nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

We want to hear from you: please tell us about your experience of the online community.

Attend your further evidence appointment in a jobcentre

ESABenefitsUK123

A week ago, I made two changes to my money circumstances on the UC site, and then a short while later, I got a UC journal entry saying "Attend your further evidence appointment in a jobcentre". It says "You need to bring in more evidence to support your claim." It asks me to bring in bank statements. I can do all of this, but I wrote in the journal that I needed a bit more time to get all the printing finished. The appointment date was then put forward for me, but the appointment time was increased from 20 minutes to 30 minutes.

I've never attended one of these appointments. What happens in them?

Why am I being asked to attend a face to face appointment? Are these normally done over the phone? 30 minutes sounds like a grilling - why so long?

Thanks for any insight in to this.

EDIT - is there a chance that I could ask them to change the appointment type to a phone based appointment?

Find more posts tagged with

Comments

Kimi87

For these types of circumstances the DWP ask for statements in person and not electronically.

ESABenefitsUK123

Thanks. You say "these types of circumstances", what does this mean please? I have read that other people are contacted by phone, but perhaps that is a different matter.

Kimi87

You mentioned reporting change in your money circumstances. Things like being over £6k will often see the DWP ask for in person attendance with paper statements.

The standard financial reviews are carried out by phone.

ESABenefitsUK123

Thanks. But I'm a bit confused though. Based on what you've said, I am right in thinking that standard financial reviews are not "activated" (for want of a better word) by a UC journal change in money circumstances entry?

Kimi87

As far as anyone outside the DWP knows, claimants are selected for the standard review randomly.

ESABenefitsUK123

I'm curious about something - does the DWP offer no leeway as regards to changing the appointment type, from person, to phone? (In my case, for instance, where a money change of circumstances UC journal entry has "activated" an appointment.) What happens if someone can't get to the job centre, for whatever reason?

ESABenefitsUK123

Also, you said earlier - "Things like being over £6k will often see the DWP ask for in person attendance with paper statements."

This is my case. I reported a UC journal change that my capital had briefly (it was literally one day!) had gone over 6K (under 7K). I had explained this to the DWP (both ESA and UC departments) a fortnight previously by postal letter, which they had received.

When they got my letter, they told me that the money change still had to be logged in to the online UC journal, and when I did this, it was at that point that I got the appointment attendance UC notification.

OverlyAnxious

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1091656#Comment_1091656

The Job Centre can't see your bank statements through a telephone so this type of appointment is never done by phone.

As we've seen from the random reviews, they do have the ability to request statements via PDF through the online journal. But for some reason they don't use that feature for this type of appointment.

For future reference, there was no need to report going over £6k for one day to UC, unless that happened to be the final day of your assessment period.

As for what happens to someone who can't get to a JC, this is something I'm very interested to know the answer to. I've had to update my savings in the journal every month for the past year or so due to constantly variable savings. So far I've never been asked for any bank statements. But there's no way I could get to a JC or use a telephone if and when I do get asked for statements either triggered like this or for a random review. Will just have to see what happens when it comes…

ESABenefitsUK123

I wondered if there was a way to send them the statements that they want through the post in advance of a telephone appointment?

OverlyAnxious

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1091678#Comment_1091678

UC don't accept statements through the post as far as I'm aware. But you'll also need to confirm your ID at the face to face appointment using a driving licence or passport or whatever photographic ID you've got.

ESABenefitsUK123

Regarding all of this, in particular, my situation, where I am a recent UC migration claimant (migrated over from old style ESA in July of this year), to NS ESA + UC, and I have used the UC journal recently to declare a change to my money circumstances. I went over the 6K barrier for a day. Is this job centre interview, with statements, a reletively new thing? I never had this with (old style) ESA, although my capital never went over 6K then.

I notice that when I joined UC, I was given no advice as to how to mange my money. I never even received that initial phone call from them, where they are supposed to tell you to report all changes!

Are there certain things that break the UC code of conduct, in terms of allowed spending habits, because if so, I haven't been given any advice about it from UC.

OverlyAnxious

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1091809#Comment_1091809

ESA was telephone based. When they needed to see statements, those did have to be sent through the post. There was no digital option.

UC was designed to be much more modern for the digital age, and in theory all done over the internet. Unfortunately quite a few people took advantage of this system, particularly during covid, which meant UC had to start seeing people in person again as well as checking bank statements etc more carefully. As is often the case, a minority of fraudsters make it more difficult for the genuine claimants.

In order to get UC payments we all had to confirm commitments, even when migrating. This can be done at a Job Centre, over the phone, or online through the journal, so you might have done it inadvertently, or perhaps there was an error on their part and you just got missed for some reason.

It's not actually true that you have to report all changes. Technically you only need to report changes that would mean a change to your payments. For UC, the savings amount only matters on the final day of your assessment period, it doesn't matter if it goes up and down during the AP. This is different to ESA where savings had to be declared every time they changed overnight on any date. (However, NS ESA is non-means tested anyway, so it doesn't matter how much savings you've got for that).

The rules for savings and income are the same on old style ESA and UC. Basically they're looking to make sure you haven't spent money for the sole purpose of getting back below £6k again. (This is called Deprivation Of Capital). This also includes giving money away to friends or relatives, and drawing out cash that you can't justify where it was spent. The other thing they look for on bank statements is undeclared income such as earnings from a cash in a hand job or a private pension or similar.

Unfortunately there are no set rules for DOC regarding what you can spend money on. And UC will never confirm that you're allowed to buy something before you do it. The only option is to spend the money, and then see if they deem it to be deprivation after the fact. You can appeal their decision if you disagree.

Sorry that's quite a lot of information but basically as long as you're not giving money away or spending it purposely to keep under £6k, and as long as you don't have any undeclared earnings, then you should be totally fine.

ESABenefitsUK123

Thanks a lot. Excellent info. And also thanks to everyone else who has helped me on this forum too, for example Kimi87. Much appreciated.

»In order to get UC payments we all had to confirm commitments

Ah I do remember there was a journal entry saying this, but I wasn't asked to respond to it. I don't think that I did, if I can recall correctly! :)

» final day of your assessment period

What is this please?

» NS ESA is non-means tested anyway

Thanks. I actually did not know this! So, out of my DWP benefits, only my UC is means tested. Is that all of it, or just part of it? (I am also on NS ESA, and PIP-which I know for sure is not means tested, or taxable for that matter.) BTW, I am on T.P. (When I was on old style ESA, I had S.D.P. Also, when on old style ESA, I always had under 6K, and so I might possibly have received some kind of income related "top up" back then.)

» The other thing they look for on bank statements is ….. a private pension

This is my case. However, I wrote to both ESA, and UC, a month in advance, and gave them notice about this. They received my letters OK.

» The only option is to spend the money, and then see if they deem it to be deprivation after the fact. You can appeal their decision if you disagree.

That's kind of interesting. It's a kind of "grey area" I suppose. I'm sure they know, but it is not public knowledge. If they deem the expenditure as deprivation, and a claimant loses an appeal, what happens? Do you get docked a certain amount of UC money, plus a slap on the wrist?! ;)

» Sorry that's quite a lot of information

It was awesome. Thanks.

OverlyAnxious

You're welcome.

UC is paid monthly, each month is one Assessment Period. If you look at any UC statement, that will tell you which dates your AP's are - for example 20th to 19th of each month. You then get paid one week after the end of each AP. So payment date would be 26th in this example. That payment is based on your circumstances on the final day of the each Assessment Period, so that is always the day to declare savings or earnings.

Yes, you're right, only the UC is means tested here. NS ESA is always Contributions Based, so not means tested. And as you say, PIP is not means tested either. All UC is means tested, including Housing Element and TP. If you go over £16k in savings, you would lose all UC. But you would keep getting the ~£600 a month of NS ESA. Also worth noting that unspent benefit always counts as savings, even when it has come from non-means tested benefits. That catches some people out.

Yes, DOC is definitely a grey area and something a lot of people worry about on here. Because there are no set rules it often depends on the Decision Makers discretion, so what one DM considers DOC, another might not. If the claimant is deemed to have caused themselves DOC, they are considered as still having that money (known as Notional Capital) and they will get the same amount deducted from future payments as if that amount was actually in their account. There is also a fixed penalty fine of £50 that can be applied. The deduction is £4.35 per month for every £250 (or part thereof) above £6000. The major issue occurs if the Notional Capital takes the claimant above £16,000, because that closes the UC claim altogether. For those without NS ESA or PIP, that can leave them with nothing coming in at all. Notional Capital is deemed to reduce at a certain rate, so they would be able to make a new claim eventually, but could be left in a very difficult situation in the meantime.

ESABenefitsUK123

Thanks a lot. Based on what you have said - "NS ESA is always Contributions Based, so not means tested" - I have just realised I've been daft. Recently (after I migrated over to UC), I sent two letters to the DWP ESA department through the post. (I used the FREEPOST DWP ESA address.) In my two letters, I gave them details of my up to date finances. But I now realise - well I think anyway - that I needn't have bothered! Is this correct?

OverlyAnxious

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1091868#Comment_1091868

Yes, that sounds correct to me.

ESABenefitsUK123

I had my 30 minute appt. It took 5 minutes. I hardly said a word. I simply handed over the printouts to an "evidence gatherer". Complete waste of bus fare. I wasn't even asked to provide any ID! Apparently I'll be updated by a decision maker via the online journal. I was told that "I don't know when this will be."

ESABenefitsUK123

I got the decision. That was quick. Only took them 2 days. I got a .PDF letter to open in the UC journal. I got the all clear. They are satisfied with the explanation that my savings had gone over 6K (for one day), then dropped back down again.

Holly_Alumni

Yay! That's great news @ESABenefitsUK123 😊

Component react.suggestedcontent had an error.

The value must be greater than or equal to 1.

Sign in or register for free

Get more out of your online community by signing in or registering