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Finding Work whilst on LCWRA (looking for both practical advice & emotional reassurance)

dogdogdog

I want to try and find work, but last time I tried, I couldn't cope with the job at all & became suicidal after a week, and it triggered a new health assessment, which I passed.

I really want to be able to try out jobs while without it triggering a health assessment. I think maybe I would be able to work eventually if I was allowed to try & find the right job, taking breaks in between each job to recuperate.

I just feel stuck & unable to progress because of fear that my benefits will be reassessed.

Do you think there is a way around this? A way to just try a job for a week or two without another health assessment being triggered?

I have been offered a job starting Monday as a parcel sorter. Since being offered it I haven't been able to sleep or eat. If I start the job on Monday, I might get reassessed, which will cause me loads of stress & will be pointless if i can't cope with the job anyway. I think I am scarred from my previous experience of trying to work & being reassessed. I don't want it to happen again.

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Tori_Scope

Hi @dogdogdog

Welcome to the community!

I'm sorry to hear that your health was so badly affected after trying out some work previously. Did you receive enough support for your mental health at that time? How are you feeling now?

My understanding is that it's okay to work while on LCWRA so long as the work doesn't contradict your reasons for being on LCWRA. I'm sure someone with more personal experience will be able to give you some more in depth advice soon.

Will the job be full time?

poppy123456

Hi,

It could have been just a coincdence that you were sent another WCA form the last time you tried to work. It would be impossible for anyone here to be able to tell you whether the work you do would contradict the reasons why you're claiming LCWRA because we don't know exactly how your conditions affect you.

Maybe you can try some voluntary work for a little while to see how you do, then if you can't cope you can just leave.

dogdogdog

It's true that it could be a coincidence @poppy123456
Do you think if I left a note in my journal they would tell me what triggered the last wca? It was 2 years ago now.

I'm assuming the work would contradict the reasons I get it, as would most jobs.

I have autism, ADHD, depression & anxiety.

Whether I can cope with a job will be dependent on how stressful it is in terms of who works there & how understanding they are, and also if the environment is overwhelming. I wont know these things until I already start the job.
Jobs where I am physically active are much less stressful because being exhausted physically calms me down mentally, and I doubt my WCA takes that into account.

You are right, I could try volunteering. Or wait for a job which seems less risky, i.e. working from home. Problem is I can't concentrate on anything at home.

Sorry for just ranting. I'm leaning towards not accepting the job starting Monday. It's a parcel sorter 25 hours a week.

dogdogdog

Tori_Scope said:

Hi @dogdogdog Welcome to the community!

I'm sorry to hear that your health was so badly affected after trying out some work previously. Did you receive enough support for your mental health at that time? How are you feeling now?

My understanding is that it's okay to work while on LCWRA so long as the work doesn't contradict your reasons for being on LCWRA. I'm sure someone with more personal experience will be able to give you some more in depth advice soon.

Will the job be full time?

Hi Tori, thanks for welcoming me.

Yes I did get support at the time and am in a better place now. It was 2 years ago.

I believe the work would contradict the reasons I get it, and is 25 hours a week. I don't actually think I want the job, I just want to be able to try these things out and am frustrated that I can't.

dogdogdog

Just providing an update as I've decided what I'm going to do - I'm going to call up the job early tomorrow morning & ask if I can do it only 3 days a week (15 hours total) & also if I can do a trial unpaid shift for a day to see my coping level before I am employed by them.

For future jobs I will ask these questions in advance of being offered the job - I couldn't in this case because I was offered on the spot after calling up. If they say no or are annoyed, I will know it's not the job for me anyway.

poppy123456

dogdogdog said:

It's true that it could be a coincidence @poppy123456
Do you think if I left a note in my journal they would tell me what triggered the last wca? It was 2 years ago now.

Sorry, i've only just seen this. No, it's very unlikely they would be able to tell you this. I hope they agree for you to work those 3 days. Good luck and i hope it works out well for you.

dogdogdog

poppy123456 said:
Sorry, i've only just seen this. No, it's very unlikely they would be able to tell you this. I hope they agree for you to work those 3 days. Good luck and i hope it works out well for you.

Thanks, I appreciate the reply

I have some further questions & I would be very grateful for answers if you have the time.

Should I report the changes to UC after the first week of employment is done or straight away? I have already done a day but I wont be payed until the end of the week. Not sure if I will be payed or not if I don't finish the week.
I plan on leaving a note in my journal explaining how I'm doing the job to see if I can cope with it but am not sure about it yet. What should I say the entry is about? e.g. message for my workcoach, service issues, etc.

poppy123456

You need to report the changes now because you've already started working and it should be under work and earnings. Your employer should report your earnings to HMRC and DWP then check the RTI for details of your earnings.

If you are unable to cope and can't continue then your employer should pay you for the work you've done.

dogdogdog

poppy123456 said:

You need to report the changes now because you've already started working and it should be under work and earnings. Your employer should report your earnings to HMRC and DWP then check the RTI for details of your earnings.
If you are unable to cope and can't continue then your employer should pay you for the work you've done.

Thanks, have reported it.

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