Incap Panic!

milliebear00001

Hi there

My husband has MS which predominantly affects his memory and information processing. He currently has a five year Incap award due to be reviewed in 2013 and DLA open-ended.

He received a call today at home from somebody he thinks works for our local Job Centre. They appear yo have told him he needs to come into the office on Monday for a 'Back to Work' interview.

My husband cannot remember all the details of the call, and predictably, didn't write any of it down. He doesn't know who called, where from, or the time of the appointment that was made. He does not have a return telephone number.

Is it normal practice to simply be called in for a 'back to work' interview for long-term incap? Would he not be expected to fill in the forms etc/undergo a medical?

There is no way he can attend alone. I would need to attend with him, and as a teacher, it is pretty much impossible for me to take time off in term time.

dmg24

What rate of DLA does he receive?

milliebear00001

dmg24 wrote: »

What rate of DLA does he receive?

He receives lower rate for care and mobility.

Have edited the above - his award is actually until Sep 2013, although I realise the system may have changed since his award was issued.

dmg24

In that case, he does need to attend this interview. It is not a review of his claim, just an interview to see if the JCP can do anything to help him back to work. They may allow him to delay the meeting for a short while, but if he does not attend they can stop his IB.

milliebear00001

dmg24 wrote: »

In that case, he does need to attend this interview. It is not a review of his claim, just an interview to see if the JCP can do anything to help him back to work. They may allow him to delay the meeting for a short while, but if he does not attend they can stop his IB.

Thank you. Do you know why they have suddenly called him in now though? As I said, the award was for five years and since 2008, we have had no word at all from anybody! I am not sure why they are asking about him going back to work, when the fact he has a five year Incap award, presumably means he was considered unfit for work for at least the next five years, when he was assessed back in 2008?

I have given him a phone number for our local office and a list of questions to get answers to. If he needs to go, I will have to ring them myself to try and sort out a date when we can both go and it will be extremely inconvenient for me unless I can persuade them to delay until just before Christmas.

sunnyone

milliebear00001 wrote: »

Thank you. Do you know why they have suddenly called him in now though? As I said, the award was for five years and since 2008, we have had no word at all from anybody! I am not sure why they are asking about him going back to work, when the fact he has a five year Incap award, presumably means he was considered unfit for work for at least the next five years, when he was assessed back in 2008?

I have given him a phone number for our local office and a list of questions to get answers to. If he needs to go, I will have to ring them myself to try and sort out a date when we can both go and it will be extremely inconvenient for me unless I can persuade them to delay until just before Christmas.

I have a lifetime DLA award and the same for IVB (for nearly 20 years now) but now they are both whenever they feel like awards that can be looked at again whenever the DWP/JC+ want to and it could be me or any other claimant that got the same call as your husband got, thats the way things are now.

I would ring and explain your problems and ask for an appointment when you can go with your husband.

milliebear00001

sunnyone wrote: »

I have a lifetime DLA award and the same for IVB (for nearly 20 years now) but now they are both whenever they feel like awards that can be looked at again whenever the DWP/JC+ want to and it could be me or any other claimant that got the same call as your husband got, thats the way things are now.

I would ring and explain your problems and ask for an appointment when you can go with your husband.

So, if it's not to look at his entitlement, what sort of things will they want to discuss? How can they be 'finding out if they can help him work', when he has already been deemed 'unfit to work' by their own medical department? I am confused!

Careful_with_that_Axe

It is confusing but they seem to do this periodically, normally prompted by an IB award. They will go into whether there are any other benefits he may be eligible for and whether he is aware of re-training opportunities etc when/if he is fit for work again.

It has always baffled me why they do this just after an IB award, but it really is absolutely nothing to worry about at all.

sunnyone

milliebear00001 wrote: »

So, if it's not to look at his entitlement, what sort of things will they want to discuss? How can they be 'finding out if they can help him work', when he has already been deemed 'unfit to work' by their own medical department? I am confused!

Me to, I am a fulltime wheelchair user who cant self propel a manual chair, I have full lenght spinal injuries/congenital conditions, I have RA in my arms/hands which make my right arm and even worse my primary right hand function minimal, Im also severly/profoundly deaf but I might be found fit to work, madness unless anyone can think of a job I am caperable of (and i havent listed everything)