Incompetence in universal credit has left me confused

Blueboy1

A few years ago my now wife sadly came down with a life changing condition,that is very rare,and has no cure. She spent 3 months in hospital,and was discharged after that time. I was claming income support and carers allowance,once her PIP assessment went through.She's on high rate. Before her life changing condition she was on esa,regularly going to the jobcentre.

I would go to the jobcentre as im getting carers allowance,so I attended  occasionly,as it's was mandatory to do so.She didn't have to,as they knew her situation. Then in 2016 we had to claim UC online. We had to go down for I.D checks and that's it,never been there ever since. We went with out payment for roughly 6 weeks,which was tough. 

Ps. Jobcentre sent me a letter for an interview about 6 months after getting UC. I Spoke to the Coach on the phone,and he didn't even know I was claiming UC now. What a joke!

Anyway our communication was through the journal,where nothing was asked until about a year. Then one day the work coach said she needs a work interview. We was bemused,as to a year being silent,then to come out of the blue talking about work.

So a telephone interview was done for a few minutes,then that was it for a few months,then the same again. We star7td to question what is going on here!  So roughly just over 2 years she had another PIP assessment,where there is no change where she's been awarded 5 years.

No we are confused about the work coach with UC. We checked,and I find out about LCW and LCWRA

Nobody ever said anything to us,but it seems like she was in the wrong group all this time. Now over 3 years have pasted. We've been told she was in that group because of an old esa claim. But this can't be right. She was going to the jobcentre under esa. It's a totally different health condition.

The government have cut payments on the LCWRA. So you get the same amount as if your on LCW as of 2017

Now after 3 years and not 3 months as stated on the goverment website a UC50 form comes with the same questions that are on the PIP forms. 

Does this have to be filled in? I'm just going to copy it word for word of the PIP form if so,as it seems pointless writing the same answers again.

And can we get any compensation for there incompetence,as we are worser off under UC like most people on it.I doubt that we can though.

Thanks 

poppy123456

Hi,

As you're now claiming UC instead of the ESA then the UC50 form is just a work capability re-assessment. This will determine her capability for work and to see if she still qualifies for the group she's in under UC. Perfectly normal to be re-assessed regular for LCW under UC the same as it used to be for her for ESA.

They will assess her on her ability to do any type of work and evidence will be needed to support the claim. Make sure the form is returned by the date stated in the letter otherwise her money could be affected if it's not.

Good luck.

Blueboy1

Been claiming UC over 2 years. No WCA within 2 years.No explanation.


After reading about universal credit to begin with, it states saying the work coach will tell you what group you're in. That has never been said,they automatically put her in the LCW group without explanation. Only for us to find this out,and by understanding it over a year later.

It says 3 months for a WCA assessment on the government website.I realised in the journal we had this a few months back on there,as we argued our case,and they said to ignore it. 
 
Now you have people working on UC journals at service centres all over the UK,saying something different. So this get twisted up.

It's a mess,as they claim

work coach will tell you what group your in - That's wrong 

WCA within 3 months of claiming UC ' That's Wrong

People won't be worser off on UC - That's Wrong 

poppy123456

As she was previously claiming ESA then they most likely placed her in the relevant group for UC when you transferred across. Now 2 years later it's re-assessment time it's normal.

The statement " people won't be worse off on UC" is most likely not correct for some people, if they move across because of a change of circumstances.

When managed migration starts next year there will be a transitional protection in place so people won't be worse off. When you moved across there was no transitional protection.

Blueboy1

Thanks downside for us is this now.

We do the WCA form and she qualifies for LCWRA.  She will miss out on the higher payments before April 2017.Which should of happened in 2016

If this is the case I will argue that at the time on transition,the work coach never put her for for the WCA. I thought it's the work coach who recommends the WCA. In our case it's the service centre worker doing this and not the work coach. As it states on the government website that it's the coach. 

We are worser off,around £70 per month and no change of circumstances.No explanation,just have to accept it.

When she was on esa previously it was not for the health condition she has now.But if nobody explains thing to us what's going on,it's frustrating getting the correct information.