Hi, my name is karonphil13!

karonphil13

Hi everyone 
can anyone help me I am new to this and took a lot for me to ask for help myself and husband applied for universal credit 2 months ago in July  my husband was on esa support group as he as cancer and a lot of medical issues  he as been put in the support group on universal credit. Had to get fit note which he did.  I have a lot of medical issues to have terrible depression diabetes heart problems osteoarthritis in my spine a lot of issues igor a fit note but universal credit ring or ask me to go to job centre every week I struggle with my mental health so bad I get so stressed over the thought of talking to anyone I have asked for help but every week a different person contacts me to go to job centre I put messages on the journal but don’t get any reply this week I was so unwell in bed I missed there call so they make me another appointment to go in I no I can’t go as I am unwell can anyone please help me I do t no what to do and it’s making my mental health worse worrying thank you Karon 

bg844

@karonphil13 Does your husband receive PIP. If so, does he get the daily living component? As your husband gets LCWRA (UC’s version of the Support Group) only one is paid per claim so whilst you can of course send fit notes in yourself you won’t receive the extra amount just you won’t have appointments.

karonphil13

Hi thank you for your reply yes my husband gets pip at the highest rate for both I can’t understand why every week I am getting a call or asked to go job centre I explained about my health and my mental health but no one seems to listen and someone different every week I am getting stressed now the thought of waiting again Friday for a call it’s dreadful getting so stressed over it I speak to mind once a month as o
i don’t deal to good with talking I get so anxious and want to run and hide sorry to sound so silly but it’s that bad Karon 

bg844

As your husband gets PIP you should be eligible for something called a 'Carers Element' paid as part of your UC. This will turn off appointments and give you an extra £168.81 a month. To add log in to your UC account, report a change of circumstances and click on 'caring for someone', write down your husband's details and when it asks when you started caring write the date your husband was awarded PIP from. 

bg844

By doing the above you will no longer need to attend appointments and they will simply leave you alone. Once reported, go on to your journal and write a message under payments asking if they would backdate as you did not know you was eligible. They might not but always worth asking.

karonphil13

Hi bg844
thank you for your reply my husband as a carer as I am unable to look after him Karon 

bg844

Sorry @karonphil13 I just presumed. In that case the only way to potentially stop appointments is by reporting a change to your health via a change of circumstances and sending in fit notes. After 4 weeks a UC50 form will be sent, continue sending fit notes until after a decision is made but please bear in mind the wait times are very long at the moment. You won’t get extra money due to your husbands LCWRA award but you wouldn’t have to attend appointments should you be successfully awarded. One further question, have you considered claiming PIP? If you are eligible this could give you a financial gain but you need to meet the descriptions for an award.

bg844

Also, fit notes do not stop appointments I’m afraid. It is down to your work coaches discretion to reduce or stop them.

karonphil13

Hi bg844
I didn’t no if I could claim pip as my husband gets it can I claim to I wasn’t aware I could apply for pip I will get my daughter to look for me  it’s just so stressful I get in a terrible state every week not the same person or hours late I get do anxious Karon 

bg844

Yes you can claim, you don’t need to notify them about your husband getting it either. It’s a non means-tested benefit which means it doesn’t matter about how much in savings you have or if you do or don’t work. It’s based on your own needs. Be aware that the waiting times for a PIP assessment can be lengthy, have a look at the descriptors here to see if you potentially could qualify for an award before claiming:
https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/pip-test-form

Come back if you do choose to claim and I’m sure our members will advise further. Good luck with the UC side of things too, hopefully you do choose to claim PIP if you feel you’re eligible as it can help your extra day to day costs. Just letting you know that even if you did get awarded PIP, UC is separate and has a different criteria.