UC Go-Live dates

Thanks Jon - i have the operational stakeholders meeting on Wednesday so will double check with the UC team them - nightmare these commencing orders aren’t they!

Operational stakeholders confirmed that the part 5-7 postcodes have not yet had dates announced when they will go into the digital service. However, at the meeting we were told that Musselburgh and more of Croydon will go digital on 27 March, Purley and Thornton Heath and Great Yarmouth on 27 April.

Further rollout will happen over rest of year - 5 job centres a month - much bigger than the current areas - announcements on these should be made imminently. There will be no digital roll-out in Wales till 2017 due to language issues.

We had some discussion about what happens in areas that are already in the live service that then go digital - this happens in Hounslow next week on 27 January. In those areas all new claims will be digital and they will begin to migrate people from the live service to the digital service - they aim to do this with 25 claimants initially. They will be assisted to ‘input their information into the digital system’ with their work coach - if needs be the work coach will take them through it completely.

We also discussed about what happened to people in receipt of legacy benefits in a digital area and then fall to need to claim one of the other legacy benefits. The regulations abolish IS, ibJSA and irESA so if someone in receipt of HB becomes unemployed they will have to claim UC and therefore HB will stop. However, what wasn’t so clear is someone on ibJSA who then takes on a tenancy - would they be able to claim HB through being passported or would it need to be UC. We are sending in a number of scenarios like this to get an answer. If anyone has any scenarios they want included please let me know either on this thread or direct message me.

Hi Daphne
If someone on UC Live ‘migrates’ to the Digital system by inputting or being helped to input a new claim, do they start a new assessment period or keep the same?
Is there a set of Dummy details we can use to look at the Digital system in terms of recognising in advance how to input changes of circs etc?
Will the surplus earnings rules apply from April to everyone on the Digital system?
Will any decision notices be issued by letter for Digital UC claims?
Thanks

Thanks Daphne, that’s really useful.

The question of what triggers a switch to UC in a digital area is going to be important. There will be at least half a million people living in digital areas the end of next month.

For example, I think I’ve convinced myself that tax credit claimants won’t be swept into UC when they renew their TC claims ( because (i) they’re treated as making claim rather than having to make one - and/or (ii) if they’re already entitled to CTC or WTC then that TC is preserved by articles 6(4) 7(5),7 and 7 of the No 20, 23,25 and 26 orders.)

I’ve seen this from Peabody Trust http://www.peabody.org.uk/news-views/2015/nov/universal-credit-goes-digital  (re changes that put you on UC in the Southwark digital area) .. I don’t know if that’s based on DWP guidance or their own interpretation of the regs -anyone from Peabody here?

Is it worth starting a new thread on what does (and what doesn’t) trigger a transfer to UC? - I suspect it’s going to be a big issue.

Did they say when the regs covering Musselburgh will be out? At the moment I don’t think there’s enough public-domain info to get the JCP boundary right between Musselburgh (digital) and Dalkeith (non-digital).  The bit about Wales is ... interesting(!)

Daphne - 20 January 2016 12:40 PM

There will be no digital roll-out in Wales till 2017 due to language issues..

WHAT! (Beth!) No digital Universal Credit (Dim Credyd Cynhwysol digidol) in Wales (yng Nghymru)?

How dare they take away all the advantages that we would otherwise have had from the wonderful new system.  How can they justify not allowing the Welsh people to benefit from ...  er .... um ... ah ...

Jon Blackwell - 20 January 2016 01:33 PM

Is it worth starting a new thread on what does (and what doesn’t) trigger a transfer to UC? - I suspect it’s going to be a big issue.

Will these be managed moves for transitional protection?

Gareth Morgan - 20 January 2016 02:21 PM

Jon Blackwell - 20 January 2016 01:33 PM

Is it worth starting a new thread on what does (and what doesn’t) trigger a transfer to UC? - I suspect it’s going to be a big issue.

Will these be managed moves for transitional protection?

I don’t think there’ll be any managed migration for a while yet. (And there’s still sign of any regulations covering transitional protection.)

gov.uk has just been updated with this -

Note – Purley, Thornton Heath and Great Yarmouth

The list issued on 20 July 2015 includes postcodes administered by Purley, Thornton Heath and Great Yarmouth jobcentres. This indicates that a Universal Credit service for single jobseekers will launch in those areas from 18 January, 15 February and 7 March 2016 respectively.

A new Commencement Order has now been made which specifies that Universal Credit will not now launch in these 3 postcode areas on the dates specified in the index. This reflects the plan for the expansion of the Universal Credit Digital Service during 2016, and new legislation covering these postcodes will be made in due course.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-national-expansion

As Jon says no managed migration till 2018 - this is about people submitting new claims to uc due to change of circumstances so no transitional protection. Just out of meeting - will answer some of other stuff shortly…

Daphne, I am finding training audiences starting to giggle when they are told that claimants may have to effectively re-enter their UC claim details when their Jobcentre goes from ‘Live’ to ‘Digital’.

How much of taxpayer’s money has been spent on developing the IT system for UC? What will the cost be in work coach time in having to help claimants repeat the entry all over again?

Also, since most claimants will not have a copy of their Live Service claim details, how will they be able to ensure consistency with the Digital entry?

Answers on a digital postcard please anyone.

Steve

To respond to some of your comments/queries -

Sarah - the assessment period stays the same - the big change is how the claimant works with their work coach - it is a lot more digital. At the last operational stakeholders we had a play on the digital system but unfortunately there is no dummy one that we can see outside (they brought ipads to the meeting for us to do it on). On the digital system each claimant has a ‘to do’ list - this includes things that would be on their claimant commitment. The claimant gets a notification when something gets added on to it (I think they can choose the way they want the notification ie SMS or email). The claimant should mark when they have done things and there is a system for them to leave messages for their job coach eg any problems they had.

The surplus earnings rule will apply from April for everyone on the digital system as will the ability for self-employed earners to carry forward losses for up to 11 months (I think those are the two big differences between digital and live that can affect how much UC you get). I managed to grab the UC guy just before he left to ask about the decision notices. He said that it would just be a notification that there was a change in award and you can look at it online. In fairness I thought the digital system was OK when we had a play on it though of course I’m used to using computers…

Jon - I’m going to compile a few case studies on when a new claim to UC will be triggered in a digital area and will send them in to UC and I will start a thread with those on when I’ve done it and then if people have case studies they want to send in they can post there and I will post any responses. I’ll include your point about renewal TC claims just to check and maybe some of those examples from the Peabody Trust too again just to check.

He didn’t say when the regs will be out - the guys who comes is more about the practical operational stuff. On wales I think it is just that they haven’t translated it all into Welsh yet - maybe a job for you there Gareth ;)

Steve - I can only agree about the re-entering information - I was gobsmacked when they said it - they also indicated that if someone fails to do it their claim could close - we have asked for the legislative basis on which they could do that. While the work coach will sit with people as they trial the system I don’t think it is envisaged that as it rolls out more there will be that same hands-on help!

Oh - and I’ve got a phone conference with the UC guy scheduled for the beginning of February to sort some outstanding queries I have so if anyone has any burning issued I could try and get them added to our agenda

stevejohnsontrainer - 20 January 2016 07:50 PM

Also, since most claimants will not have a copy of their Live Service claim details, how will they be able to ensure consistency with the Digital entry?

By telling the truth?

Thanks Daphne
Did you see the change of circumstances screens?
Is there a facility to lodge a Revision request online?
Presumably for queries, the facility of the UC helpline remains for claimants and advisers?

Truth tellers may also be inconsistent, possibly because of mental health problems or other reasons. You may have seen this in relation to ESA review casework, for example.

stevejohnsontrainer - 21 January 2016 05:18 PM

Truth tellers may also be inconsistent, possibly because of mental health problems or other reasons. You may have seen this in relation to ESA review casework, for example.

Of course but the new details may be more correct than the original, so why make the first set the ones that must be used?