New application for UC

jack_tyler

Hello

I am looking for some help regarding the limited work capability element of Universal Credit. Due to my mental health, I am not able to work and from what I have read on the gov.uk website, to be eligible for UC I have to provided 'fit notes' (whatever they are) from my doctor. At the moment I get Widowed Parent Allowance, Child Tax Credit & Child Benefit. In April 2014 my husband was killed in a motorcycle accident, I had just turned 45 that day and my son was only 12yrs old. 8 months after this my dad passed away, then shortly after this my mum was diagnosed with Alzheimers. I then became her full time carer but as he condition got worse, in 2019 she had to go into a care home. Then she passed away from Covid in July last year. Because of everything that has gone on in these past years, I suffer from severe anxiety & depression. The benefits I get at the moment are due to cease at the end of this month because my son has now left full time education (he is 19) hence the reason I am looking to apply for UC. I haven't worked since I was made redundant in 2013, after that my life changed completely.  So I would be grateful if anyone knows anything about these 'fit notes' that I have to get from my doctor.

Thank you

Rubyroobs

A fit note is just a sick note - a certificate that your GP writes to say you are unfit for work. When you make your Uc claim you declare your health condition and they should send you a link to submit a sick note. You will need to keep sending them until you have been for a medical assessment and are told you no longer need to submit them. You will first be sent a Uc50 form to complete detailing how your mental health affects you on a daily basis, then you will have an assessment. The outcome will be one of three outcomes. Either you are found fit for work, you are found to have limited capability for work ( LCW ) or you are found to have Limited capability for work and work related activity ( LCWRA ). If awarded LCWRA then you get extra money on your Uc claim.

Rubyroobs

I should also add you cannot claim UC if you have savings over 16k and any savings over 6k will reduce the amount you receive.

calcotti

A Fit Note is an abbreviation of Statement of Fitness for Work which is government doublespeak for what would otherwise be called a sick note.

Alice_Holt

Some information on UC:
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/

You can get help applying for UC from: 
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/claiming/helptoclaim/

(Btw you don't need a fit / sick note from your GP to apply for UC initially)


Have a look at PIP. This is a benefit you may also be eligible for:
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/before-claiming/check-you-are-eligible/

https://www.mentalhealthandmoneyadvice.org/en/welfare-benefits/pip-mental-health-guide/?utm_source=rethink&utm_medium=landing_page&utm_campaign=mbmh

You may wish to put your details into a benefit calculator 
https://www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators

Are you in receipt of Council Tax reduction?

Do you rent or own your house?

jack_tyler

Rubyroobs said:

I should also add you cannot claim UC if you have savings over 16k and any savings over 6k will reduce the amount you receive.

I dont have over 6k in savings, in fact I dont have any savings at all. The only money I have coming in, is from these benefits, but thank you for pointing that out

jack_tyler

Alice_Holt said:

Some information on UC:
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/

You can get help applying for UC from: 
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/claiming/helptoclaim/

(Btw you don't need a fit / sick note from your GP to apply for UC initially)


Have a look at PIP. This is a benefit you may also be eligible for:
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/before-claiming/check-you-are-eligible/

https://www.mentalhealthandmoneyadvice.org/en/welfare-benefits/pip-mental-health-guide/?utm_source=rethink&utm_medium=landing_page&utm_campaign=mbmh

You may wish to put your details into a benefit calculator 
https://www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators

Are you in receipt of Council Tax reduction?

Do you rent or own your house?

I own my house and I do get council tax suppoert. I did a benefits calculator and it said that I was entitled to UC, but its just this fit note thing. In all the time I have been out of work ive never had to get one, it makes me anxious just knowing I will have to contact my doctor to get one.

Rubyroobs

jack_tyler said:

Alice_Holt said:

Some information on UC:
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/

You can get help applying for UC from: 
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/claiming/helptoclaim/

(Btw you don't need a fit / sick note from your GP to apply for UC initially)


Have a look at PIP. This is a benefit you may also be eligible for:
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/before-claiming/check-you-are-eligible/

https://www.mentalhealthandmoneyadvice.org/en/welfare-benefits/pip-mental-health-guide/?utm_source=rethink&utm_medium=landing_page&utm_campaign=mbmh

You may wish to put your details into a benefit calculator 
https://www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators

Are you in receipt of Council Tax reduction?

Do you rent or own your house?

I own my house and I do get council tax suppoert. I did a benefits calculator and it said that I was entitled to UC, but its just this fit note thing. In all the time I have been out of work ive never had to get one, it makes me anxious just knowing I will have to contact my doctor to get one.

You have never had to supply a fit note before because you have never before claimed a benefit that was specifically a benefit for people who are unable to work due to illness. If you just want to claim the standard element of Uc and will be looking for work then there is no need to report your health condition or hand in sick notes. If you consider that you are too unwell to work, then you will need to hand in sick notes to Uc and wait to be assessed otherwise you may be asked to look for work earning 35 x nmw per week as a condition of claiming UC. If you submit a fit note saying you are unable to do this then they need to take this into consideration and adjust any work search commitments until you have been assessed as not fir for work..

Rubyroobs

If you had made a claim before for Contributions based  ESA you would have needed to hand in sick notes. As you were claiming carers allowance ( which I assume you were ), child tax credits and widowed parents allowance and council tax reduction, none of these benefits would have required you to prove you were not fit for work. You could have potentially made a claim for contributions based  ESA  back in 2014 when you were widowed and you became too unwell to work ( if you had paid sufficient national insurance contributions in the relevant years ) and could have claimed that alongside the child tax credits, but presumably you didn't know this and perhaps were not in the right frame of mind at that time to explore options. Contributions based ESA is an overlapping benefit with carers allowance anyway. In fact you probably could have started claiming New style ESA in 2019 when you stopped claiming carers allowance as you would have been credited with NI contributions when claiming carers allowance. I'm not sure whether the widowed parents allowance would have had any effect on this as it is now an old benefit and no longer exists but I suspect it would have overlapped with ESA also.
Anyway this is all irrelevant now- if you want to be considered unfit for work on Uc you will need a sick note. Perhaps seek help from CAB or similar when completing the Uc50 form. I'm sorry for your multiple bereavements, it must be very hard.

poppy12345

There's some information here regarding claiming UC with a health condition.https://www.gov.uk/health-conditions-disability-universal-credit

Although this link states ESA the process of UC work capability assessment is exactly the same. https://www.entitledto.co.uk/help/ESA_criteria

jack_tyler

Rubyroobs said:

If you had made a claim before for Contributions based  ESA you would have needed to hand in sick notes. As you were claiming carers allowance ( which I assume you were ), child tax credits and widowed parents allowance and council tax reduction, none of these benefits would have required you to prove you were not fit for work. You could have potentially made a claim for contributions based  ESA  back in 2014 when you were widowed and you became too unwell to work ( if you had paid sufficient national insurance contributions in the relevant years ) and could have claimed that alongside the child tax credits, but presumably you didn't know this and perhaps were not in the right frame of mind at that time to explore options. Contributions based ESA is an overlapping benefit with carers allowance anyway. In fact you probably could have started claiming New style ESA in 2019 when you stopped claiming carers allowance as you would have been credited with NI contributions when claiming carers allowance. I'm not sure whether the widowed parents allowance would have had any effect on this as it is now an old benefit and no longer exists but I suspect it would have overlapped with ESA also.
Anyway this is all irrelevant now- if you want to be considered unfit for work on Uc you will need a sick note. Perhaps seek help from CAB or similar when completing the Uc50 form. I'm sorry for your multiple bereavements, it must be very hard.

I have never claimed CA when looking after my mum. I did try but because I was already getting WPA, the two could not be paid at the same time. The only benefits I have claimed are WPA, CTC and CB.