UC underpayment?

elsien

General query as the specific details are a bit scant at the moment.

Person not able to work (in and out of mental health units) and transferring from ESA to UC. Single, no dependents. They think that after rent they were only left with £100 a month for everything else, which seems very low to me. Does that sound like they should have been getting more?

UC then stopped because they were unable to meet work commitments. (Was in hospital at the time.) Person hasn't been able to work for over 20 years. What work commitments would these be likely to be?

poppy12345

elsien wrote: »

General query as the specific details are a bit scant at the moment.

Person not able to work (in and out of mental health units) and transferring from ESA to UC. Single, no dependents. They think that after rent they were only left with £100 a month for everything else, which seems very low to me. Does that sound like they should have been getting more?

UC then stopped because they were unable to meet work commitments. (Was in hospital at the time.) Person hasn't been able to work for over 20 years. What work commitments would these be likely to be?

Why did they transfer from ESA to UC? Which group were they in for ESA? Were they receiving the housing element of UC in with their claim?

elsien

poppy12345 wrote: »

Why did they transfer from ESA to UC? Which group were they in for ESA? Were they receiving the housing element of UC in with their claim?

They chose to change because they thought they'd be better off. Their area is full service so no going back. Don't know what ESA group they were in.
I presume they were getting the housing element as HB was stopped when UC started.
They made the claim at the job centre with DWP staff and were set up online but they struggle with technology and don't have internet access. If they were set up with an email they can't remember it and can't find any of the log in details to access the account to check anything.

Ineededaname

It's very difficult to answer the first question, there are so many variables. The most obvious thing that comes to mind is the housing entitlement does not cover the rent. Is this person under 35? This entitlement should match the old Housing Benefit amount however. Did the previous housing benefit claim cover all the rental costs?

If there was an entitlement to increased rates of ESA it's quite likely these had not been transferred over for the first payment. Certain premiums are not payable on UC and any increased rate due to a Work Capability Decision will only transfer if there is no gap between the claims at all.

Everyones commitments are different so we can't answer that, but a failure to meet agreed commitments should not result in a claim closure.

What has probably happened is the person did not attend a commitments appointment or did not accept their commitment on the online account. This can result in claim closure. If the claim has been closed there should be a letter in the Journal giving the reason and you can submit a mandatory reconsideration if you believe the claim has been closed incorrectly or unfairly under the circumstances.

They made the claim at the job centre with DWP staff and were set up online but they struggle with technology and don't have internet access. If they were set up with an email they can't remember it and can't find any of the log in details to access the account to check anything.

This backs up my suspicion on the claim closure. The only thing that doesn't make sense is in order to receive the first payment a commitment must have been accepted. Unless you are talking about an advance payment?

elsien

Is there a way to access the online account if you've forgotten all the details?
And is there a timescale on mandatory reconsideration? Claim was closed several months ago but due to being in hospital and unwell, they have only just found out. DWP on the phone said it wasn't possible to reopen the claim and didn't mention any sort of appeals process.
They're over 35.
ETA - the person mentioned not being able to meet the work commitments but haven't said what they were. Due to the MH issues at the moment it's difficult to get the full picture.

Ineededaname

No there is not, they would need to regain access. There are account reset options on the initial login page if the person has access to the e-mail used to create the account. They could try to use these options. Failing this or with no access to the e-mail, an appointment would be needed for help from the DWP.

If this claim is so old I wouldn't worry about regaining access at this point. Submit a new claim as soon as possible to set the income up again! You can always enquire about the old claim after this has been done.

There is a one month time period to submit a mandatory reconsideration, however this can be extended in exceptional circumstances. Get a new claim sorted first and foremost.