Universal want a telephone interview to get me back to work but i claim PIP

happyfella

Hi, Me and my wife claim UC because she is off work at the moment due to doctors not letting her back to work due to where she works and her health. I now receive PIP from the beginning of January after applying for it last year. UC know that I receive PIP, but i have a message this morning that they want to phone me next week to talk about getting me back to work. They have said if I do not pick up the phone then my UC will be withheld.

I am really confused, i barely leave the house at the moment due to suffering from chronic pain, so why are they phoning me and wanting to try and get me out to work. I am confused

janer1967

Hi there 

Unfortunately getting PIP has no weight with UC in regards to bring able to work 

Pip is completely different and lots if people who claim PIP still work 

In order for UC not to expect you to look for work you need to go through a work capability process to be declared unfit to work 

If you want to know more about how to do this I am happy to explain 

Without doing so you will be expected to look for work and will be sanctioned if you dont meet you set work commitments 

happyfella

hi, please do explain

janer1967

Hi again 

First of all you need to declare a medical condition on your online journal and submit a fit note from your gp stating you are unfit to work 

After being signed off for over 28 days your work coach should refer you for work capability assessment 

You will then be sent form UC50 to complete and return 

You will then have an assessment from a health care provider who will assess you against criteria designed to determine your ability to do work of any kind 

Then a DM will decide based on your form evidence and assessment which group you fall into out of the following 3 

Fit for work - you must look for work and meet your commitments 

Lcw limited capability for work ' you must prepare for work and attend meetings and training as required by DWP 

LCWRA not required to work or prepare no work commitments.  If placed in this group there is additional payment on your UC 

The process can take months to complete and you must provide fit notes throughout until a decision is made 

That's about it a lot to take in 

happyfella

Thank you for that. I were informed at the start that i cannot work. I have not got any fit notes from my doctor as i have not been allowed to work for many years due to my health but have never bothered to claim any benefits as my wife has been working. But with COVID we were force to claim UC which is a temporary measure. Once she is back to work we will not be claiming UC

MarkM88

Unfortunately though to continue to claim UC you are going to have to agree to work search commitments or get a fit note to start the work capability assessment process. Otherwise your claim would be affected. 

happyfella

The governmnet like picking on people who are unable to work. I have not claimed a penny from the government for more than 20 years and then when me and my wife do due to the mess Boris has made of the COVID affair, i then have to go through the stress of dealing with people. I struggle to commuicate in person and over the phone, so this telephone conversation will be interesting

janer1967

As above I do agree with the point you make but unfortunately now you are claiming benefits they expect you to look for work or be assessed as not able to ? Unfortunately this is the process for everyone 

We all know the faults in the benefit system but it's not until you join the system you understand fully all the red tape you need to get through 

Adrian_Scope

Hi @happyfella.As others have said, unfortunately it will be a part of your claimant commitment at the moment for you to agree to look for work. Your claimant commitments are set with your work coach so hopefully you can have these adjusted.
Is it possible your doctor would be able to provide you with a fit note for UC? 

Tizzy695

I am autistic with severe mental health problems and mobility issues.I am having a phone consultation about PIP next week.Iam dreading it.Any tips on how to handle this???

Tizzy695

Many Thanks for ur advice.Great advice!!!

happyfella

what can i expect from the interview, what questions will they ask and has anyone had one of these interviews. Have to be honest i am not looking forward to it, and my doctor has told me to keep away from stress

glenmayers

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/help-with-your-claim/how-to-claim/

glenmayers

Please don't try to impress them, they're not interested. Don't be proud talk about all of your embarrassing moments if asked. They want to score you as low as possible. Don' t try to impress them for example if on a good day you can walk 20m but your speed is below average then you must say you can't walk more than 20m. Please remember you are not being dishonest. Good luck and check out citizen's advice.

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/help-with-your-claim/how-to-claim/

calcotti

There is a parallel discussion on this same subject by same poster here https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/76688/employment-review-over-the-phone-tomorrow-advice-please#latest

janer1967

@happyfella

All i would add is just explain your circumstances and hope they are empathetic and turn off your work commitments 

But dont be surprised if they go by the book and expect fit notes and a WCA 

Let us know how it goes 

happyfella

thank you

happyfella

well the interview did not take place. The did not bother to phone me. I kept on checking the site and it was down. Now they have sent me a new appointment for the evening next week. But once their system is up i will be sending them a message and telling them i am not prepared to have an interview at 9.30pm at night. I take medication for the evening to deal with the pain and i am not going to delay it because of UC

calcotti

9.39 pm does seem rather unreasonable.

MarkM88

Unless they have put PM by mistake. I’d clarify. 

janer1967

That time does seem strange for UC and a work coach to be working that late but you never know however I would check 

Sorry it didn't go ahead as planned it could have been down to absence