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some responses from the UC team re some UC problems

Daphne
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At the last NAWRA meeting there was a workshop run by social landlords looking at some of the problems they are experiencing with UC. Following the meeting I sent a list of some of the problems to the UC team - attached are their responses. Sometimes just explanations rather than solutions but it does a least contain a useful escalation number for housing costs problems.

Please let me know ongoing problems or queries re the attached and I will continue to send them in and feed back.

[ Edited: 9 Oct 2015 at 10:02 am by Daphne ]

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Peter Turville
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Welfare rights worker - Oxford Community Work Agency

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Not housing costs issues - but we are just begininng to experience practical issues having gone live in April.

LCFW
client on UC having originally met gateway conditions submits medical certificates (from June). Unable to establish with contact centre if/when claimants was referred for a WCA to determine LCFW/LCFWRA. Contact centre say med certs are noted on system and if after 1 month they are still covered by current cert. claimant will be referred for a WCA (no action in 1st month in case only short term condition?). However cannot confirm claimant has been referred. What is the process in practice? How should it work?

Once Med Certs are submitted how can claimant negotiate changes to their claimant committment (Job Coach is refusing pending WCA decision)? In this case client has had a relapse of a significant mental health condition.

UC Reg 28(2)(b) should trigger the WCA process and claimant commitment can be varied under WRA s14(2) with a right to challenge. In practice the process seems to leave client vulnerable to UC administration / approach of Job Coach.

We are of course pursuing via all usual avenues but seems to highlight practical proceedural issues.

IMPLICIT CONSENT

UC contact centre say implicit consent cannot be applied until written authority is provided. Has the IC policy change to include this requirement for UC (only)? The current on line version has not been amended.

SarahJBatty
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Money Adviser, Thirteen, Middlesbrough

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Daphne, have DWP said anything about UC housing costs for temp accommodation for homeless people.

In UC regs housing costs for temp accomm arranged by LA are paid at LHA rates.  I don’t deal with this area very much but have been asked how this will work for people who are in B&B possibly for only a few nights at a time and at several addresses during a month period.  Currently LA’s are able to pay the relevant landlords direct.  Under UC paid to claimant based on circs at the end of the assessment period. 

Sorry I should have started a new thread, and I may also be missing something obv?

Daphne
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Thanks Sarah and Peter - I am emailing UC back today - will keep you informed…

Grunkle
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Welfare Rights Advice,Torfaen People's Centre Ltd

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HI Peter, et al

Attended the SE Wales JC+/Customer reps meeting in Cardiff this week - one of the Reps related having had problems with implied consent ( though think was in relationship to PIP) because they were unable to give the full name of the client, they were asked to give the middle name. Have in the past had to explain where they could find the guidance on implied consent only to be told I shouldn’t have access to their internal documents!

Also not one of my clients so no details available - but heard of a student finished their course for the summer break - and was told that they had to claim UC not Income Support disclosed that they were going to return to the course in September. Ended up being told by there ‘Job coach’ that they were not available for work and so no longer entitled to UC - but IS wont accept their claim for IS now because they are ‘on UC’ and once you claim UC you cant get off it - informed sources referring to having been transferred to the ‘Lobster Pot’ section - no more clerical claims possible only alternative is IS hardship payments.

flair
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Welfare rights officer - Linstone Housing Association

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Thanks Daphne, some Housing Costs problems we have experienced, now they are just starting to come through:

Payment Reference Numbers - on a couple of cases it was only a National Insurance Number, no landlord reference despite this being on APA request. These are not always held on landlords system.
Phoned helpline to get details.

Had a client whose award letter stated Housing Costs lower than Rent: as there is no breakdown of how these are calculated it can be difficult. In this case the DWP had built in a 4 week payment holiday for rent where there wasn’t one. Had imposed a non-dep deduction where there shouldn’t have been and imposed 25% bedroom tax when should only have been 14%. No rhyme nor reason for this.

Received an APA and an arrears direct payment and both payments were for a calendar month, rather than the 4 weeks expected for the arrears payment.

Daphne
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Thanks flair - will pass those on and get back to you when I hear anything…