Less money after being switched over to Universal Credit

thebailey

20th Janurary Update:  Still not getting any wheres.  More information on the last page.

NEW UPDATE: Janurary 8

I have added more information to the last page of this thread.  Apologies I have not been on here sooner.

Update: 14th December.

After waiting a while, I finally heard back from the local benefits help group.  They said there's nothing I can do and I should have told the DWP back in March or May my aunts PIP had stopped.  I said I thought they would know this as I thought all departments were one thing, plus I thought you still got the same benefits during the appeal period.

I then said don't understand how someone else with the exact same health problems as me and cares for someone, gets an additional £285 a month.  The woman then said "It's just sods law that it hasn't worked out for you being on UC and you're getting less money"

She then asked if I have filled in a work capability booklet and I said no because when I told UC I was a carer once again due to my aunt winning PIP, I was told I no longer need to send back the booklet. The woman then said "Yes, but you can still work full time and be a carer".  She said if I fill in the booklet and submit sick lines for 13 weeks, I'll get extra money.

Is that true what I've been told??  I have no problem submitting sick lines for 13 weeks, if it'll help my money go back up????

AND to make matters worse, I have received a letter today from the DWP saying they will be making me pay back IS from May to September.

Very depressing situation to be in.  Please help if you can.  Thank you.



Update:

I received a call from the DWP, admitting they have made a mistake but they won't be paying me the SDP.  They said that even though I was not informed my IS was running out at the end of May, and they continued to pay me till September, I had to apply for UC by the end of June.  The woman said there's nothing I could do and they will just continue to pay me the basic UC rate now.

There must be something I can do?  If they didn't write to me till September, it's not fair.  

Thanks.

Hi

For several years, I was receiving (and still do) receive DLA/PIP as well as receiving Income Support and Carer's allowance, for looking after my auntie.  A while back, I was sent a letter saying Income support was being replaced by Universal Credit, and I now had to create a UC account.  However, my rate have decreased by a lot.

I used to received IS fortnightly at £294.40, CA weekly at £67,25 & PIP £240 a month (PIP has stayed the same)

Now I'm getting UC monthly at £324.84, CA Monthly at £163.73 & PIP £240 (I've been told I am once again entitled to CA but haven't heard anything else and when I do, it'll be £163 a month)

When I add these 3 things, I'm now on £182.14 a week, instead of £274.45.  Not sure why I've lost £92.31, a week?  I keep reading that when people are moved to UC, they will not received less money, and may even receive more??

I've messaged a few times to my UC journal, and they don't seem very helpful, and take ages to reply too.  All I get told is either phone this number or use the benefit calculators if I think I'm on the wrong amounts.  Same thing happens when I phone numbers I'm giving, they just say "Oh you'll need to send a message to your journal"

PLUS, my last IS payment was at the beginning of September, and I've only had 1 UC payment since then.  Just seems a right shambles since having to move over to UC.

Thanks.

calcotti

I don’t understand why you were told to apply for UC. Although UC is replacing IS nobody is required to switch unless they have a change a circumstances that would end the IS anyway.

Did your IS include a Severe Disability Premium?  If it did your UC should include a Severe Disability Transitional Element if you still met the conditions when you transferred and it sounds as if that may be missing. That could be an extra £285/month.

Check your IS award. If the SDP was included then post a message in your UC journal asking about the SDP transitional element.

thebailey

My Auntie had to appeal her PIP and won (that itself was quite quick).  However, during the appeal, that's when I was sent the letter saying I now had to apply for UC. 

To be honest, it's been nothing but a hassle.  From the beginning I told them all my health issues and that we were waiting to hear back about my aunties PIP and that I care for her etc  Originally I was told I wouldn't need to apply for jobs but then I got a Capability for work questionnaire booklet to fill in though?  Spoke to my UC coach and she said I shouldn't have been sent that and I need to phone the medical team number, but when I phoned them the guy said "Oh, you probably need to fill it in if you've been sent one" so I sent another message to my UC journal and someone else replied to my message saying I don't and they took it off my UC account.

Anyway, yes, I was receiving a severe disability premium.  All my UC account says is I am entitled to 324.84 a month.  Plus, I've only had 1 payment since the 5th of September (which is another issue I am having).  I clicked a button that switches it to 2 monthly payments so my next payment is for half on the 5th of December and the other half on the 19th of December.

Don't know what to do.

Rubyroobs

thebailey said:

My Auntie had to appeal her PIP and won (that itself was quite quick).  However, during the appeal, that's when I was sent the letter saying I now had to apply for UC. 

To be honest, it's been nothing but a hassle.  From the beginning I told them all my health issues and that we were waiting to hear back about my aunties PIP and that I care for her etc  Originally I was told I wouldn't need to apply for jobs but then I got a Capability for work questionnaire booklet to fill in though?  Spoke to my UC coach and she said I shouldn't have been sent that and I need to phone the medical team number, but when I phoned them the guy said "Oh, you probably need to fill it in if you've been sent one" so I sent another message to my UC journal and someone else replied to my message saying I don't and they took it off my UC account.

Anyway, yes, I was receiving a severe disability premium.  All my UC account says is I am entitled to 324.84 a month.  Plus, I've only had 1 payment since the 5th of September (which is another issue I am having).  I clicked a button that switches it to 2 monthly payments so my next payment is for half on the 5th of December and the other half on the 19th of December.

Don't know what to do.

Do you currently have the carers element on your Uc claim ? Carers allowance is paid separately then deducted from UC pound for pound but you should also have a carers element on there. Once you have been assessed for capability for work, then if awarded LCWRA, that element would pay more than the Carers element so would replace that as you cannot be paid them both.
If you want to be assessed for fitness for work then you need to fill in the Uc50 form and wait to be assessed.

calcotti

Unfortunately when your aunties’s PIP stopped, your entitlement to CA stopped and this ended your entitlement to IS. DWP were therefore correct to say you needed to claim UC.

If you reported a health condition that limits your ability to work then UC were right to issue the UC50. 

UC is paid monthly. The first payment would be one month and one week after you applied and monthly thereafter.

Post a message about the SDP transitional element which you should be getting -  provided you applied for UC within one month of your IS ending.

thebailey

Rubyroobs said:

thebailey said:

My Auntie had to appeal her PIP and won (that itself was quite quick).  However, during the appeal, that's when I was sent the letter saying I now had to apply for UC. 

To be honest, it's been nothing but a hassle.  From the beginning I told them all my health issues and that we were waiting to hear back about my aunties PIP and that I care for her etc  Originally I was told I wouldn't need to apply for jobs but then I got a Capability for work questionnaire booklet to fill in though?  Spoke to my UC coach and she said I shouldn't have been sent that and I need to phone the medical team number, but when I phoned them the guy said "Oh, you probably need to fill it in if you've been sent one" so I sent another message to my UC journal and someone else replied to my message saying I don't and they took it off my UC account.

Anyway, yes, I was receiving a severe disability premium.  All my UC account says is I am entitled to 324.84 a month.  Plus, I've only had 1 payment since the 5th of September (which is another issue I am having).  I clicked a button that switches it to 2 monthly payments so my next payment is for half on the 5th of December and the other half on the 19th of December.

Don't know what to do.

Do you currently have the carers element on your Uc claim ? Carers allowance is paid separately then deducted from UC pound for pound but you should also have a carers element on there. Once you have been assessed for capability for work, then if awarded LCWRA, that element would pay more than the Carers element so would replace that as you cannot be paid them both.
If you want to be assessed for fitness for work then you need to fill in the Uc50 form and wait to be assessed.

All I get is UC at £324 a month and PIP at £240. 

Even though I have been told I am still entitled to Carers allowance and I am due backdated money (although a smaller rate of £163 a month) I haven't received any carers for 6 months or so.  My auntie won her appeal a month or so ago and has even been backdated her PIP money but I am yet to get any carers allowance.

Rubyroobs

thebailey said:

Rubyroobs said:

thebailey said:

My Auntie had to appeal her PIP and won (that itself was quite quick).  However, during the appeal, that's when I was sent the letter saying I now had to apply for UC. 

To be honest, it's been nothing but a hassle.  From the beginning I told them all my health issues and that we were waiting to hear back about my aunties PIP and that I care for her etc  Originally I was told I wouldn't need to apply for jobs but then I got a Capability for work questionnaire booklet to fill in though?  Spoke to my UC coach and she said I shouldn't have been sent that and I need to phone the medical team number, but when I phoned them the guy said "Oh, you probably need to fill it in if you've been sent one" so I sent another message to my UC journal and someone else replied to my message saying I don't and they took it off my UC account.

Anyway, yes, I was receiving a severe disability premium.  All my UC account says is I am entitled to 324.84 a month.  Plus, I've only had 1 payment since the 5th of September (which is another issue I am having).  I clicked a button that switches it to 2 monthly payments so my next payment is for half on the 5th of December and the other half on the 19th of December.

Don't know what to do.

Do you currently have the carers element on your Uc claim ? Carers allowance is paid separately then deducted from UC pound for pound but you should also have a carers element on there. Once you have been assessed for capability for work, then if awarded LCWRA, that element would pay more than the Carers element so would replace that as you cannot be paid them both.
If you want to be assessed for fitness for work then you need to fill in the Uc50 form and wait to be assessed.

All I get is UC at £324 a month and PIP at £240. 

Even though I have been told I am still entitled to Carers allowance and I am due backdated money (although a smaller rate of £163 a month) I haven't received any carers for 6 months or so.  My auntie won her appeal a month or so ago and has even been backdated her PIP money but I am yet to get any carers allowance.

Check your Uc statement. If the carers element is not on there ( £163. 73), then you need to report on your journal that you are a carer. Report a change of circumstance on the Home page. UC carers element is different to carers allowance, so you should also have the carers element on your claim.

calcotti

The £163 is the carer element of UC which you originally said you were already getting. Carer’s Allowance is a different benefit which you can still claim but if you do it will simply be deducted from your UC so it will not change your overall income,

The reason your income is down is because of the missing SDP. Did you claim UC within one month of the IS ending? If so you are entitled to the SDP transitional element as advised and you need to chase UC to get this added (and the carer element).

Rubyroobs

calcotti said:

The £163 is the carer element of UC which you originally said you were already getting. Carer’s Allowance is a different benefit which you can still claim but if you do it will simply be deducted from your UC so it will not change your overall income,

The reason your income is down is because of the missing SDP. Did you claim UC within one month of the IS ending. If so you are entitled to the SDP transitional element as advised and you need to chase UC to get this added.

Sorry Calcotti, I completely missed the bit in the original post that Carers element was already being paid. Apologies.

thebailey

I am sorry guys, I have wrote the wrong information.

I currently get UC monthly at 324 and PIP monthly at 240 "AND" I have been told I am entitled once again to carers allowance (£163 a month) BUT haven't received any payments yet (nor have I received the backdated payment)  That also seems to be take ages to get?

Although, once I start gettng the carers again, when I add the UC, CA and PIP together, weekly, I will be on £92 less a week.  So, as you have said, it seems I am missing a SDP, and I'll go and message my UC asking for this.

I am sorry for the confusion.  And yes, I applied for UC immediately when I received the letter saying I now had to apply for UC (same day I got the letter)

calcotti

Rubyroobs said: ..Once you have been assessed for capability for work, then if awarded LCWRA, that element would pay more than the Carers element so would replace that as you cannot be paid them both.

If you want to be assessed for fitness for work then you need to fill in the Uc50 form and wait to be assessed.

OP is in a peculiar position where getting the LCWRA element could make them worse off.

Currently they get the carer element and, on the face of it, the SDP element. if they are awarded the LCWRA element the carer element will be removed and the SDP element will also be reduced by the LCWRA element which means it too will be removed. Unfortunately when reducing the SDP element they do not offset the LCWRA and carer elements.

Getting the LCWRA element is worth less than getting the carer and SDP elements.

Discussion on this here
https://www.rightsnet.org.uk/forums/viewthread/17679

If SDP element is included then OP is better of not having WCA.

OP, be aware that if the SDP element is added the £285 is a starting amount. Each time any of the other parts of your award increase the SDP element will reduce. Your maximum UC amount will therefore be effectively frozen until the SDP element has been completely eroded.