Moving to UC and really anxious

Rubyroobs

Cyclamen said:

Thanks everyone  that makes sense about the IS.   I'd muddled it thinking we'd get the next two weeks then nothing until the UC starts then the 'transitional protection to replace the Income Support we had previously would start being paid in advance not arrears.  Which is where i'd made a msitake and got muddled. 

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I know this is silly to some but i've had a truly horrible time filling it all out .. its saying i need a work coach, how many hours i can work, qualifications, jobs i want etc etc etc over and over i typed.. my health, ESA support group ...then list all my diagnosis etc etc.. it doesnt exactly leave me feeling full of Joy, tears and all-sorts of things stirred up now.  I want a box for 'cure me' and i will start work Monday.   

I'm hoping they dont need me to go to job centre and can use my records...  

You won't need to see a work coach if you are in the support group of ESA as you will have no work commitments. Once your Uc claim is up and running I would leave a journal message explaining that you are in receipt of ESA. You should automatically get the LCWRA award on your Uc claim under transitional regulation.

Spoonie_Turtle

Cyclamen said:

I'm hoping they dont need me to go to job centre and can use my records...  

You will probably have to attend an appointment to confirm your ID, and maaaaaybe one to confirm commitments (absolutely minimal, literally just 'I'll check my journal and let DWP if anything changes'). 

You won't need a reassessment because your ESA Support Group will transfer over to LCWRA.  If you did happen to be called for reassessment - very unlikely - it would be sheer coincidence, there's nothing about claiming UC that would trigger it.

HillStreetBlues

Cyclamen said:

Thanks everyone  that makes sense about the IS.   I'd muddled it thinking we'd get the next two weeks then nothing until the UC starts then the 'transitional protection to replace the Income Support we had previously would start being paid in advance not arrears.  Which is where i'd made a msitake and got muddled. 

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I know this is silly to some but i've had a truly horrible time filling it all out .. its saying i need a work coach, how many hours i can work, qualifications, jobs i want etc etc etc over and over i typed.. my health, ESA support group ...then list all my diagnosis etc etc.. it doesnt exactly leave me feeling full of Joy, tears and all-sorts of things stirred up now.  I want a box for 'cure me' and i will start work Monday.   

I'm hoping they dont need me to go to job centre and can use my records...  

It's not silly at all. It can be overwhelming and very stressful. 

poppy12345

Your ESA will also continue as normal, so you will have those payments too while you wait for your first UC payment.  Though it will be deducted in full from any UC entitlement, same as the CA. 

Cyclamen

Well that got truly awful very, very fast.

In a nut shell... i was sent an appointment to go in and discuss work commitment or some such.. told to get fit note .. all very hard on my Mental health.. I had a sudden onset into disability and being unable to work .. its left trauma.. and big Mental health scars over the years.

I'd explained this on the application and in the journal bit... but i was summonsed... the appointment was a time and day i dont have carer support to go out.  But more than that.. i have never got over loosing my health, job, freedom and independence.  

So I rang them... first person was obviously following a rigid script.. could only say get a fit note despite me being in support group esa/ unfit for work for 15 years.  That I had to go in and if i didn't i would be sanctioned... i tried to hold it together but tears, shakes, feeling sick and all that piled on..it was very much being presented as going back to the start of ESA with all the forms, medical letters doctors appointments etc etc...but also explaining over and over i want to work but my chronic illness/ disability prevents that...  so i said i'd hang up and leave it.. coaxed to stay on phone .. passed to a different department.   This person understood, was aware the system was aimed at new applicants not those of us migrating... sent email explaining things to my job centre, was so soothing, understanding and effective.   

My job coach rang that afternoon.. has cancelled the meeting, changed that to a phone call later next week once the 'computer system has caught up with ESA, PIP and IS systems' told me to ignore the fit note request.. (that was the most triggering as its where it all started with a sea of sick notes, tests etc ).    I had the right ID for online so thats sorted. I hope it's easier from now on 

Now my Husband has to go in but my work coach has spoken to his coach (different people) and she rearranged his appointment to a time i have somebody who can stay with me as i'm a bit of a mess to be left alone at the moment. He is going in as a carer and or transitional Income support.  

The government have been rolling out UC for 9 years in my area (possibly longer elsewhere) why oh why isnt there a button to say 'i've had a migration letter, this is the reference number... and then the system pauses whilst they harvest the info from the other departments... surely that would save them time and us disabled people energy and stress in an already hostile world.?

peteuk

Cyclamen said:

The government have been rolling out UC for 9 years in my area (possibly longer elsewhere) why oh why isnt there a button to say 'i've had a migration letter, this is the reference number... and then the system pauses whilst they harvest the info from the other departments... surely that would save them time and us disabled people energy and stress in an already hostile world.?

Because it’s not that simple, it would be akin to changing an orange to an apple.  You have to take into account all the laws and rules from all the legacy benefits and then push them into UC…

I totally get you've had a difficult time, and you've found out the hard way that the “helpline” is helpless but again they aren’t trained in every aspect of UC and the legacy benefits.  Hopefully your work coach’s will be smart enough to assist you further.

Equally a fit note can be arranged over the phone or as an admin task on line (depending on your GP) its not as dreadful as it used to be.

Moving forward, good luck with the UC claim, seems youve got good work coaches who talk to each other. 

HillStreetBlues

Cyclamen said:

The government have been rolling out UC for 9 years in my area (possibly longer elsewhere) why oh why isnt there a button to say 'i've had a migration letter, this is the reference number... and then the system pauses whilst they harvest the info from the other departments... surely that would save them time and us disabled people energy and stress in an already hostile world.?

Cost.
Yes it could have been designed with that, but that would add cost, also the more you add the more that can go wrong.
As most people will only transfer from ESA to UC once, they would have calculated it's not worth it.
I don't say I agree with it, but I would guess that's the reason.

When I moved from ESA SG, I had no issue, just made a note on my journal to make it clear I should be put in LCWRA. (I know that doesn't help you).

Cyclamen

Like most government systems its lacking .. maybe i was just unlucky but having detailed stuff in the work journal right at the start it made no difference for me.

I fully appreciate there is a whole mix of legacy benefits and calculations.. but at a bare minimum harvesting the current details for anyone being migrated is logical.  

I have not found the system at all adapted for those with disabilities, ill health and how certain questions can be incredibly distressing to many of us.  o

Yes I have now been allocated to a 'work coach' that seems to genuinely understand.. but daft details like being titled 'work coach' when i dont need coaching to work but curing so that I can. .. rather than UC coach or something less loaded to amke me feel awful... from talking to others being migrated i am not alone in these thoughts or experiences... but it does also go well for many too.

Fit note.. yep i filled in the online request for one.. and was then told to self certificate for first 5 days (ive been ill health retired almost 15 years then would need an appointment. What a waste of GP time,  Unfortunately one doesnt get to choose the mental health triggers that pile on during long term disability/ chronic illness.  I have spent a weekend of tortured dreams and memories of those first awful sicknotes.. no difficulty getting them but that they represented me being able to work one day and not the next ... 

i am hoping thats it all settled now.. just box ticking... i know i have an esa review due late summer (not linked to UC my time is up) and long to just get on with trying to get some quality of life

nayathepsychic

I really do feel for you, it's such a worry isn't it? My initial claim for UC (not migrated) was March 2020 so you can imagine how that went with everything happening at that time!

My advice is from now on if you have any questions or concerns is to contact your work coach (I agree, it does seem a daft title to those of us who can't work) either in your journal or by phone at the jobcentre. The "helpline" isn't staffed by the people who actually deal with UC, they are just call centre staff with limited generic information that mostly won't apply to people in our circumstances. The work coaches I've met or spoken to have all been helpful and understanding. 

peteuk

The whole point of UC is to try and get people back to work and supporting themselves, it covers everyone so yes when you know you’ll never work, or wont be working for the near distance future then “work coach” is a bit misleading. 

However because its Universal - one system then for those who can look for work the title work coach is appropriate.  For instance if you have a child of a certain age you’re not expected to actively seek employment, however you are expected to prep for work, so again work coach is appropriate.  

It’s semantics, which I know is somewhat triggering to some people, but in reality that is what they are a work coach, they should still support you and assess your ability and requirements to work.  If they do their job fully then they will assess that in some cases the ability to work or seek employment is not required.