Universal Credit Managed Migration - I'm on the sick but they want me to work

AMJF

marcia_ said:

Then there is no reason you can't get a similar job, not necessarily at a charity shop but still behind the scene and you have the experience and reference from the charity shop that qualifies you for the job.

Do they count voluntary work as valid work experience these days?

I once volunteered at the British Deaf Association back around 1999-2000 as a data entry clerk, and I was there for a few months as I recall. About a year later, I went for a job interview and I mentioned the work I did as a data entry clerk to the interviewer. As soon as I said it was voluntary work, they shut down the job interview right there and then and effectively asked me to leave.

That was then, perhaps attitudes to voluntary work have changed since that time?

marcia_

 Yes you can definitely put it on your CV as valid work experience and it is accepted as such. You can also have the charity as a reference provider. 

 I have years of volunteer work on my CV and wouldn't have got a couple of my jobs without it 

HillStreetBlues

AMJF said:

I was on WRAG.

It's the most stupid system.
To get into the Support Group (also stupidly named)  a person has to meet a certain requirement, if not met then in WRAG.
Many people will be far too disabled to actually work, but fall short to get into the SG. The upshot is to prepare for paid employment that they will never take up.  

AMJF

I attended an appointment at the JobCentre today to show proof of ID for my claim, and they then told me I didn't have to come in again and that the managed migration was on track.

I also had this exchange on my journal about the "Prepare to meet your work coach" to-do:

"Hello, I was wondering about the "Prepare to meet your work coach" to-do. I have been on Income Support, then ESA WRAG, since 2005 and have not had a paid job since then, but I have been doing voluntary work in all that time. Is it necessary to complete this to-do?"

"Hello -,  

Yes you will need to complete to-do's so that your work coach can ensure your claim is up to fate and correct 

Kind regards 

- Case manager"

I did some checking yesterday and it seems that this "work coach" to-do is automatically generated by the account, that it's not necessary in my case but I've been told to fill it in anyway. I have a CV but it hasn't been updated for many years, and I figure it will ask me about a lot of information that I don't have or remember.

Should I fill it out anyway, to the best of my knowledge? Will they decide I'm "fit for work" if I do so?

Robbie64

What is the to-do asking you to do?

AMJF

Robbie64 said:

What is the to-do asking you to do?

I'd already partially done some of it. It was asking for qualifications I have, to provide a CV, ask what sort of jobs I think I could do, what experience I have, etc, etc.

Do they need to know this even though I may not actually have to look for work? Is it just for their records, etc.

KxMx

With WRAG you are expected to do work preparation activities, these questions fall under that remit IMO. 

HillStreetBlues

KxMx said:

With WRAG you are expected to do work preparation activities, these questions fall under that remit IMO. 

I had that when on WRAG, most advisors just took one look at me and said not to bother There was one thou that insisted that he could get me back into work, I just replied I don't think we in Bethesda, thankfully only had him once.

Newcad

Just fill it in to keep them happy, if your CV is old they will probably then ask you to do an updated one.

I worked out long ago on ESA, and it applies even more so for UC, that there are certain tickboxes releted to these actions and To-Do's that your work coach has to tick.

With UC it's the computer driving things and putting out actions and To Do's.
So if you make you WC's job easy and just do what's needed so they can tick a box when a computerised To Do spits something out then they're happy and won't badger you much.

(Of course this may change in future but at the moment it's mainly about ticking the computers boxes).

AMJF

So I entered the "work coach" data, as much as I knew, and submitted it, and then added my CV which is quite old, and it all seems done now.

There is a part in the website called "Work Plan" which says I won't have to do any jobsearches or preparation for work, which I think means I'm on LCWRA.

There is another thing now: It seems my Standard Allowance and Housing Element is established, I will get my first payment on the 18th of July, and I will find out what that is on the 14th of July, but if I have to tell Cardiff council about Council Tax Reduction, when do I do it?