Question answered

poppy12345

Once the claim has been submitted then you can't go back. It shouldn't affect the LCWRA element because you're still currently in the Support Group for ESA.

poppy12345

Hoot_Owl said:

I found this on how to make a UC claim;

‘Your application will only be officially submitted once you confirm the answers you have provided are correct and press the submit button.’

Yes, that's correct.

calcotti

Hoot_Owl said: Honestly this part has me worried…if I declare I’m starting work  will I still be entitled to the LCWRA component on my UC claim? 

You should be.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/999272/admm6.pdf

M6191 In this section, the relevant date is the date the claim for UC was made or treated as made.

M6195 Where

1. an award of UC is made to a claimant who was entitled to old style ESA on the relevant date (see

M6191) and

2. before the relevant date, it had been determined that the claimant had, or was treated as having,

LCWRA and

3. the assessment phase had ended

the claimant is treated as having LCWRA without the need for the WCA2.

M6196 Where M6195 applies, the LCWRA element is normally included in the amount of UC award to the claimant from the beginning of the first assessment period. 

poppy12345

Hoot_Owl said:

Also I doubt I’ll be allowed to go to a job centre appointment if I’m supposed to be at work! 

It was advised earlier on in the thread that you would need to attend your local job centre to agree to your claimant commitments.

calcotti

Hoot_Owl said: The problem I have now is my Universal credit claim isn’t live until they can verify my identity, hence I’m technically not claiming Universal Credit before starting my job on Monday. 

As I understand it your claim has been made and the start date is today but will not be processed until ID verification has been completed. They may be able to do a biographical verification over the phone.

Hoot_Owl said:

Also I doubt I’ll be allowed to go to a job centre appointment if I’m supposed to be at work! 

That possible conflict was precisely why I flagged up the need to attend a JobCentre as part of the process. However as you are working 25 hours Rather then full time I would hope JobCentre would be flexible enough to work around your working hours.

Hoot_Owl

poppy12345 said:

Hoot_Owl said:

Also I doubt I’ll be allowed to go to a job centre appointment if I’m supposed to be at work! 

It was advised earlier on in the thread that you would need to attend your local job centre to agree to your claimant commitments.

Yes but now I’ve got an additional id verification appointment as well as the claims commitment appointment to attend, with the lack of flexibility in regards to time off with weekly rotation days off fitting it in around my job is looking very unlikely unfortunately.

poppy12345

Hoot_Owl said:

poppy12345 said:

Hoot_Owl said:

Also I doubt I’ll be allowed to go to a job centre appointment if I’m supposed to be at work! 

It was advised earlier on in the thread that you would need to attend your local job centre to agree to your claimant commitments.

Yes but now I’ve got an additional id verification appointment as well as the claims commitment appointment to attend, with the lack of flexibility in regards to time off with weekly rotation days off fitting it in around my job is looking very unlikely unfortunately.

As calcotti has advised, the ID verification maybe possible over the phone.

Spoonie_Turtle

Hoot_Owl said:

So if I’m not covered by UC beforehand  I’ll have to decline the job offer, it’s too much of a risk. Then just set up my Universal credit and stay on that for now. I wish I hadn’t of bothered now and just kept my ESA! Oh well it is what it is!

The point of claiming UC whilst still entitled to ESA was to have your support group (LCWRA) status honoured from the start of your claim - both for the LCWRA element entitlement and so you wouldn't have to have a WCA if your job was too much and you then needed to claim benefits again.

Were you going to turn down the offer because your ESA would have stopped?  If you were going to go for it anyway, you have literally lost nothing and hopefully gained a safety net by getting your claim started now.  As explained, your claim has started already.  Don't turn down a whole job offer just because you might have to try to rearrange a Jobcentre appointment or two!  With the greatest of respect, that would just be silly.

And, if hypothetically you were to not be able to fit any appointments in with your work schedule ever (highly unlikely), you'd still be no worse off than if you'd simply had ESA stopped because you were now working.  But that is an extremely unlikely, completely hypothetical worst-case scenario (and you'd still be no worse off, which is quite something!).

Hoot_Owl

calcotti said:

Hoot_Owl said: The problem I have now is my Universal credit claim isn’t live until they can verify my identity, hence I’m technically not claiming Universal Credit before starting my job on Monday. 

As I understand it your claim has been made and the start date is today but will not be processed until ID verification has been completed. They may be able to do a biographical verification over the phone.

Hoot_Owl said:

Also I doubt I’ll be allowed to go to a job centre appointment if I’m supposed to be at work! 

That possible conflict was precisely why I flagged up the need to attend a JobCentre as part of the process. However as you are working 25 hours Rather then full time I would hope JobCentre would be flexible enough to work around your working hours.

Hi, sorry I didn’t see your post (it’s been a long day! Ha)

So the initial setting up of the UC claim online, even without id verification first, still counts as claiming UC prior to starting the job? If so then disaster averted! 

 A telephone appointment to verify my id would be much easier to work around, shame it will have to be next week now though but is doable.

It’s a funny job, my contracted hours are only 25 hours per week, but apparently to the run up to Xmas there is lots of overtime you are expected to do, possibly taking me up to 40+ hours aweek, plus the job can be 6 days out of 7 with only one rotational day off a week, makes it difficult work around.

calcotti

If you know what hours you will be working next week you could post a message in your journal asking UC not to try and contact you during these hours if you will be unable to answer the phone while at work.

As spoonie has explained you have not lost anything. The point of the exercise was to hopefully protect your benefit situation as you start work so your ESA was going to end anyway.