Work focused interview for 'income support'??

The only exemptions are the following:

• you are aged 60 or over.
• you are about to start work
• you are working 16 hours or more a week
• you are placed in the employment and support allowance support group
• you are claiming Income Support or Incapacity Benefit and are exempt from the personal capability assessment (PCA)

I'm afraid unless she falls into one of the categories above, she has to attend. If she fails to attend without good cause they can sanction her benefit.

For you JC bods... it's all down to 'alignemt' rules (i.e. the status of the claim on 15th Dec 2008)...

How long has your cousin been on IS (with IB credits I assume) - this will influence whether they have to attend or not...

If it's a claim that dates back longer than last year, the DLA & PCA exempt rules do not apply to 'trigger' appointments..

Let me know how long they have been claiming & I'll be able to ascertain what should happen..

Cheers

1) IS may be paying the benefit but the underlying entitlement is IB (which will be paying NI only)

2) An initial WFI (work focused interview) is booked & then another 5 interviews must be attended approx 1 month apart.

3) How are you? How are things? What help would you like? (No hard sell... I promise (unless it's provider-led pathways but that's a different topic altogether!)

4) No-one can force her into work - the only compulsory thing is to attend & participate (i.e. nod in all the right places!)

5) If she MUST attend these interviews, no-thing you can say will stop that - they are mandatory by law.

6) Nothing needs to be taken - the JC advisors are not checking the severity of her condition.. that is for doctor's to do....


Am I assuming that this interview booked is for a new claim????

1)-is it common to give these interviews to income support candidates? (I thought it was just for incapacity people only?)

Yes - Work focused interviews are for everyone on Income Support, unless one of the aforementioned exclusions apply.

2)-How often/frequent are these interviews after the initial 1st one? - how many times a year are they?

It depends

3)-What do they ask/ what kinda things?

What they are supposed to do is ask about qualifications, education, training, employment history, work related skills, any work that is currently being done, and any care responsibilities you have as well as discussing how the disability puts you at disadvantage of securing/maintaining employment.

4)-can they force you into work or remove your benefits? (she has severe mobility problems and is venerable to fall)
No. If it is decided that she is incapable of work, then they won't "force" her. The work focused interview looks at what work a person can do, rather than what a person can't do. They may suggest she takes up training or follows up a job vacancy but they cannot impose it on her. They can with JSA, not with IS. They would only sanction her benefit if she didn't turn up, or refused to participate in the interview

5)-What is the best way to give answers to them, or the best things to say that will get stop them from doing interviews..

The best answers are the honest answers. The requirement is simply to turn up at the interview and pariticpate in it. They will not stop doing interviews unless one of the exclusions apply.

6)-is there any other evidence/health notes you can take to show them that your case is more severe than it is.

Why would you want to show them that your medical condition is more severe than it is? In answer, no you can't. You can take your medical notes in with you to show the advisor how disability affects you but they should already have this is she has been assessed by a DWP medical. If she's incapable of work, she's incapable of work and that's the end of it. As I said before, the requirement is to attend the interview and participate. There is no requirement to take the advice of going on a course or undertaking work. The interview is designed to encourage people to work. The cannot force as she is not on Jobseekers Allowance or ESA. You don't have to follow up anything after the interview.