UC JobCentre Plus Appointment

My daughter (18) has Autism and a SpLD. She is currently in receipt of PiP (enhanced for both mobility and daily living). She has an appointee as she is non-verbal to handle her PiP claim. We now have to apply for UC for her. I phoned the UC helpline to inform them she is non-verbal & to ask how we apply for an appointee to help her should she be required to attend any assessments. I was informed there is a section in the application form to request this, but when filling in the online claim there was no section asking if an appointee is needed. We completed the form stating her condition and confirming with have a GP sick note valid for 3 months saying she is unfit for work. We have received a message from DWP informing us that she must attend a face-to-face appointment on Monday 13 Dec at the JobCentre Plus and she must attend alone. I have sent a note in the journal section of her claim to reiterate that she is non-verbal and medically unable to attend alone, but also that attending in person would cause significant distress. I am also concerned that they will not allow anyone to accompany her or speak on her behalf because no appointee has been granted. Can anyone please offer advice how we apply for appointee status for UC and how we can challenge this decision to attend an in-person appointment please. Many thanks

Thank you for your advice. When I phoned the UC helpline I specifically asked whether her appointee for PiP would and could automatically be considered for her UC claim as the appointee has been granted appointee status by the DWP - however low and behold I was informed that 'No' PiP is an entirely different benefit and just because she has an appointee for PiP this does not entitle her to an appointee for UC! I have taken a look at the link you kindly provided and we have a confirmation letter (BF57) as listed in the link from the DWP confirming that my daughter has a specified appointee. We still wish for this same person to be the designated appointee for the UC claim, but for whatever reason at this point they are unwilling to accept this. I will post another journal entry informing them that we have this confirmation letter

Thank you Gary, much appreciated.