UC50 result and further advice needed

Hi All,

So I've got my UC50 assessment result and I've been placed in the same group as before - LCW. However, I am quite concerned due to the fact that I suffer from social and travel anxiety, the form states that I will need to meet with my work coach to take steps to prepare for work and work related activities. Now whilst I don't have any trouble agreeing with this doing them from home, if I am forced to travel on public transport, or sit in a place full of people that I do not know, I just can't physically and mentally cope with it. I suffer panic attacks, shakes and sweating, and wondering if I should contest this, or just accept what has been sent to me?

Hi Chris

It's not easy for me to offer any advice here. Only you know whether, with your medical condition/s, you feel able to take up any type of work.

If you feel that you were placed in the wrong group, then you might want to put in for a Mandatory Reconsideration.

If you feel you would be able to do some type of work - such as working from home - then you will need to talk that through with your work coach. You can do this through your journal and then over the telephone. You certainly aren't the only one who has such difficulties. It's only by talking with them that you will be able to say what you need and what you can do. There are some supportive and helpful work-coaches around.

BIS

Hi Bis, Thank you for this. My last workcoach was outstanding whilst I've been in the LCW group, but she contacted me in December to tell me that she was moving to another role, and I've got a new work coach who hasn't even contacted me once since she started in January, despite me being on monthly calls. You're right, it's a tough one - with a MR though, I kinda feel that at least if I was in LCWRA, I wouldn't be forced into something I'm not able to cope with. I'll send her a message (w/c) and explain the situation, before I put in for a MR. Bis, once again, thank you.

Hi All, An update to my current situation. After following BIS advice, I spoke with my work coach, who advised an MR after receiving a copy of my Universal Credit Medical Report - It was full of innacuracies. Things such as: walking 2-3 hours per day without pain, when it is roughly 30 mins per day with pain, a close circle of family and friends to support me weekly, when I am not in contact with most of my family and haven't been for over 15 years, keeping bread on top of the cupboard and being able to reach it with ease, when I only keep bread at arms length on the bench.....it was close to 30 pages of which only about 8 pages contained the correct information. I received my MR yesterday basically rejecting my application to be put into LCWRA saying that even though their were innacuracies in my medical report, that these people are highly skilled in their profession, so they have no reason to doubt what the HCP had written. I have followed the guides on here, and have spent several hours compiling my report to escalate it further, and have mentioned that there's no way I could cope physically or mentally with my social and travel anxiety and panic attacks being told that I have to attend training courses, or learn new skills somewhere. I think the only way I could cope with being in a group of strangers would be to be absolutely hammered drunk, to the point where I don't care. I am on medication for my chronic pain, and also anxiety, and have had 3 three month fit notes put in whilst going through this process. My question is, should this fail again and I'm left in the LCW group, what do I do if I'm told I have to go on these courses, because the sheer thought of it, even has me feeling suicidal again. Has anyone been through a situation similar to this? and could they possibly advise please? because I am genuinely absolutely terrified of what to do, should I fail at the tribunal. Thank you kindly.

Hi Chris

Honestly, I don't think it's helpful to you to try and think about what you might do if you don't win at the tribunal, especially if you have suicidal thoughts about being forced to travel or put in a social situation. Concentrate on your appeal. Please don't let 'what might happen' increase your current levels of stress and fear. If it is affecting you that badly then you need to talk to someone like the Samaritans or your doctor.

I love that they say the HCP is highly skilled in their profession - because, in my view - highly skilled people do not make multiple errors in a report - and if they do - they are either incompetent or lazy. They acknowledge there are errors and then say that they don't doubt what the HCP has written - complete tosh! Obviously, if you want to say something like that in your appeal - leave it until the final paragraph and do it slightly more politely than I have done here. What you want to want to focus on is where you think you should have been awarded points and you haven't been. You can say they were mistaken and misunderstood. Have a look at the guide to putting in appeals to make sure you're not missing anything.

BIS

Hi BIS, Thank you for your prompt reply. Honestly, if I showed you some paragraphs, you wouldn't believe how inaccurate it is - I mean things in the same paragraph like "he states he can walk for 2 - 3 hours a day without pain" then a couple of lines down it's "he walks around the block roughly 30 minutes because he's in pain" - then mentioning that I walk up stairs to my home without trouble, despite living in a lower flat with no stairs. I mentioned I drank, sometimes about 40 units per week, and shes wrote "he will drink a bottle of Whiskey 2-3 times per week at 5pm" - I never stated a time or how many times I drank, just that I roughly drink about 40 units per week when I am struggling. I've picked out all the inaccuracies, and the person who's dealt with the MR, basically dismissed everything I said by saying I had no medical evidence of anxiety and panic attacks, when in fact I take propranolol daily and have 2 written statements from friends, who have seen me suffer with these, over the past 20 years, and it's like - well what do I have to say to prove something? I even told them that I couldn't care about the extra money LCWRA brings, you can keep it - it's simply about not being forced into somehting that I can't handle. I've been known in the past to snap, threaten people, smash things, then break out in tears afterwards because I'm a spur of the moment type of person, and things just happen that I can't control all of the time. I have worded things in my tribunal as " inaccuracies, or stating what I actually said", and "what I didn't". I've enclosed statements from a couple of people who have known me for over 20 years, so I just have to hope and pray that I've worded it well enough, but I followed the guide written by Steve, and worded it very similar. I also mentioned that I completed an online LCWRA test, and I scored myself 39 points, where the assessor scored me 15 - although I do understand that I can't always prove what I've scored myself as being correct. I sent the appeal off today - I spent several hours writing things out, gathering what evidence I could, and statements from people who I knew. I just have to hope and pray it works in my favour - failing that, I really don't know how I'm going to cope with being told I have to attend somewhere or go to a strange place I'm unfamiliar with. I am also on a waiting list for an adult neurodevelopmental test, this is 2 years ongoing so far, but I've been advised it could be 3-4 years. BIS - thank you once again for your advice and help, and understanding, it is genuinely really appreciated - it's nice that people actually listen and understand on this forum, because it's far from that at other places.