Harshness of uc

w06

fredandwilma wrote: »

Until i receive an official award, I can't have any of the care / treatment etc, I require either, as i don't have proof of income. .

I'm not sure if something went awry but hate to say it I've received no paperwork at all from UC - and have been receiving it since April. It's all online. My proof to the council for council tax was a print out of the online statement

calcotti

As W06 says, you will not get any paperwork for UC. It is all meant to be managed online. For Council Tax Reduction I thought local authorities have access to the UC information and that the CTR award is based on the UC data.

w06

I think they do calcotti, my claim was a couple of months after this area went to UC - it required i think 4 trips to the council office to get council tax relief sorted, and although they knew I wouldn't know how much UC I was receiving until after their 28 day deadline for all info, the deadline still applied. It all went through eventually but then the next month I got another statement saying 'the law says you need x to live on...' and the x was what I'd received in month 2 of UC, which was different to month 1, and I'd not told the council that amount (it was just a minor change nothing that impacted Council tax)

calcotti

That’s a b****r for councils if they have to send out a new calculation every time there’s a change to the UC payment.

fredandwilma

w06 wrote: »

I'm not sure if something went awry but hate to say it I've received no paperwork at all from UC - and have been receiving it since April. It's all online. My proof to the council for council tax was a print out of the online statement

I realise it's all online and you have to print your own 'award letter', thanks. I'm in no mans land with no award yet, which has a huge impact on my care, too.

fredandwilma

calcotti wrote: »

That’s a b****r for councils if they have to send out a new calculation every time there’s a change to the UC payment.

Which is, every month?

That's a b****r for trees, too.

calcotti

FredandWilma, sorry that you having such a bad time. I do hope you get a UC decision and payment soon. I completely agree with your earlier that event that it is the cost vulnerable who are disadvantaged. The whole claim and management process is not geared for the ill or disabled. uC has primarily been constructed around getting people back into work and insufficient thought has been given to ill people. With more sensitive implementation it could work but clearly large numbers of people are struggling at present.

Do you have any idea what is holding your UC up?

w06

It can be every month if you're also earning. Mine was slightly less in the first month (didn't have the energy to argue abotu extra bedroom and they added it in the second payment without me raising it) but has been the same since May and I'vw not heard anything from the council tax folk since then

w06

Agree Calcotti, it could have been a good system if well implemented.

There are some aspects that I like as I've said previously - it being online is a real improvement for folk that can't use the phone for example. But as someone who is quite severely disabled but able to work in my niche, there was no push to help me do so. There has been now after my asking and I've been referred to someone who is very good and I'm confident will help me get the right job for me, but even the initial claim process doesn't allow you to say 'i'm disabled but able to work if x, y , z'

fredandwilma

calcotti wrote: »

FredandWilma, sorry that you having such a bad time.

Do you have any idea what is holding your UC up?

Thanks calcotti.

I have a fresh inkling today and i fear it's going to be many more weeks even months, before this is sorted. I should have had my award confirmed. Instead i've received a message in my uc journal saying i'm still in receipt of Esa, despite the fact the DWP themselves sent me a letter confirming my Esa ended when i claimed UC.

The end of my ESA also prompted a P45 from HMRC, confirming the end of my ESA.

I suspect this ESA P45 has now led to the investigation of my employment in the last 12 months, via my UC journal. I now have 15 days to respond with a breakdown of my earnings / employment in the last 12 months. Computer systems don't have brains, they are programmed to draw one conclusion. This person has a P45 = they've been working.

The trouble with online journals doesn't give you the option to say you know fine well i haven't worked. Well, that's what i'd like to say.

Instead, I left a polite(ish) message for my work coach, who in turn, hasn't responded.

The trouble with benefit delivery centre's is - computers aren't human beings, nor do human beings or computers, for that matter, communicate to other departments within a benefit delivery centre.

As i can't answer employment questions in my UC journal, for employment i haven't had, I suspect it's now going to take months rather than weeks, before i receive an UC award.

A prime example of how when the DWP get it wrong, it goes catastrophically wrong.

I'll give it a week, and then it's time to start rattling some cages, paticularly EMV. Should be back from holiday soon?

I can't live on fresh air, forever.