NEWS REGARDING DISABLED PEOPLE TO CHANGE TO UC

charlie79

I have read on the news that the government has lifted a a ban and changed the law on moving people with sdp onto uc from olds legacy benefits. Its covid I am housebound and no support services do i have to change to uc. I am housebound at my witts end and my mental health is flying in all directions. Please can someone advise me.. pleeeaassse

Lisatho11987777

I will tag someone who may be able to help  you @woodbine would you be able to help with this 

charlie79

I'm panicking government has announced that people can now be moved onto uc from old legacy benefits with SDP. I have no support services and on the news read it said its urging disabled people to move to UC.
With covid i am housebound and my mental health is flying in all directions, does this mean they are stopping everyones benefits. If someone could advice me pleeaaassssse 

charlie79

I dont know how to tag on this laptop get confused. How would I get him to read the thread and advise me. Its always been poppy12345 in the past who has replied. 

charlie79

Sorry stressing my hands are shaking

MarkM88

You won’t be transferred yet. At the moment it’s optional, unless you have a change of circumstances. 

Ross_Alumni

Hi @charlie79

No this doesn't mean they are stopping everyone's benefits. you should be part of managed migration so when it is your turn to switch over your income will be protected during the transition.

Hope this helps. Do you have techniques in place to effectively manage your mental health?

charlie79

yes my medication and my friend who pops in to do limited care needed

Ross_Alumni

Good to hear @charlie79

Just to let everyone know, I merged two different discussions to create this one, in case any replies seem out of order somewhat.

woodbine

@charlie79 today marks the start of the DWP transferring people on legacy benefits on to UC, however that process is expected to take until 2024 and maybe 2025 and as Ross rightly says when you are transferred (or managed migrated) you will get transitional relief that will guarantee that the the value of your income stays the same, although it won't increase over time.
So please don't worry it will happen when it does and you won't be any worse off.

MarkM88

Although, some charities are warning that 500 000 disabled people could be worse off than they are now because the way the SDP will be calculated on UC. 

Just to clarify the SDP element that will be honoured in UC can decrease if another element of UC was to increase. I’ll copy the relevant text below:

This means that if a claimant’s UC entitlement increases - for example if their rent goes up or even if they become 25 years old and so entitled to a higher personal allowance - the amount of the transitional SDP element, worth between £120 and £405 a month, will decrease by the same amount.

So a claimant will be no receive an increase and the worth of their transitional award for loss of SDP will continue to decrease over time.

Edit: also see below.

https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/news/2021/january/claimants-severe-disability-premium-awards-no-longer-exempt-requirement-claim

woodbine

What is about to happen re:transitional relief will be the same as happened in 1991 with the change from SDA to IB .

MarkM88

Yes, there’s transitional protection, but I’m just pointing out, this is at an agreed level, and if you see an increase in another element of UC, you can see a decrease in the SDP equivalent, as outlined in the articles and confirmed by DWP. Therefore as the articles states, some could be worse off in the long run, maybe not straight away, but over time, especially if other elements of their UC claim changes. 

woodbine

MarkN88 said:

Yes, there’s transitional protection, but I’m just pointing out, this is at an agreed level, and if you see an increase in another element of UC, you can see a decrease in the SDP equivalent, as outlined in the articles and confirmed by DWP. Therefore as the articles states, some could be worse off in the long run, maybe not straight away, but over time, especially if other elements of their UC claim changes. 

yes thats right a transitional amount will effectively freeze your UC at the rate your legacy benefits were paid, its like one side goes down as the other side stays where it was, best we can do is try and not confuse the issue more than it already is, as most people won't be managed migrated for possibly 3 or 4 years, and it is only IR benefits not Cont.based that are affected.

MarkM88

woodbine said:

MarkN88 said:

Yes, there’s transitional protection, but I’m just pointing out, this is at an agreed level, and if you see an increase in another element of UC, you can see a decrease in the SDP equivalent, as outlined in the articles and confirmed by DWP. Therefore as the articles states, some could be worse off in the long run, maybe not straight away, but over time, especially if other elements of their UC claim changes. 

yes thats right a transitional amount will effectively freeze your UC at the rate your legacy benefits were paid, its like one side goes down as the other side stays where it was, best we can do is try and not confuse the issue more than it already is, as most people won't be managed migrated for possibly 3 or 4 years, and it is only IR benefits not Cont.based that are affected.

That's not 100% correct though when it comes to people that are on legacy benefits and are entitled to SDP. 

As the article states, which I will put below again:

"This means that if a claimant’s UC entitlement increases - for example if their rent goes up or even if they become 25 years old and so entitled to a higher personal allowance - the amount of the transitional SDP element, worth between £120 and £405 a month, will decrease by the same amount."

For example if you move to UC, and your equivalent SDP amount is for example £120, and you have a change in another element, lets say for example, the rent goes up by £20, you lose that £20 from the SDP equivalent, because your housing element would have increased. 

I'm not out to confuse people, but you keep saying that a full transitional amount will freeze exactly as the same amount, and that's not the case. That's why as well people still have the option to move to UC and that's the decision they need to make using the information available. 

Of course, if they have a change of circumstances than they are not going to have a choice. 

And again if they wait for natural migration then they will be forced across eventually. 

The article is therefore trying to say that in the long run some disabled people might be worse off because they wont necessarily get the full transitional amount plus any changes to any other element as per the example I have given above. 

I think its right to get it right because if people use the search function to review older threads at a later date. 

Lisatho11987777

@MarkN88 Adrian scope said similar on my thread when I asked will esa be moved to universal credit  the new style doesn't  that runs along side of universal credit but the other esa does eventually 

woodbine

I think we should be careful not to complicate this issue anymore than it already is, as some people will still be on legacy benefits in 2024, we have as I have said been here before in the early 90's when SDA was changed to IB and it took years to transfer some people.
Without a shadow of a doubt the pandemic and the fact that due to that the DWP are desperately under staffed will IMHO delay the managed migration perhaps beyond 2025, after all the Harrogate experiment was hardly a great success was it?
It's going to be a long bumpy road and as Mike often says with the best will in the world we are all anything but experts, but ammateurs doing our best to help each other out, so eventually some of us will have personal experience of being migrated and will be able to as usually pick it up as we go along because I for one have no intention of wasting my time trying to read through the reams of paperwork that go with such changes.

MarkM88

No one is claiming to be an expert, but the guidance has been published in relation to the SDP equivalent which I have linked on numerous replies and you seem to be overlooking them. 

Its very clear that some people in the long run will be worse off because their SDP equivalent payment can and will be affected by a change of another element that makes up a full UC Award, however you advising the OP that they wont lose a penny, and you cant guarantee that. 

Your saying yourself we are not experts, but your giving false information which has not been backed up and I've provided you with the links and the explanations of how it is going to work. 

Lisatho11987777

I think evrry one has given the best advise they can whatever is going to happen will happen  I only ended up on universal credit because  my paid job I was doing at the time I was earning to much  then when I had my heart attack I was put onto universal credit 

In my own experience at the moment I am getting more money between my pip and universal credit than people I know who work so I am happy being on uc 

When people  do start getting moved across to uc hopefuly someone will let us know 

woodbine

I have said what I have to say but I do take umbrage when you say I am giving false information, my message is clear on being migrated to UC those on legacy benefits will get transitional protection, the clue is in the word transitional, I perhaps make the mistake in thinking people understand what transitional means as in its a transition from one benefit to another BUT I have not given false information.
 But I refuse to be drawn into an argument.

MarkM88

woodbine said:

I have said what I have to say but I do take umbrage when you say I am giving false information, my message is clear on being migrated to UC those on legacy benefits will get transitional protection, the clue is in the word transitional, I perhaps make the mistake in thinking people understand what transitional means as in its a transition from one benefit to another BUT I have not given false information.
 But I refuse to be drawn into an argument.

You clearly haven’t read the links I provided. It tells you in there if there are changes to individuals other elements than it can reduce their SDP equivalent amount. What don’t you understand? 

No one is saying there transitional amount of legacy benefit is affected. It’s the SDP part that would be and that’s what the OP asked about. 

I’m not arguing, I’m giving factual information, from sources, from guidelines, that take effect as of today. Simple.