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What to do if UC has miscalculated the amount you are to receive.

dolmenman

Hi everyone, this is my first post. I received my UC migration letter from ESA and submitted my claim for UC on 5th September. On 11th September I received a letter from ESA to say I would continue to get £140.55 pw ESA. I previously had received £489.00 per fortnight which included Severe Disability Premium. This morning (at 3.17am) I received an email telling me my payments had been calculated and I would receive £27.83 for the month of October.

This has been broken down as £400.14 Standard Allowance and £236.74 Transitional Protection. However, they state I am receiving £609.05 per month from ESA (which I don't get) and they have deducted this from my UC. Also, the transitional payment appears to be wrong as, according to the benefits calculator, I should be receiving an extra £423.27 monthly allowance due to the severity of my conditions.

How should I proceed?

Thanks in advance.

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Comments

Kimi87

LCWRA element (423.27) is missing from your statement. It isn't uncommon for the first payment statement to be incorrect.

You need to add a Journal note (using the payment option) highlighting the missing element.

You'll know when this has been sorted as a letter will be added to your Journal stating the amount owed due to underpayment. The money will then be paid within a few working days. A new version of your statement will be added.

Both the ESA weekly payment and UC deduction are correct. See these threads for information.

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/130268/ive-already-moved-to-universal-credit-but-ive-received-a-letter-from-esa

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/134866/uc-shows-incorrect-new-style-esa

dolmenman

Thanks for the reply. I added a journal entry that the amount seemed wrong. How do I add a journal entry with the "payment option"?

Kimi87

When you go to Add Journal Entry, you are offered a list of options.

Select Payment from the list.

dolmenman

Ok…I've done that… I've added that the LCWRA element (£423.27) is missing from my statement, on my journal. As they are not open on a Sunday, when can I expect a reply?

Thanks for the replies btw.

Kimi87

Using the payment option tends to get a quicker response, as it goes directly to case manager.

With LCWRA we don't have a work coach so other messages go to a service center who can take weeks to respond.

Unfortunately there is no way of advising when you will hear back, either by Journal message or letter confirming underpayment. There are too many variables.

dolmenman

Ok…thanks…maybe I should try phoning them tomorrow?

Kimi87

The helpline is little more than a call centre, with staff reading off a screen and giving incorrect advice much of the time.

In all likelihood they'll advise you to leave a message on your Journal and wait for a reply.

dolmenman

Ok…I have to say that here, in Northern Ireland, the right hand doesn't seem to know what the left hand is doing. The migration process has been confusing with wrong advice given and it has been anything but smooth. I guess I'm going to have to await a reply, on the journal, and hope they don't instigate the whole "mandatory reconsideration" process…nightmare on a Sunday morning.

dolmenman

Just to update, I've received a reply from UC in Belfast which states

"We are still waiting on ESA confirming your details, once this is done your payments will be recalculated and be updated to the correct amount. You will be notified once this is complete."

In a follow up, I asked the advisor was there anything I could do to speed up the process:

"There isn't anything you can do at this time, we have contacted ESA about the delay, but due to the high volume of people moving this has been a very busy time"

Does this seem normal?

Kimi87

Yes absolutely normal.

ESA have to confirm your previous award with UC, ESA uses an ancient computer system making communications between the two slow.

By Wednesday all migration letters will have been sent from ESA, the Government sped up the timetable a few months ago. After that ESA struggled with the workload and I saw many more people missing LCWRA element on their first statement.

dolmenman

Thanks Kimi87,

I was pleased to get such a prompt reply from a human…I just wonder if I should phone ESA in Limavady and ask for a possible timescale?

What is the usual timeframe for this sort of thing?

Kimi87

It's not possible for anyone on here to give advice on a timescale, as it will vary for everyone.

dolmenman

Ok…thanks…I'll just have to wait it out..

Doglover2

@dolmenman Absolutely Epic, I start my migration in Nov,I'm in N.I too. Dreading it,My health so utterly terrible. You'd think by now they'd have a handle on all this change over. Hope you get sorted. Its a flipping nightmare. Best of luck.

dolmenman

Same to you Doglover2…The whole migration process seems to be run very poorly here in NI, so expect delays and botches like I've had. I've a mate (a double amputee) who migrated at the same time as me, and they phoned him last week to tell him he needed to come to the job centre once a week. Then phoned him back, ten minutes later, to say they'd made a mistake and he didn't have to go.

He was totally stressed out. The system isn't fit for purpose at the moment.

dolmenman

Another Update. I telephoned ESA to see if they knew why my details hadn't been forwarded to UC and was advised that all my details of my claim were forwarded to UC on 18th September. He also resubmitted my details and advised me to inform them that the answer they provided was incorrect and asked me to advise them to contact ESA directly (which they can do) if any further problems arise. I've updated my journal with this information.

They guy was most helpful and told me every day they are inundated with calls from people in the same position as myself and if they come back with "blah blah blah" (his words) to contact ESA themselves…what a mess!!

dolmenman

They are just trying to fob me off…here is the conversation so far…

Biblioklept

Point out to them that they must have the information because they've deducted the ESA from your UC 😅 They couldn't have done that with the information!

What a joke! It'll be that someone on UC hasn't actioned it, not the ESA haven't sent as it's an automated process, and they clearly have, hence you having the deduction for ESA!

dolmenman

I'm glad it is all going smoothly for you Catherine21. I hope you don't run into the same mess as myself.

Biblioklept

It is self evident that they have received the information but I don't want to openly call them liars. I've posted on the Journal "could they confirm that they have received the information forwarded to them, from ESA, this morning"

I am physically sick with anxiety over this.

dolmenman

Further Update:

After I received a cheeky response on my Journal ("I have already told you, we have not received it yet") when I asked them (UC) to confirm they had received the information from ESA, I phoned ESA again and they were very helpful.

The lady said it is a nightmare for them as well, as UC are passing the buck to ESA, when it is UC's fault. I told her about the response on my journal and she advised me to forget about the journal and phone UC and get it escalated to a case manager.

So I phoned UC and the lady was most helpful (and was surprised at the cheeky response I had gotten on my Journal). She could see there was a note against my file about not receiving stuff so she has put my case with the team leader. She hopes it will be sorted in the next couple of days and confirmed that they can phone ESA directly themselves. I beginning to think the whole journal thing is just a means to frustrate clients and fob them off…hopefully it'll be sorted soon.