UC Managed Migration

2

Comments

  • OverlyAnxious
    OverlyAnxious Community member Posts: 3,222 Championing

    The ID appointment is still a few days away. I'll post again after that's been completed. 🙂

  • Albus_Scope
    Albus_Scope Posts: 7,692 Online Community Team

    Keeping everything crossed for you @OverlyAnxious I hope it goes smoothly and painlessly. 😊

  • summersunflower
    summersunflower Community member Posts: 73 Connected
  • summersunflower
    summersunflower Community member Posts: 73 Connected
  • OverlyAnxious
    OverlyAnxious Community member Posts: 3,222 Championing
    edited July 26

    Second Update

    The information I was given through the journal was not correct.

    My relative drove into the town centre during their limited free time, paid for parking etc. And was just told that my ID could not be accepted from them. No adjustment made. Waste of everyone's time.

    Once again only given the options of a phone call or a home visit which are both impossible for me. I can't physically speak for most of the time now. And that means I have no control over people in my property, which has lead to some awful situations recently.

    The only other option they suggested is to make my relative the appointee, which I do not want, for reasons I don't wish to state publicly. But more importantly, it's something I do not need for a claim that can all be managed online! They seem to have made disability benefits even more inaccessible to disabled people than before.

    Sadly my physical health has taken a battering lately due to a number of unfortunate events all happening close together. I can't manage the physical symptoms of anxiety triggers in this state so I'm having to pace myself and spread stress-inducing tasks out. I'm hoping to be well enough at some point over the weekend to check the journal but I'm suspecting it'll just be a written repeat of the above information, plus a 'failure to attend' notice.

    As it stands right now, it looks like I won't be able to claim Universal Credit due to the limitations caused by my health conditions. But will just have to wait and see if they change their minds now.

  • Noidea19
    Noidea19 Community member Posts: 70 Contributor

    This is awful, so sad they are making it so hard for you. Not everything is clear cut and some sort of help with exceptional circumstances should be in place. It makes me so mad.

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 60,966 Championing

    Thanks for the update! This is absolutely shocking and quite disgusting!! The whole purpose of the early migration trial for 500 people in 2 areas was for them to gather some information for those like yourself who have the most difficultly managing daily life.

    To advise you to have an appointee when you can manage your own claim is, well, actually I'm speechless and this doesn't happen very often with me.

    Not accepting your I.D from your relative when you are unable to do that yourself and there's no other option out there for you is unbelievable, it really is.

    There has to be a way around this and of course there is because you were claiming ESA and for me that's enough of proof along with I.D from a relative.

    I will urge you to please contact your local MP and tell them exactly what's happened and they will contact UC on your behalf. Hopefully, once they do that this whole absurd ordeal will finally be resolved. https://www.parliament.uk/about/contacting/mp/

  • Adrian_Scope
    Adrian_Scope Posts: 11,651 Online Community Programme Lead

    Good morning @OverlyAnxious

    When they told you they were allowing a relative to bring it in for you, did they state this on your journal?

    I was unable to attend my ID interview and they allowed someone to bring it on my behalf, but I had to write a statement on my journal giving them permission.

  • OverlyAnxious
    OverlyAnxious Community member Posts: 3,222 Championing

    Thanks Adrian. That's very interesting to know.

    Yes, it was stated more than once on my journal. They even made the appointment time based around my relative's working hours.

    Apparently the JobCentre staff member told my relative they could see that written on my journal but a 'higher power' had since over-ruled.

    Must admit, I'm not comfortable with them sharing journal details in that way, though it sounds like they just confirmed that part, rather than offering any new information. I would also be interested to know who the 'higher power' is and what gives them the right to deny my access to UC after nearly a decade on ESA.

    I am currently drafting a journal message to remind them that they sent the migration notice to my address with my name on it, which is the same name & address as that of the ID I provided, and I've even used the same bank details for UC as I did for ESA, so I can't see how there could be any question over who I am. As Poppy said, I've been on the DWP system for many years already. If that doesn't work then I will have to email the MP.

  • dynz
    dynz Community member Posts: 21 Connected

    I'm 74 and I get working tax credits. Migration to UC is worthless to me because the maximum age for UC is 65. So I will lose my WTC.

    Nobody I talk to at WTC or UC knows what will happen when I DONT get migrated to UC. Several of the WTC and UC staff told me that most claimants will receive more benefit when they are migrated to UC.

    LJ

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 60,966 Championing

    UC is a working age benefit and state pension age is now 66 and not 65. If you're living with a partner and your partner is under state pension age then you'll be known as a mixed aged couple and will be able to claim UC.

    If you're a single person then you will need to claim Pension Credit and Transitional Protection will be payable through that. See link.

    https://revenuebenefits.org.uk/universal-credit/guidance/existing-tax-credit-claimants/managed-migration/#:~:text=Tax%20credit%20claimants%20who%20have,if%20they%20are%20already%20claiming

    The advice that you were given that "most" people will be better off is not exactly correct. Some will be better off but not most people. Those that are worse off will be entitled to Transitional Protection so they shouldn't be any worse off on point of migration.

  • dynz
    dynz Community member Posts: 21 Connected

    I'm 74 and my wife is 72. Pension age for UC may well be 66 now, but many of the UC staff appear not to know this. Yes, I could claim Pensions Credits, but I'm on the very edge of a full state pension payment, and my Pension Credits weekly benefit is just £1.56 a week, compared with my current WTC benefit of £105 a week. Whichever way you look at it, when I'm NOT migrated to UC and lose my WTC, I'll be £103.44 worse off.

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 60,966 Championing

    Then you'll be entitled to Transitional Protection which is in place to make sure you're not worse off when you claim. Please note that this only applies for managed migration, when you receive the letter inviting you to claim PC.

  • Meg24
    Meg24 Community member Posts: 359 Pioneering

    I'm not surprised at all that there is no route to claim UC not on phone or in person, I'm in the same position and am anticipating the same problems.

    I can't have direct contact with the DWP and have been managing my ESA by paper only for 16 yrs. In the rare occasions a call has had to be made I have had a benefits advisor do it fir me but the organisation that used to do this no longer exists. I do not have anyone who could be an appointee and I do not want that anyway as apart from this one thing I am fully independent.

    I have been flagging this issue in all the green papers, I used to tweet Neil Couling about it, I have told my MP. Waste of time, no-one wants to hear it.

    Meanwhile instead of acknowledging they have a duty of care, they now say that we have a 'duty to engage'. Well we can't can we??

    I'm wondering whether we shouldn't get the solicitors Leigh Day onto this asap. It's just not on.

  • Biblioklept
    Biblioklept Community member Posts: 5,387 Championing

    Any update @OverlyAnxious?? I keep wondering how you're getting on with this, and it seems to go from bad to worse 😕 At least once it's all sorted it should be much easier for you though!!! I've found it so much easier than legacy benefits because I feel like I've got more control over it plus can actually contact them myself!!

  • dynz
    dynz Community member Posts: 21 Connected

    I don't know what the migration protection will provide me with. At present I get working tax credits for my work on a development project. Migrating me to UC is not possible because I'm over the UC age limit.

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 60,966 Championing

    I advised you on a previous thread a short time ago. You would need to claim Pension Credit and TP will be included with that. See advice I gave here.

  • OverlyAnxious
    OverlyAnxious Community member Posts: 3,222 Championing

    Nothing more to report at the moment.

    When I eventually read the journal message I was disappointed with the level of ignorance shown in it. The very first suggestion made was that I visit the Job Centre in person. If that was a realistic possibility, I would obviously have done that the first time instead of further burdening a relative!

    I did send a polite but firm reply, reminding them again that I can't travel or speak, and asking them to reconsider. But this weeks heatwave has absolutely wiped me out physically so I haven't been able to check for any reply to that so far.

  • OldWoman
    OldWoman Community member Posts: 1 Listener

    I am an appointee for my adult son who has been on ESA. His payments were recently suspended and although that issue is fixed I was told that he could not go back on ESA but would have to migrate to UC. My son has multiple, profound and complex disabilities, lives in a care home and is unable to work.

    I have made a claim and already complained that the claim questions are not fit for purpose for a claimant who is unable to work. We cannot send any of the documents requested to prove ID because my son lacks capacity - well, we have a P60 from DWP/ESA but they wont let you submit only 1 item for ID. The other options suggested on gov.uk - ID for claiming UC are to do a face to face interview (which would be hilarious as my son has the understanding of a 3 year old and is only interested in talking to people who will sing childrens songs and read childrens stories to him) or doing a 'Biographical interview' which would suffer from the same issues. I have written back asking them how they would like to proceed with his ID given that he is unable to satisfy the requirements of any of the methods they have so far proposed. This is their problem not ours. I have pointed out to them that the DWP has bee paying DLA, PIP and ESA for my son for over 25 years and clearly they have all the data relating to these claims and have acknowledged his identity previously so they could make payments. They say they are not allowed to use this information (information from their own departments!!) to verify his ID. The situation is absolutely unacceptable and frankly farcical. I have asked that my comments in the journal be sent to the senior team dealing with migration of ESA to UC so that they can see how hopeless their preparation for this has been. I am incensed with the discrimination being shown to disabled claimants who will never be able to work and believe DWP/UC are in breach of the Equality Act as they have abjectly failed to make 'reasonable adjustments' so that such claimants are actually able to claim. The whole concept of migrating people who can never work to a benefit which is based on getting people into work, tells its own sorry tale of the punishment and persecution of disabled people under the last government. We all need to document the problems in our journals and specifically request that the info is sent to the ESA to UC migration design team. We may not be able to avoid this pain but we may be able to make it better for people migrating later on.

  • OverlyAnxious
    OverlyAnxious Community member Posts: 3,222 Championing

    Third Update

    Hi all,

    I can now confirm the Job Centre did eventually allow my ID verification to be done by a relative going there on my behalf. Although the relative also had to provide their own ID, as well as a picture of myself with my ID.

    I don't think this will be a common method of new claim ID verification moving forward, though at least it is possible for those of us who cannot manage any of the main 3 methods (in person visit, home visit or telephone).

    There was some more incorrect advice offered by the Job Centre at that appointment. I am lucky to have gained so much knowledge about UC beforehand (mostly from here!) but it does concern me about how many other claimants are still being given incorrect advice which will cause them additional stress, hassle and problems both immediately and in future.

    Fortunately the automated part of UC, the statements, do appear to be correct, including LCWRA from the start, as well as transitional protection, and the correct amount of housing element.

    As the process took so long in my case, the first payment was delayed, and I continued to receive legacy benefits over that time. It seems the legacy 'stop' doesn't happen until after ID verification. The first payment has now been made manually, but there is a lot of overpayment to be taken back from the next payment due to the large overlap. Currently there is a discrepancy in the amount of overpayment. So that is the next thing to work out, which I am getting assistance with.

    I'm not sure if this is the end of the migration process, and whether I'll get left alone again now, or whether there is anything else I will have to do. I had sort of expected them to ask for 4 months bank statements, while they're doing that for longer term claimants, but they haven't asked so far. It is also confusing as to whether the manual payment counts as capital as it was paid after the payment period ended, so that could potentially have taken me over the £6k now. But I'll just wait for them to sort the overpayment and try to work out the capital next month. Is it correct that I should be working out the capital on the final day of the payment period, not the first day of the next period?

    Thanks to all who have assisted with this so far, and those who I've been learning about UC from in other threads over the years as well! 🙂