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Forum Home  →  Discussion  →  Universal credit migration  →  Thread

Health and Work Conversation

Ken Butler
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Disability Rights UK

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Total Posts: 236

Joined: 16 June 2010

If someone is receiving CTC, but is also in the ESA support group, is being managed migrated to UC, do they have a mandatory requirement to then attend a Health and Work Conversation with a UC job coach?

Is there any DWP Guidance around UC and the Health and Work Conversation?

Thanks very much to anyone who can help.

Elliot Kent
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Shelter

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Joined: 14 July 2014

If your client is in the ESA support group, then they will keep their LCWRA status on migration to UC and won’t be subject to any work-related requirements.

From what I can see, the ‘Health and Work Conversation’ is unique to ESA and it is a form of Work-Focused Interview which is supposed to take place whilst the claimant is still in the assessment phase awaiting their WCA. For UC, someone who claims but has yet to have their WCA will still be subject to ordinary conditionality which may involve appointments with their work coach whilst they wait for their assessment, so it hasn’t been felt necessary to have a specific appointment.

Ken Butler
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Disability Rights UK

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Total Posts: 236

Joined: 16 June 2010

Thank you very much Elliot.

WillH
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Locum adviser - CPAG in Scotland

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Joined: 17 June 2010

Hi Ken,
It might be helpful to look at the response to a related FOI I put in recently.

It includes this:
‘Health and work conversation techniques can be used for those in receipt of Universal Credit
(UC) or New Style ESA (NS ESA) if the work coach identifies that this would be beneficial. Unlike
the HWC for legacy ESA claimants, these are not mandatory and are not required to take place
around the 4th week of the claim.’

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/work_and_health_conversation_and?nocache=incoming-2491589#incoming-2491589