Mandatory reconsideration…no reply

slou33

Hi everyone 
you might remember my previous posts.
My sister has started a MR regarding LCW decision.
I believe she should have been awarded LCWRA.
She has been asking in her journal for 8 days for a link to upload psychiatrist letters.
She has sent 8 messages not one response.
Her work coach at first said she could tell her telephone work focused interviews were causing her severe distress and she wouldn’t need them often.
Yet she has a telephone apt last week (which caused her to self harm ) and the work coach has booked her in again in a fortnight.
I tried ringing UC but they won’t speak to me.
They said my sister has to ring (but she can’t)
We are putting messages in journal under payment ,work coach ,service issues and no response.
No idea if the MR has even been put in motion.
My sister now wants to end her Uc claim and says she doesn’t care anymore.
it’s so hard
What can we do ?

tomtom256

If she has LCW, she should only be having a mandatory appointment every 3 months.
Not sure why she is being booked in fortnightly, did she answer the call last week? If not it could be a follow up, to prevent sanctions etc.
MR's can take a while to be looked at.

slou33

Yeah she answered the call.
The work coach said she will have to do fortnightly calls whilst waiting for MR
Even tho In her journal the week before she said she only needed 6 month apts 

calcotti

slou33 said:

Yeah she answered the call.
The work coach said she will have to do fortnightly calls whilst waiting for MR
Even tho In her journal the week before she said she only needed 6 month apts 

That sounds as if work coach has failed to take into account that she has been found to have LCW.

slou33

How often should the calls be if found to have LCW ?
Also she got 24 points on her Assesment 

NedS

slou33 said:

How often should the calls be if found to have LCW ?
Also she got 24 points on her Assesment 

Appointments are at the discretion of the work coach. Guidance states around 3 months, but they could be monthly if the work coach felt that was warranted in supporting the customer. Appointments should be face to face, not by phone, which was only ever brought in during Covid where it was not possible for people to attend face to face appointments.

poppy12345

slou33 said:

How often should the calls be if found to have LCW ?
Also she got 24 points on her Assesment 

For LCWRA it's not about points, it's about satisfying at least one of the descriptors. I'm sure the link was posted in a previous thread of yours. Here's the link again. https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/universal-credit-uc/uc-faq/3904-limited-capability-for-work-related-activity

Please take note of this part.

4. There is a substantial risk to you, or others, if you are found not to have a limited capability for work-related activity.  You will be treated as having limited capability for work-related activities if:

‘you suffer from some specific disease or bodily or mental disablement and, by reasons of such disease or disablement; there would be a substantial risk to the mental or physical health of any person if you were found not to have limited capability for work-related activity'

This is an increasingly important route into the LCWRA group, but not one the DWP are quick to apply.  We devote several pages to Reg 35 in our members only guide to Employment & Support Allowance and Universal Credit Claims On Physical & Mental Health Grounds

Spoonie_Turtle

As poppy says, it's not about points, but - how are those points made up?  If it's 15 and 9 points then the 15-point descriptor would usually be a LCWRA descriptor anyway.  If it's any other combination, do you feel they chose the appropriate ones or should some have been higher?

Robbie64

The work coach is being totally unreasonable in this instance. An appointment once every two weeks with someone who it is acknowledged has severe difficulties with engagement is totally unreasonable. Ask for a reconsideration of the decision for fortnightly appointments and if it is unforthcoming, complain and even consider asking for another work coach.

slou33

Spoonie_Turtle said:

As poppy says, it's not about points, but - how are those points made up?  If it's 15 and 9 points then the 15-point descriptor would usually be a LCWRA descriptor anyway.  If it's any other combination, do you feel they chose the appropriate ones or should some have been higher?

Spoonie_Turtle said:

As poppy says, it's not about points, but - how are those points made up?  If it's 15 and 9 points then the 15-point descriptor would usually be a LCWRA descriptor anyway.  If it's any other combination, do you feel they chose the appropriate ones or should some have been higher?

Yeah I think 
Coping with change is the full points as she literally can’t cope with any change at all without self harming or severe anxiety and also 

Coping with social engagement 

Those are the 2 descriptors we have put in MR with examples 

slou33

Robbie64 said:

The work coach is being totally unreasonable in this instance. An appointment once every two weeks with someone who it is acknowledged has severe difficulties with engagement is totally unreasonable. Ask for a reconsideration of the decision for fortnightly appointments and if it is unforthcoming, complain and even consider asking for another work coach.

The work coach knows she self harms under any pressure and before the telephone apts yet still making her do this.
Also asking her has she thought about attending confidence building courses 

it’s a joke