Can I email the DWP instead of phoning?

L_Volunteer

Good luck @misslawbore. How has it gone for you so far? 

Qasimo

I just pop into this room to see what it about I'm deaf I need to email or text or what app but DWP making it hard like they don't care but of course they don't care I hate that anyway there is a video relay where you can talk on screen with other person on screen they talk on phone to DWP for you that what I did when I look long time to get pip form finally I use video relay work for me.... It on government site at the bottom somewhere say video relay....

MrHands

susan48 said:

Hi
i have difficulty with my speech and need to ask if the DWP have received my PIP Appeal decision award letter.
My friend and son usually help with things but are both working and can’t call for me today.
is there an email address I can use to ask the question.

Thanks
Susan

Have a crack at this list (remember to delete gsi. as DWP emails as of 2019 were changed to @dwp.gov.uk): 

(click on this link, scroll to bottom as too much information for this site to allow copy & paste: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/dwp_team_email_addresses#incoming-1018365)

poppy123456

MrHands said:

susan48 said:

Hi
i have difficulty with my speech and need to ask if the DWP have received my PIP Appeal decision award letter.
My friend and son usually help with things but are both working and can’t call for me today.
is there an email address I can use to ask the question.

Thanks
Susan

Have a crack at this list (remember to delete gsi. as DWP emails as of 2019 were changed to @dwp.gov.uk): 

(click on this link, scroll to bottom as too much information for this site to allow copy & paste: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/dwp_team_email_addresses#incoming-1018365)

This thread is from 2018 so hopefully the OP is all sorted now. Email adresses were also updated throughout the thread from 2019 to remove the gsi.

Phoenix24

Hello

I realise this is an old post but I was desperately searching for an email address for DWP and this post came up.

I'm hearing/speech impaired and have autism. when I get stressed I can't speak at all. I can't use a phone I also have mobility difficulties. On a daily basis I'm usually fine and live alone ..just with my dog...I can manage the basics to look after us both I just can't cope with people and unexpected events/changes of routine so avoid them.

Two days ago I got letter from DWP about compliance interview by phone..I hunted online and tried to find an email ..I tried the correspondence one mentioned on this post...it just replied auto that it would send details to relevant dept to tell explain to them I could not speak to answer phone.

By today still no reply from anyone to acknowledge that I tried to notify them 2 days ago. I don't know if they got it in time or if they tried to ring the old number they had said they were going to ring.

I have severe anxiety around phones and only use SMS and emails to communicate so I have time to type out my responses.  

Can anyone tell me what will they do to me now? I don't understand why they wanted to phone me. I had a home assessment some years back and allowed an assessor in with a text to speech communicator ...I got letter to say I got awarded for 10 years so shouldn't be hearing from them for another 4 years. 

I tried to find email for a complaints dept to complain they did not include email for people who can't speak and dont happen to have a videophone (or know BSL) or a textphone..(I had an old minicom but mine broke and I havent got round to replacing it as never use it anymore).

I had asked for them to send me the forms in the post on the email I sent to the correspondence email address so will they just do that instead? How can I get confirmation the dept received it??? 

They've caused a huge amount of un-necessary stress why didn't they check my disability details to see it said I was deaf.autsitic and speech impaired before sending a letter demanding I answer the phone at set time or day???  ..and give no way alternative way for me to reply? 

I don't know what to do now or what I should be doing next week..who can I email on Monday who could help me???

Thanks to anyone who reads and answers.

Albus_Scope

Hi @Phoenix24 and welcome to the community.

I'm sorry to hear you've not had any luck finding an email to contact the DWP, unfortunately I've never been able to find one and have personally had to rely on a relative to call on my behalf in the past, as I'm also autistic and sometimes shut down verbally if asked to speak on the phone to someone I don't know. Is there a friend or relative you could ask to act as your advocate with this?

The compliance interviews are nothing to worry about though, they just need to check details and make sure everything is correct with your claim.  They tend to be picked at random too. 

Phoenix24

the correspondence email address mentioned on here said my email would be passed onto relevant dept but if they have done they havent emailed to acknowledge they got notification i couldnt answer phone.

Will they eventually see it and send me forms in post like I asked??? or just send another letter with another phone call date??? turn up at my door without notice???? 

Letter said they stop your benefits if you don't answer and haven't notified them before the day/time of call that you can't do it at that time. 

Don't they look at person's disability is then to check they not deaf etc before demanding they answer the phone or get their money cut off???

I'm panicking that they will have instantly stopped it and my rent wont get paid so then I'll get eviction notices as I get housing benefit too. It's so unfair!  

I won't be able to relax/de=stress now until I get an email to say they are sending the forms/question in paper form.. you're supposed to be able to ask for things in any format!

Phoenix24

I could write letter of complaint this weekend and post it? what address would I put on envelope?

yanni

@Phoenix24

Would you be able to use the Relay UK service to contact the DWP?

You can set it so you type in what you want to say and a text assistant repeats this to the DWP. The text assistant then types what the DWP says so you can read their replies. You don’t have to speak to anyone or be able to understand anyone speaking, it is all written communication. To do this go to Settings then Relay Preferences and select ‘ I’ll be typing and reading’.

https://www.relayuk.bt.com/

I have hearing loss and use this service to contact the DWP. There is a video on the UK Relay website explaining how to use it.

 

Phoenix24

I know how to use relay but it won't work on my old mobile there's no app (Its an old Blackberry) 

I used to have a minicom but unfortunately my last one broke and cos I've been on my own through pandemic (due to been in vulnerable group) I haven't needed to make any appointments to go anywhere. 

Most places you can email or send an SMS these days..everyone who knows me knows I'm unable to answer my mobile number by voice and only text and could only find a newer textphone at around £400...seemed alot of money for something I rarely use anymore and I need to replace my indoor/outdoor eletcric wheelchair first...more urgently. 

As I'd been awarded my benefits for 10 years anyway I wasn't expecting to have any calls as nothing has changed for me.   I just expected they'd send a letter when it was nearing the end of my award and forms to apply again or say if anything had changed.

I did type a letter and print it and put on address from where letter came from... I do have an old big outdoor mobility scooter and luckily had a spare stamp and envelope in the house so went and made it to  nearest letterbox up the road as it gets collected at like 7am Monday. (am in a village so nearest post office is quite a distance and not accessible for my scooter) I can't drive either.

If they do get back to me via email this week I will send them a copy of the letter and copy of the emails I sent to other other addresses showing I sent them on 31st Jan...trying to contact someone 2 days BEFORE the appointment on the day I got the letter. 

poppy123456

Phoenix24 said:

As I'd been awarded my benefits for 10 years anyway I wasn't expecting to have any calls as nothing has changed for me.   I just expected they'd send a letter when it was nearing the end of my award and forms to apply again or say if anything had changed.

This is a compliance check and not a review. They are checking your PIP award is correct, which they do sometimes, though it does seem rare. 

Even for reviews, they can review you at anytime. 

Phoenix24

poppy123456 said:

Phoenix24 said:

As I'd been awarded my benefits for 10 years anyway I wasn't expecting to have any calls as nothing has changed for me.   I just expected they'd send a letter when it was nearing the end of my award and forms to apply again or say if anything had changed.

This is a compliance check and not a review. They are checking your PIP award is correct, which they do sometimes, though it does seem rare. 

Even for reviews, they can review you at anytime.

Oh I didn't know that I assumed as they'd awarded it for 10 years they also felt my condition was highly unlikely to improve and they'd just send me new forms when the time ran out. 

Still they visited me in person with a speech to text communicator who typed what the assessor was saying and I replied via a Lightwriter communication aid I had been given by some special committee that funds such things...I'm sure the assessor made notes as they mentioned it under communication section of the award...(when they send you what points they awarded you and for what)

so why didn't they send the questions with the threatening letter??? surely it says on my file for reasons I'm getting it that am deaf/speech impaired/autistic etc ..he tried to ring the mobile number not the landline number which I'd previously had the minicom for!  (landline currently disconnected as minicom doesn't work so can't answer any calls) ..and they ring from a switchboard so the auto reply text I have doesn't work ('The person you are trying to phone is deaf/speech impaired..please use SMS') when they ring from a switchboard/landline.

Phoenix24

I guess it might help to understand what they mean by 'complaince check'..I've never had this before...

why the need to send a letter saying answer the phone or we stop your money??? that sounds threatening to me..if a random stranger in the street or neighbour was saying those things to me I'd be calling the police!  ..but yet we have to accept it because its from the DWP???...who are supposedly trained to deal with people with varying mental health and physical disabilities who maybe emotionally fragile????

The people who came to do my original assessment were very kind and patient I never felt at all threatened at any point in the process.

Will they have actually suspended my money when I was unable to answer the phone?  what do they do next? will they send a letter out asking for me to send the information by post before they stop my money or do I need to find the money to pay my rent and spend theh next several months in a state of anxiety until some random stranger decides I can have my money back or I unknowingly did something wrong???  (my physcial health condition hasn't changed..in fact my mental health and anxiety levels are worse after spending the last 4 years isolated due to pandemic plus being in the menopause).

I've been needing to get a new powerchair for the last year or so, but been so anxious about having a stranger in the house (incase they brought covid into the house) for home assessment to test drive some, I still haven't managed to purchase one. ...so anxiety and agoraphobia levels are worse which is impacting the selective mutism issue as I'm too stressed to speak more often if unexpected demands like this come.  or my routine has to change in any way.

If I could prepare for what maybe coming next in this process it may help reduce the panic???  if anyone knows the process???

poppy123456

A compliance check is when they check that your benefits are all correct. It maybe a complete random check or someone may have reported you for something. 

Compliance checks can be done for any benefits, though it's more rare for PIP but it does happen. Usually they do send letters like this for any compliance check. I can't answer the question of why they didn't communicate with you in a different way though, sorry. 

yanni

It might be worth emailing your MP about your concerns and asking them to speak urgently to the DWP on your behalf. I had concerns about my PIP assessment being attempted by telephone and my MP sorted this out for me.

 You can search for your MP’s email address here:

 https://members.parliament.uk/members/commons

Phoenix24

yanni said:

It might be worth emailing your MP about your concerns and asking them to speak urgently to the DWP on your behalf. I had concerns about my PIP assessment being attempted by telephone and my MP sorted this out for me.

 You can search for your MP’s email address here:

 https://members.parliament.uk/members/commons

  oh I didn't know an MP could contact the DWP for you! Thanks

poppy123456

Phoenix24 said:

yanni said:

It might be worth emailing your MP about your concerns and asking them to speak urgently to the DWP on your behalf. I had concerns about my PIP assessment being attempted by telephone and my MP sorted this out for me.

 You can search for your MP’s email address here:

 https://members.parliament.uk/members/commons

  oh I didn't know an MP could contact the DWP for you! Thanks

Yes they can contact them on your behalf. 

LettieBee

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/568557#Comment_568557

I had to get my MP involved in a complaint, as the DWP refused to respond to me. I'm autistic and have told them multiple times that i struggle with phone calls, yet they never give out an email address.

So, I took the one from the correspondence to MP and have emailed them via correspondence@dwp.gov.uk

If you don't get an automated response stating that they have received your email, then email again.

I have also emailed oed.customeraccessibilityteam@dwp.gov.uk requesting email correspondence due to accessibility needs.

IIf they don't respond I'll simply forward all of my emails to my MP, and he can take care of it, as they responded to him in record time, and paid me compensation!

It is about time the DWP was fit for purpose, and accessible for claimants.