Support Group ESA to UC Migration - Incorrectly Asked To Provide Fit Notes

Yes I get the impression - not from the ESA letter - but from an agent's post in my UC journal the meeting with the jobcentre will be on the phone.

What is confusing is this agent said I would be called from a jobcentre miles away that is not local to me. I know someone else in my local council area that migrated who has been called by our local jobcentre - the same jobcentre that should be calling me.

I've noted this in my journal and asked why my local jobcentre are not calling me.

I've also complained to my local MP about the poor service from the DWP. Being assigned a Complex Case Coach then never hearing from them, nobody at the DWP knows which of the 6 categories claimants should be entering their journal entries, being incorrectly asked to provide Fit Notes, my TP being calculated incorrectly, my ESA claim not being dealt with by my local jobcentre etc.

latetrain wrote:

Hi JM1970 UC was designed to be administered by central hubs, when one hub is overloaded some work will pass to another hub. JCP offices is where your work coach will be based, they are local to the claimant. I am not sure by what you mean "nobody at the DWP knows which of the 6 categories claimants should be entering their journal entries" I was not sure if you are talking about the claimant commitment. Gary

The centralised hubs are ones such as Preston that are dealing with my initial UC claim.

I said I'm being migrated to New Style Contributions Based ESA. This is not dealt with by a centralised hub. It is dealt with by my local jobcentre - that is where the Claimant Commitment for ESA (not UC) takes place. Preston have assigned this to happen at a jobcentre miles away. It should take place at my local jobcentre as per the ESA letter I received.

The 6 categories I was referring to were Journal Entries. I have a choice of Appointment, Message for my work coach, change of circumstances, job applications, payment, work search note .......when making an entry into my journal. I was told to put journal entries under "General" which doesn't exist. In the scheme of things it is not important compared to the DWP's incompetence to date which I've already explained.

You say, "JCP offices is where your work coach will be based, they are local to the claimant.". Exactly. This is what should happen for my New Style Contributions Based ESA. However, the "Central hub" dealing with the UC part of my 'mixed award' have said in my journal a jobcentre miles away will be dealing with my CB-NSESA. Like you say - it should be my local jobcentre. As the ESA letter I've just received also says it should be.

I answered the 6 journal entry options in a separate post.

From my experience and others I'd like to suggest some updates to the guides. This would save forum moderators time and claimants distress. I'm migrating from Support Group ESA to UC. I read the 59 page guide, the guide on 'mixed awards' and others.
Therefore I wasn't surprised when I am told I will receive a 'mixed award' of Contribution Based New Style ESA and UC. It would be useful to add that UC is dealt with by a centralised hub and CB-NSESA is dealt with by your local jobcentre.
More important - it would be useful to add that for CB-NSESA you will have a meeting with a Work Coach to agree a Claimant Commitment. Even if it is only one telephone meeting that is nothing to worry about. People like me in the Support Group of ESA do not expect to have any meetings with a Work Coach when they migrate as I have no work commitments. When I received a letter telling me I would need this meeting it was very concerning.
Of lesser important when adding a Journal Entry there are 6 categories to choose from as detailed previously. It turns out "Message for my Work Coach" is the correct selection for 'general comment'. Again - the reason for the confusion is as I'm moving from Support Group ESA I did not expect to have a Work Coach.
I hope this feedback helps the next update of the migration guide.