the Health Assessment Centre then I would call and ask why you have not yet been assessed.

stepheny12

Thank you for all the help I did put another journal entry in and quoted the reasonable adjustments and equality act again and have since had a reply from someone else at the jobcenter asking if I know how to attend video appointments and if I can make it clear that I’m willing to do video calls even though I have been for months now. Should I tell them this or just agree and move on?

rubin16

Until you have been awarded LCW or LCWRA you are required to attend a work focused interview as this was in the commitments which you agreed to when you signed up. Otherwise they will sanction you and stop your payment.

Before I was put on LCWRA a few years ago I had to have monthly phone calls and every now and then actually go into the job centre. They won't take your reasonable adjustments into consideration until you have been accessed by them. Until that point you are classed as a job seeker.

Theres no harm in asking for a further video call, but its at their discretion whether they do it or not and if they refuse you will have to goto the job centre.

stepheny12

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1069355#Comment_1069355

Thanks but I’ve updated my original question.

OverlyAnxious

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1069350#Comment_1069350

Just agree and move on if you're content with video calls.

The UC staff don't appear to read previous journal entries before making their own in my experience.

stepheny12

Hi again after me being hopeful about the interaction from the job center message they’ve since just ignored my replies. How long can they ignore my journal enteries? Is there anything else I should be saying? The app was made for end of October Thank you in advance for any help.

OverlyAnxious

They can ignore messages forever. There are no timescales for this. Some of mine have never been answered from last year. Unfortunately you just have to keep badgering them if you need something from them. Try sending them to different departments. Or as a last resort, phone them or get someone to physically visit the job centre on your behalf.