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Forum Home  →  Discussion  →  Universal credit administration  →  Thread

Universal Credit and appointees

stevejohnsontrainer
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@theflipchart ltd

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NHS Trusts frequently act as benefit appointees to hundreds of patients, some of whom will be mentally ill and some of those in maximum security arrangements and so on. Given the ‘no exceptions’ digital claim position, does anyone know whether Trusts and others will simply be required to make mass digital applications in circumstances where UC is payable? The practical difficulties could be very considerable.

Andrew Dutton
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Welfare rights service - Derbyshire County Council

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Is there any new information on this?

The same sort of question has now arisen for us - the Council acts as corporate appointee and we now face the question of having to manage claims online - in the fullness of time of course, but we would like to be ready.

As far as i can see there is no unique UC guidance vis a vis [corporate] appointees(?)

Paul_Treloar_AgeUK
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Information and advice resources - Age UK

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I asked about how UC team envisaged dealing with third party involvement at a DWP OSEF meeting towards end of last year, when they gave us demonstration of new Full Digital Service. They said that they hadn’t begun any work on the issue at that stage.

annief
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Benefits adviser - Maggie's Centre, Edinburgh

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That’s interesting. I have a young lass whose mother is her appointee and she is in a digital area. Luckily we don’t need to make a claim for UC at this point but it will be an issue in the near future.

Andrew Dutton
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Welfare rights service - Derbyshire County Council

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We have been asking DWP about corporate appointeeship for some months now, and we still have no reply whatsoever.

Has anyone in a full service area got any practical experience of what is happening?

We have been told so far that DWP is still working on the matter, but that there have been no such issues arising in full service areas to date. I find that difficult to credit, but even if it is so, the roll-out will surely bring the problem to light soon.

If DWP has no policy or guidance, this will surely expose vulnerable people to what is potentially very great harm.

Daphne
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I don’t know if it’s helpful Andrew but just had an email in my inbox to say guidance on appointees has been updated with information about when an organisation is the prospective appointee - it’s at para 5220 in Part 5 of the guidance here - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procedures-for-dealing-with-agents-appointees-attorneys-deputies-and-third-parties

hkrishna
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Welfare rights worker - CPAG in Scotland, Glasgow

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Think I’d posted this in response to a question on another thread but Inverness have been having this problem and I took it up with DWP contacts. Attached is the response I got.

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clive
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Newcastle Council Welfare Rights

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Thank you
it would be useful to show this doc to the staff involved in appointeeships but it needs a logo or some other way of verification (not being ironic)!
Also we were wondering about needing an email address when you claim UC. Can an appointee such as a council provide a single email address for several appointees?

Clive

Daphne
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This is an initial reply I have had via stakeholders -

In UC full service the Corporate appointee agent led process (ALP) is currently in design.  At present LAs will need to set up an individual email address for each one.

 

ClairemHodgson
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Solicitor, SC Law, Harrow

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3 years and still nothing (i started at the start of the thread).  this is ridiculous.  Can imagine what a CoP judge would say - have no doubt that if this isn’t sorted soon someone will take an issue there…..

Wensleyfoss
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Welfare Rights Advisor, Autism Anglia

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I received an email yesterday from the Corporate PAB for some of our service users. He told me that our Job Centre have led out a system so they only need one ID log in for all their clients. I’m sure this isn’t correct.