- Posts: 29
- Forum
- Members forums
- ESA, PIP, UC and DLA Queries and Results
- Work Coach making commitment seek support for reassessment?
× Members
Work Coach making commitment seek support for reassessment?
- ScotD23
- Topic Author
- Offline
Less More
1 day 23 hours ago #308626 by ScotD23
Work Coach making commitment seek support for reassessment? was created by ScotD23
My son was on ESA/PIP in Scotland and switched to UC around Feb this year.
He missed one telephone appointment due to anti social behaviour at his home, fortunately was not sanctioned. All prev calls were from an English centralised office, following that missed call his next appointment call was with his local office.
Hi is not in the support group, but believe marked limited capability, gets severe premiums etc. His notes always say not expected to look for work and the calls are a bit of a formality on that basis.
however this new local call was basically trying to pressure him to get reassessment (poss the other group, then they wouldn't have to call him). They also stated that his transition protection would typically end after 12 months, which we believe is totally untrue, and we believe that only applies to taking savings into account, which he has none? (and can't be typical)
So questions we have are
A. were not sure separate groups still exist on UC ?
B, Transition protection as we understand is unaffected after 12 months unless you have large savings?
B. Should a work coach at job centre even be suggesting as a commitment to be signed online that he 'seek support from dr etc for possible reassessment'. He cannot take the stress of all this form filling or meetings etc, we do not know when the next UC health assessment would be, it was implied re-assessment might be around Jan, they tried to stress it would be far worse to wait, We do not believe that , also there is the remote risk you could ask to be reassessed and get nothing. Also if across the board everything is getting tougher, despite being far worse than when started, being moved group is no certainty.
C. He has to sign and agree on the UC website to continue payment. There are two pages, 'commitments', and a link to 'work plan', The 'sign commitments' page he must sign when scrolling down includes 'spend 5 hours per week preparing/looking for work', obviously he doesn't do that. The linked work plan It states to 'seek support frpm dr/support group re considering reassessment' and also states ' not expected to look for work at this time' - as it always ha. So we presume the 5 hours quote on the page he must sign is automated and overridden by the' not expected' statement on the linked work plan, but there is always the worry there could be something sneaky there.
Any advice much appreciated.
He missed one telephone appointment due to anti social behaviour at his home, fortunately was not sanctioned. All prev calls were from an English centralised office, following that missed call his next appointment call was with his local office.
Hi is not in the support group, but believe marked limited capability, gets severe premiums etc. His notes always say not expected to look for work and the calls are a bit of a formality on that basis.
however this new local call was basically trying to pressure him to get reassessment (poss the other group, then they wouldn't have to call him). They also stated that his transition protection would typically end after 12 months, which we believe is totally untrue, and we believe that only applies to taking savings into account, which he has none? (and can't be typical)
So questions we have are
A. were not sure separate groups still exist on UC ?
B, Transition protection as we understand is unaffected after 12 months unless you have large savings?
B. Should a work coach at job centre even be suggesting as a commitment to be signed online that he 'seek support from dr etc for possible reassessment'. He cannot take the stress of all this form filling or meetings etc, we do not know when the next UC health assessment would be, it was implied re-assessment might be around Jan, they tried to stress it would be far worse to wait, We do not believe that , also there is the remote risk you could ask to be reassessed and get nothing. Also if across the board everything is getting tougher, despite being far worse than when started, being moved group is no certainty.
C. He has to sign and agree on the UC website to continue payment. There are two pages, 'commitments', and a link to 'work plan', The 'sign commitments' page he must sign when scrolling down includes 'spend 5 hours per week preparing/looking for work', obviously he doesn't do that. The linked work plan It states to 'seek support frpm dr/support group re considering reassessment' and also states ' not expected to look for work at this time' - as it always ha. So we presume the 5 hours quote on the page he must sign is automated and overridden by the' not expected' statement on the linked work plan, but there is always the worry there could be something sneaky there.
Any advice much appreciated.
Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.
- David
- Away
Less More
- Posts: 2780
1 day 22 hours ago #308630 by David
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
Replied by David on topic Work Coach making commitment seek support for reassessment?
Hi ScotD23
Yes there are separate groups in UC. The ESA Support Group is the UC LCWRA group and the ESA WRAG is the UC LCW group.
You can still get Transitional Protection after 12 months but it will be eroded that means your payment will decrease. The savings exemption that goes after 12 months is for Tax Credit claimants with more than £16000.
No the Work Coach has made a mistake in drafting a claimant commitment such as that and you could complain to a DWP manager if you wanted to take it further.
Let me know how you get on.
David
Yes there are separate groups in UC. The ESA Support Group is the UC LCWRA group and the ESA WRAG is the UC LCW group.
You can still get Transitional Protection after 12 months but it will be eroded that means your payment will decrease. The savings exemption that goes after 12 months is for Tax Credit claimants with more than £16000.
No the Work Coach has made a mistake in drafting a claimant commitment such as that and you could complain to a DWP manager if you wanted to take it further.
Let me know how you get on.
David
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.
- ScotD23
- Topic Author
- Offline
Less More
- Posts: 29
1 day 19 hours ago #308640 by ScotD23
Replied by ScotD23 on topic Work Coach making commitment seek support for reassessment?
Thank you, its clear from their perspective they have targets to move people so for them it would be a move of one of the records they have to call to one they dont, but it is too much stress for us to try and go through,
We are thinking at the moment our options are either A - we will just tick accept online required for continued benefit and see dr and say not well enough to go through that, are they going to ask for evidence? or B - could submit a journal message asking should this really be on commitments which have previously all been nil (rather than a formal complaint) but that might just go direct to the same person )although said next call with someone else)
We are thinking at the moment our options are either A - we will just tick accept online required for continued benefit and see dr and say not well enough to go through that, are they going to ask for evidence? or B - could submit a journal message asking should this really be on commitments which have previously all been nil (rather than a formal complaint) but that might just go direct to the same person )although said next call with someone else)
Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.
- David
- Away
Less More
- Posts: 2780
1 day 4 hours ago #308653 by David
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
Replied by David on topic Work Coach making commitment seek support for reassessment?
Hi ScotD23
One other thing is that it has been reported that re-assessments are taking over 18 months to take place.
Also if someone is awarded the LCWRA payment and they receive Transitional Protection then that payment is deducted from the TP leaving them no better off. Apart from that they no longer have to talk to a Work Coachc.
David
One other thing is that it has been reported that re-assessments are taking over 18 months to take place.
Also if someone is awarded the LCWRA payment and they receive Transitional Protection then that payment is deducted from the TP leaving them no better off. Apart from that they no longer have to talk to a Work Coachc.
David
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.
Moderators: Gordon, latetrain, BIS, Catherine, Chris, David, Angel