UC do accept a named "agent" or Implicit Consent with supporter of disabled claimant.

Magnoliabloom

SEnding to DWP UC please support.

Complaints DWP Universal Credit (UC).  Failure to allow implied consent in dealing with supporters of  disabled claimants. 

Dear Sir,

I act as an agent for my family member with HMRC (tax Credits),  In addition DWP ESA accept implicit consent to discuss my family members (FM) benefits. These arrangements are a great support to our FM   Why can UC not offer the same supportive arrangment ?

 .Some disabled individuals require help with benefits yet their supporter lives far distant from them as in our case. Appointee status is offered with UC .  Disabled persons may not want or need to hand over full responsibility via an Appointee system. . This removes independence and in some cases is not desirable.

Today your ”help line” staff  were unable to assist me to assist my family member at all.   This is rigid a system, I do not understand why HMRC and ESA can structure a system which supports disabled people yet Universal Credit cannot.

This comes down again to disabled people being treated as an ”add on” to  the UC  system.   These vulnerable disabled individuals with  Protected  Characteristics are disadvantaged in the UC system . Under the Human Rights Act they should have all of the rights and considerations of other citizens and yet they do not.

This is a very important matter. In our case the disabled FM has a working partner (full time) who has a young child to care for as well as providing care for the disabled FM. He understandably cannot take on any more such as being the benefits contact supporter.    This is my role and UC are preventing me from assisting a disabled individual and FM.

I ask that disability organisations raise these unacceptable disadvantages with policy makers  as a review is urgently needed.

 

Please respond to all issues.

 

 

 

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Magnoliabloom

 correction-  title should read

UC do NOT accept named "agent" or implicit consent in dealing with supporters of disabled claimant.

Magnoliabloom

finally someone knowledgable at UC has confirmed the following-

"Implicit consent can be used on Universal credit and should be actively used in the situation that you have advised me of so I apologise that this hasn’t been your experience.

If your family member has an online journal then it may be advantageous for them to register notes in the journal to state that they give permission for UC to discuss all aspects of their claim with yourself.  If they are not able to use the online journal then they can send a letter of authorisation to ‘Freepost DWP Universal credit Full Service’. If your family member is still registered on the Universal credit Live service then they could send a letter of authorisation to ‘Freepost DWP Universal Credit Live Service’ "

If you need assistance to speak to UC from a supporter this is permitted under "implied consent" but most call handler are not aware of this Hope this helps.

Pippa_Alumni

Thanks for sharing this with us, @Magnoliabloom!