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Digital UC - a national benefit helping people get into work?!
Just sharing another story of how rigid UC is and how it doesn’t really help people with circumstances that don’t fit.
I’ve been helping my Mother in law with her Universal Credit this week. She claimed Universal Credit in a digital area, South-east Cornwall on 23/4/18. She is staying with us in Wirral at the moment. She has a plan to find work up here and then move up to be closer to us. She has not given up her flat yet as she does not know if she will be happy here (even if she does find work) and because we all thought it would be better for her to stay with us until she has work and then look for a flat. This seems logical to me but apparently does not fit with Universal Credit, no surprises there. She has been home once in the last 6 weeks.
Her work coach in Liskeard, South-east Cornwall has told her that she must have face to face interviews every week for the first 13 weeks following her work search review meeting which they have scheduled for 29.5.18 in Liskeard. I asked if they could arrange for her work search review and subsequent meetings to take place in a Job Centre close to us. They said not unless she asks Birkenhead JC+ to transfer her claim up here.
Birkenhead JC+ (also digital UC) told us that in order to transfer the claim, Liskeard need to ‘push it’. If she transfers her claim she won’t be able to receive Housing Costs for her flat in Cornwall as they cannot pay Housing Costs for a flat in another Local Authority area. I said she wants the Housing Costs paid so in that case cannot transfer her claim. They told us that there is no way that she can keep her claim based in Liskeard and attend meetings in Birkenhead because they can’t view her claim unless it is transferred to them. Apparently Birkenhead JC+ wouldn’t even be able to view a claim that has been made in Bromborough. This is my main reason for posting. I know there probably aren’t many people in her position but what good is a digital benefit if you can’t look for work anywhere you might want to find it? Particularly if job prospects are better somewhere else!
Just to finish the story - I got the work coach in Liskeard to agree to do her interview over the phone on 29.5.18. The sticking point will be the Housing Costs and I know temporary absence has reduced to 4 weeks. Hopefully she has work before too long!
UC is designed to stop people from claiming benefits in my humble. The amount of people who have just dis-engaged from UC as its too difficult will be music to the DWP ears. How it is presented and how it is are 2 different things
Alan - is Frank Field your local MP? - your mother in laws experience would be a good example to refer to him as both constituency MP and chair of the work & pensions committee.
I dont undertsand why DWP staff can’t view the claim - perhaps there is some restriction on work coaches in Jobcentres being able to view ‘out of area’ claims? Although they do seem to be able to access other systems like the labout market system that contact centre can’t!
UC is designed to stop people from claiming benefits in my humble. The amount of people who have just dis-engaged from UC as its too difficult will be music to the DWP ears. How it is presented and how it is are 2 different things
Totally agree with you! I am no longer surprised by how rigid this benefit is and how it doesn’t help anyone at all, not even those who are able to work, want to work and probably will find work. My Mother in law wouldn’t even claim if she didn’t have us to help her as she is not good with computers at all, she’d rather live on her savings than have to go through the stress. And she isn’t one of our many vulnerable clients…
Alan - is Frank Field your local MP? - your mother in laws experience would be a good example to refer to him as both constituency MP and chair of the work & pensions committee.
I dont undertsand why DWP staff can’t view the claim - perhaps there is some restriction on work coaches in Jobcentres being able to view ‘out of area’ claims? Although they do seem to be able to access other systems like the labout market system that contact centre can’t!
Peter, our MP is Angela Eagle, I’ve emailed her a few times in the last year and she never replies. Maybe I will contact her anyway, she might be more interested this time. There must be some kind of restriction - they must be able to do it. They have just decided not to allow it for some reason.
norman tebbitt wouldn’t be impressed…...
norman tebbitt wouldn’t be impressed…...
But he expected people to get on their bike rather than claim benefits. After all if a claimant can afford a bike (and ride it) their claims should probably be referred to the fraud investigation service.
norman tebbitt wouldn’t be impressed…...
But he expected people to get on their bike rather than claim benefits. After all if a claimant can afford a bike (and ride it) their claims should probably be referred to the fraud investigation service.
true….
Just to finish the story - I got the work coach in Liskeard to agree to do her interview over the phone on 29.5.18. The sticking point will be the Housing Costs and I know temporary absence has reduced to 4 weeks. Hopefully she has work before too long!
Alan - you can be temporarily absent for up to 6 months and still get housing costs - http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/376/schedule/3/paragraph/9
Just to finish the story - I got the work coach in Liskeard to agree to do her interview over the phone on 29.5.18. The sticking point will be the Housing Costs and I know temporary absence has reduced to 4 weeks. Hopefully she has work before too long!
Alan - you can be temporarily absent for up to 6 months and still get housing costs - http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/376/schedule/3/paragraph/9
Daphne, is that not just for those in hospital?
No it isn’t just for people in hospital. It doesn’t mention hospital. Any existing UC claimant who begins a period of absence from home within Great Britain that is not expected to exceed six months remains entitled to a housing element. The only exception is where the absence arises from a reasonable fear of violence, in which case the allowable period of absence is 12 months.
This is all in contrast to the HB rules that we have become accustomed to: 13 weeks generally, up to 52 weeks for a dozen or so specific reasons. UC splits the difference: six months whatever the reason, subject to that one concession for fear of violence.
The four week rule you are thinking of applies in most cases where the claimant is outside Great Britain. Your mother in law is still in Great Britain so it’s six months.
The wider point about the full service system functionality is disappointing: you would have thought that any jobcentre should be able to access the account seamlessly. Another issue that they just didn’t think of it seems. Presumably DWP has coped OK with movers for decades up until now, it seems that the UC system is being built in a vacuum without any time-honoured knowhow being carried over.
No it isn’t just for people in hospital. It doesn’t mention hospital. Any existing UC claimant who begins a period of absence from home within Great Britain that is not expected to exceed six months remains entitled to a housing element. The only exception is where the absence arises from a reasonable fear of violence, in which case the allowable period of absence is 12 months.
This is all in contrast to the HB rules that we have become accustomed to: 13 weeks generally, up to 52 weeks for a dozen or so specific reasons. UC splits the difference: six months whatever the reason, subject to that one concession for fear of violence.
The four week rule you are thinking of applies in most cases where the claimant is outside Great Britain. Your mother in law is still in Great Britain so it’s six months.
The wider point about the full service system functionality is disappointing: you would have thought that any jobcentre should be able to access the account seamlessly. Another issue that they just didn’t think of it seems. Presumably DWP has coped OK with movers for decades up until now, it seems that the UC system is being built in a vacuum without any time-honoured knowhow being carried over.
Thanks a lot for this and thanks also Daphne, for pointing this out. I am shocked that UC is actually more generous when it comes to temporary absences than HB! This will really help my Mother in laws situation, as it is not feasible for her to go home every 4 weeks while she is looking for work. The sticking point then is not the temporary absence but whether or not we can convince the work coach in Liskeard to continue to do the work review meetings over the phone. If this is refused and she receives a sanction, I would be confident we could win an appeal.
Personally I would be in favour of anything which kept the outlaws hundreds of miles away…