Confused over carers element

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Redeemed
Redeemed Online Community Member Posts: 46 Contributor
in Universal Credit (UC)
So I was successfully awarded PIP after my appeal. I was awarded high rate care and standard mobility which to be honest is a fair assessment. I understand that we can apply for the carers element of UC and have done so through our journal but I just don't hear anything, and when I query it I get 'if you are entitled it will show up on your payment', butit isn't.
Have I misunderstood the eligibility somewhere, oh and by the way when I say 'I' I mean my wife, I oversee both journals as she hates having anything to do with them.
Cheers.

Comments

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    Hi,

    As it's your PIP claim then the changes need to be reported on her journal, not yours. Providing she cares for you for at least 35 hours per week then yes she can claim the carers element.
  • Redeemed
    Redeemed Online Community Member Posts: 46 Contributor
    Hi Poppy yes 'I' reported it on her journal, I assume the higher rate of care means 35 hours and over so I don't understand the delay.
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    I'm not sure what you mean by "higher rate of care means 35 hours and over" You don't need to be claiming Enhanced daily living to need that amount of care. All you need to be claiming is daily living part the person that cares for you must care for you for at least 35 hours per week.

    As she's reported the changes on her journal the carers element should be added when you receive your next payment. For backdated money did your wife report being your carer when the claim for UC was made? If she didn't then it maybe very difficult to get the backdated carers element.
  • Redeemed
    Redeemed Online Community Member Posts: 46 Contributor
    Apologies. I meant to say enhanced rate of \PIP for the care component. When the claim for UC was made we had been stripped of our DLA for which we had been receiving the higher rate of care. The PIP award was backdated to our UC claim beginning on appeal.

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    Your wife will be able to claim the carers element providing she looks after you for the required amount of hours. Whether it will be backdated is a totally different thing though because it's very difficult to get that backdated unless she reported being a carer at the start. No harm in trying though.
  • Chloe_Alumni
    Chloe_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 10,506 Championing
    Hi @Redeemed, how are things going? :)
  • Redeemed
    Redeemed Online Community Member Posts: 46 Contributor
    well I just give in. I rang UC and got someone who just couldn't be arsed to do his job and told me it would be in our payment, which it wasn't, quelle surprise.
    I don;t know whether to apply (wife that is) for carers allowance as there is a clear eligibility for it due to me being awarded higher rate of PIP carers element, the UC care element is both vague and obviously not supported as we haven't had so much as a 'no you can't have it' notification and we applied for it in June!
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    There's no financial gain at all to claiming the carers allowance as well as UC because it's deducted £1 for £1 from your UC entitlement. It's the carers element that should be claimed and will make you financially better off. You do not need to claim the carers allowance to be entitled to the carers element of UC. Claiming carers allowance doesn't mean that the carers element will be added because mostly it doesn't happen this way.

    The only advantage would be the NI credits.

    Add another note to the journal and then try ringing the again tomorrow morning.

    A lot of DWP staff are still currently working from home so do bear that in mind too, although i know it doesn't help the carers element claim.
  • Redeemed
    Redeemed Online Community Member Posts: 46 Contributor
    Okay so I started this process at beginning of October this year trying to get the UC 'carer' element back dated to the start of my PIP claim. We are receiving the monthly payment but are eligible for it to be backdated, at least in my opinion as this is money we have missed out on due to the faulty medical for PIP etc.
    I have been promised a phone call from a decision maker - never happened.
    I've had complete nonsense written on my journal by some staff.
    Finally we get a letter but no-one will tell me what it means!
    Perhaps someone here knows:
    One of the conditions for claiming Universal Credit following a change of circumstances is that it is reported within a prescribed period. You must tell us about your change of circumstances before the end of the assessment period in which the change occurred. You reported a change that happened on the 30-Oct-2019. This declaration was made outside the assessment period in which the change happened. The decision maker has reviewed the reasons for the delay in notifiying us of the change. On this occasion it has been decided that special circumstances apply and your Universal Credit will be adjusted from the date of change. Changes to your Universal Credit entitlement will be shown in your monthly statement. 
  • janer1967
    janer1967 Online Community Member Posts: 21,922 Championing
    Hi there I may have got this wrong but  looks like it has been agreed to back date your claim, keep checking your payments section on your UC account 

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