Confused about UC - another review

Triggered_Tigger179
Triggered_Tigger179 Community Member Posts: 13 Listener
in Universal Credit (UC)

I just had a review 12 months when UC went through all my bank statements, etc asking lots of questions. It was very intrusive and upsetting and I wasn't really well enough for the call, they decided I wasn't a fraudster at that time.

Now I'm at 18 months, they want to check all my details are correct and nothing has changed, why are they doing this? Are they going to go through all my bank statements again? It's not helping my health, I've paid into the system all my life and now that I'm too unwell to work, I feel I'm being treated like a criminal who is milking the system. I just want left alone to get better so I have half a chance of being well enough to actually hold down a job at some point. It's been so stressful at times that I genuinely feel the cumulative effect of claiming universal credit has absolutely made my health worse, and I'm worried I'm not going to recover now. I'm lcwra for a good reason.

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Comments

  • CrystalRose
    CrystalRose Community Member Posts: 1 Listener

    I really feel for you and hope you are ok

  • Rosie_Scope
    Rosie_Scope Posts: 9,228 Online Community Team

    Sorry to hear that @Triggered_Tigger179, it can be so stressful going through a review. Unfortunately some people are finding they get more frequent reviews these days. It's not easy, but there's not an awful lot that can be done to prevent them. Have they asked you to attend an appointment to check your details?

    Sometimes it can be just a quicker check to make sure you haven't moved house or changed bank details and things. Hopefully whatever it is will go through quickly and smoothly.

  • UpTheTown11223344
    UpTheTown11223344 Community Member Posts: 64 Connected
    https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/148573/confused-about-uc-another-review

    It is absolutely criminal that this benefit has gaps that go over 14 days between payments from the last of one month to the first of the next month.


    Iain Duncan Smith, its creator, is one hugely dislikable man. 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

    Absolutely nobody can tell me that, under an Alternative Payment Arrangement (APA), twice-monthly beats fortnightly. Hands down, fortnightly was always better under the old legacy benefit, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).What a terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible idea it was to design it under a structure that tries to force "budgeting"—even with the inclusion of an APA.

    An Alternative Payment Arrangement isn’t something you could call a lifesaver; it still revolves entirely around that broken monthly assessment period design. It just doesn't work.

  • UpTheTown11223344
    UpTheTown11223344 Community Member Posts: 64 Connected
    https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1147134#Comment_1147134


    The fact that Iain Duncan Smith has such an obsession with pushing a "world of work" approach onto disabled claimants just makes my blood boil 🤬🤬🤬. I know I am getting the financial support itself, but I can safely say I will never be a fan of the actual structure used to give me this money.

  • UpTheTown11223344
    UpTheTown11223344 Community Member Posts: 64 Connected
    https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1147135#Comment_1147135

    How could anyone say that gaps of over 14 days are a positive thing? Absolutely nobody can tell me that, under an Alternative Payment Arrangement (APA), twice-monthly beats fortnightly. Hands down, a consistent gap of exactly 14 days between payments every single time under the old legacy Income-related ESA was miles better.

  • Rosie_Scope
    Rosie_Scope Posts: 9,228 Online Community Team
    edited August 29

    Hi @UpTheTown11223344, I can really feel that you've had an incredibly frustrating time with UC and the payment structure. I'm sure the member above also shares in your frustration about their experiences. Sometimes being on UC and all that comes with it can be difficult to cope with and leave you feeling stressed out.

    Let's try to make sure we're not getting too off topic though so they can get the support and advice they need about their reviews ☺️

  • UpTheTown11223344
    UpTheTown11223344 Community Member Posts: 64 Connected
    https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1147143#Comment_1147143

    You couldn’t be more right, Rosie! I often feel so stressed out in my head when I have to wait through that long gap between the second payment of one month and the first payment of the next. Because this unfit system mimics a monthly job, it always feels like the next payment is miles away in the distance. Don't get me wrong, Rosie—I’m incredibly grateful for the respectable chunk of change I receive to support me since I can't work, including my standard over-25 allowance and LCWRA. But the rigid structure it’s paid in causes anxiety, and it's something I just can’t seem to forget about or ignore.

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