Urgent advice request

Newcad

Just about sanctions; and to note that your "Work Plan" and your "Claimant Commetiment" are two different things.

If you look on your Journal Homepage you will see they are seperate catagories - "My commitments" and next to it "My work plan"..

Your "Claimant Commitment" is the things that you have to do - and it tells you at the bottom of that page about sanctions that you might get if you don't do them.
The sections on a Claimant Commitment are:
Activities: 'What I'll do' and 'Hours per week'
Meetings with my work coach: That says you have to attend meetings when they say, or let them know if you can't make one.
Using my online account: Says that you'll login regularly to keep an eye on any new messages on your journal, etc.

It's failing to do something in one of those first 2 that is what mosts people get sanctioned for.

Your "Work Plan" is more details for 'Activities' and things that you have agreed with your work coach that you will do - there is noting on that Work Plan page about sanctions.
The sections on a Work Plan are:
Jobs: Because you are LCW yours should say that you are not required to look for or apply for work.
Activities: Space for more details of activities from the Claiment Commitment, details which can change often for a jobseeker but don't change often for LCW or LCWRA.
You will probably have something in there (I'm also LCW and I have one line in there that says I'll spend an hour a week looking at job adverts online) but it's there more for giving jobseekers more details of what they have to do week to week.
Voluntary Activities: Things that you have agreed with your work coach that you will do if you can or if you want to. (I've got a few things in there like posting on forums and moderating on other forums, it keeps them happy to have something to put down in there).

You cannot get sanctioned for not doing 'Voluntary Activities', and generally because you are LCW you won't get sanctioned if you fail to do the 'Activities' on the Work Plan either.

tomtom256

Anything to do with medical treatment, fit notes or any other similar activities should not be on your commitments or work plan.

I would send a journal message asking why this was listed in the first place. Even if it is on as a voluntary activity, it shouldn't be.

sheramber

Look up the  GP surgery online.

You may be able to register inline

starstyx

Newcad said:

Thanks, this was very helpful. I was in something of a tizz yesterday. I've just gone from Home -> My Commitments and this has verified what you said and helped me get it. My problem is that I tend to go to My Journal -> "Your work plan has been updated" [as a link] -> My activities and get this at the bottom of the screen. 

Your responsibilities

Your payment can be reduced if, without good reason, you do not do what's in your work plan. This is known as a sanction. Read more about sanctions (as a link)    

It can be a little confusing. I intend on following my work plan regardless. 

Also, I've just noticed that the deadlines "...By June 28th" have been removed. That's a relief!

starstyx

Thanks for all the information. I definitely intend on switching surgeries online (or by phone) if I can. I'll text my sister, she's a nurse

And, I dread to ask, but what would be the consequences of rescinding my PIP application?

It feels slightly underhanded to my advisor; but it's not something I'm currently seeking, it sounds gruelling and I don't think my current situation calls or applies for it. I told her today that I had applied but didn't feel it was for me and was told someone else she advises failed to get PIP but gets £95/pw and something about a mobility scooter. I feel like she's trying to help and I don't want to be ungrateful.

When I applied they gave me a number in case I needed to contact them but I'm a little concerned about making a "thanks but no thanks" call. 

tifo

starstyx said:

I told her today that I had applied but didn't feel it was for me and was told someone else she advises failed to get PIP but gets £95/pw and something about a mobility scooter.

That might mean the applicant didn't get the daily care of PIP but mobility .... there's 2 parts for PIP.

Newcad

"Your payment can be reduced if, without good reason, you do not do what's in your work plan. This is known as a sanction."

That's just the usual DWP harsh way of wording things (some call it scare tactics), but you can also put those words another way such as:
"If you don't do something that's in your work plan 'Jobs' or 'Activities' sections, and you don't have a 'good reason' for not doing it, then we are allowed to give you a sanction and cut your benefits - if we want to."
Of course they get to decide if the reason you give for not doing something is 'good' enough, but you can challenge it if they say that it wasn't.

As you say though if you follow your work plan to the letter then it doesn't come up.

huckster

As @tomtom256 says about, the Job Centre work coaches are not allowed to include anything health related in a claimant commitment, because it is always up to a person what they decide to do in regard to their health.

So anything wrongly added in the claimant commitment such as health is not something that could be referred to a Decision Maker.

I think the Work Coach is genuinely concerned about the situation you are in and is trying to encourage you to make appropriate decisions to help you move forward.

kkkklinky

I am completely baffled by this I have never heard of a work coach threatening sanctions for not claiming PIP. I don't accept that it's to help you get LCW/LCWRA since you are already getting that element, regardless PIP has nothing to do with LCW/LCWRA, it's even more bizarre since PIP is not a fitness to work benefit and has nothing to do with whether you can work or not. It's just shocking to me. You cannot be sanctioned for refusing to claim PIP.

If you don't want to claim PIP I don't blame you, it's a stressful benefit to be awarded and you can become dependent on the extra cash(which can in some cases be more than a months UC)to the extent that you can't cope when you/ if you lose your award in the future. 

Spoonie_Turtle

starstyx said:

And, I dread to ask, but what would be the consequences of rescinding my PIP application?

I've not seen anyone address this yet, so my little-informed opinion:  I am no expert so it's possible there could be some repercussions down the line that I've not foreseen, but to my knowledge there should be no detrimental consequences to rescinding your claim.

I would imagine the form will almost certainly still arrive in the post now - it usually takes two weeks to arrive from the date of the phone call anyway, so I would not assume they can block sending the form quickly enough.

You could simply do nothing and the claim would close by default, but you might get blunt letters saying you need to return it/they've closed your claim.

On the other hand, you might still get the automated letters despite phoning up to close the claim, if they don't close it properly.  (Just so you're prepared in case you phone up and that still does happen.)