Universal Credit Claim

I think that the online form has to be completed in 40 mins or less because the page automatically shuts down? It stuck in my mind because I'm quite slow at completing stuff like that. A Job Centre+ would, I believe, have to help anyone who struggled to complete a UC claim form themselves.

Hi Catlady,

https://www.mentalhealthandmoneyadvice.org/en/welfare-benefits/universal-credit-mental-health-guide/help-with-your-universal-credit-claim/how-to-prepare-for-your-universal-credit-work-capability-assessment/

1. When you / your son applies for UC follow the above guidance on requesting LCWRA this will provide your son the additional health related payment £340 approximately per month but more importantly he won’t have the stress of searching for employment this can be supported by your local disability employment organisation (eg. Enable) to give him as much support he needs at the level that he can cope with? If you look at the link you will see more than one aspect which makes him eligible and the PIP is an important aspect of challenging DWP “if” required? Do you have a professional GP, autism worker, ex-teacher, social worker who can provide a support letter to back up the application for the health related component (LCWRA) rate? 

Thank you for the information. I will hopefully pluck up the courage to do this soon!

if your job searching, go and talk to your disability employment advisor at your local job centre. If you are unable to meet the commitment in you universal credit agreement it often means you need to request a limit capability assessment which will result in you being placed in two groups. One group is where you do not have to job search and can go at your own pace or work on getting better and you often don’t have to have regular meeting with a work coach and the other is group consists of fewer commitments and have to take part in activities that can get you work ready. 

the limited capability could potentially double your universal credit claim making it go from £320 a months to something around £640 for a single adult over 25. 

Autism is a disability under the equality act. The   Disability employment advisor is apart of the DWP and should be available to access with the job centre you have arrange an appointment through your work coach. Disability employment advisors also work with individuals with mental health problems. 

the link you provided is of the service that the disability employment adviser, social worker or doctor can refer you too. It’s has very little to do with the disability employment advisor but an employment scheme. My local authority has the exact scheme barricaded behind invention service of adult social services and requires a health plan to access it. 

the disability employment adviser can give you advice, sign post you outside the job centre authority.

Limited capability element of universal credit is means tested. But unlike pip which you can claim at the same time. The limited capability assessment takes into account not being able to actively search for employment, mixing with others, burnout. You just have to explain it often over a telephone appointment. 

I am on UC and looking for work. Its not easy because I feel like unless I have a diagnosis they won't care about any adjustments I need - at least your son has his diagnosis on paper already. In the past I've been on disability living allowance for mental health issues and the assessment process was traumatising.

Making an initial UC claim is straight forward especially if you help him with the paperwork but be aware of the down side - the system is demoralising. I personally feel more tired/stressed trying to keep up with their arbitrary targets which leaves me depleted and feeling less and less capable of work (ironically).

You or an advocate should ideally go with him to every appointment to make him feel supported and so there is always a witness to their behaviour towards him. The more you can limit his exposure to it the better in my opinion. It's like being on parole.

To be honest, I wouldn’t bother with UC. I tried going down that route the other week and I was made to feel humiliated and my mental health has suffered for it since.  

You need to challenge it, and apply for limited capability element of UC. You could get the standard allowance and the limit capacity. Which basically double your universal credit entitlement. You then can focus on getting to a place where you can job search or go at your own place. 

It is a service available to disabled only,

www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/.../supported-employment

It is not a part of a jobcentre or UC

I did get my Employment Office at the end of November 2021

I had a disability / mental health advisor while on UC in 2019.

They reduced my work search commitment to 25 hours per week and I was excused from signing on in person at the job centre.

When the lockdown was eased in summer 2021.  My work search commitment was upped back to 35 hours per week and they insisted on weekly attendance in person at the job centre.

Did you mention that you have Autism ? Was it in the last three years ? Did they refer you to the disability employment advisor ?

because all are now since last year protocol on dealing with job seekers who have complex or multiple needs.

UC will give you money depending on how much / if you work compared to expenses, but it won't give you any real help or advice.

I found out that there is Supported Employment Team at a local council, and they assigned me Employment Officer about 2 months after I applied, I was lucky, because she is friendly and understanding and really wants to help me find a better/more suitable employment for me, She is helping me with everyday issues as well, and advices  me about issues at my current work.We have a 1 hour talk on Zoom or at her office once a week, plus exchanging email. It looks like there is no time frame to how long it can keep on going so I hope until I find job in accountancy.

If he needs assistance with filling out the claim, you can ask the job centres disability employment advisor to assist him, alternatively you could look at a charity like 'equal lives' to assist him filling out the forms and making sure he getting everything he is entitled to. 

Caelus said:

the jobcenter will probably make him feel more anxious due to the way they treat people

I did write a story about my first visit there, it was sometime October last year, so after covid lockdown was lifted ''My visit to the Lunapark'', it was so surreal experience I had to do something to commemorate it :D

Its a learning experience really, he might benefit from facing it.  He may not.  When I left school I was really withdrawn and drifted, my mum had to nudge me to look for work, and then helped me write letters (hand written back then which I also wasn't great at).  I then needed help with application forms.  The interviews I just had to get on with by myself, but actually it was OK, and I got offered a job as an apprentice and just pushed myself on.

Anxiety and things can get in the way of learning, or finding out what we really can or can't do.

Its low risk, so why not just have a go and try to manage the process.  Fears and anxiety can put false barriers in the way, and also make it hard to face/overcome real barriers.

Just make the claim.  What's the worst that can happen?

aye the jobcenter will probably make him feel more anxious due to the way they treat people, they speak to you on a automatic assumption that your a criminal and dont need the welfare and they must try their best to expose you and kick you off or get you arrested. so yeah speaking to them causes everyone anxiety due to that. so will be the worse people to speak to in his life. especially if they start threatening to have him thrown in jail like they did with me one time for no reason lol

Hi Robert12, thanks for your reply.  I'm worried he can't manage this, he struggles with paperwork and gets anxious about talking to people too.  

HI Robert124, thank you for your reply.  I really don't think my son is capable of spending all that time looking and applying.  To date, I have had to do any paperwork and application forms for jobs he has applied for as he just can't do them - He struggles processing what he reads and never knows what to say on them.  I would have to attend the weekly job centre appointments with him too as he easily forgets what people say to him and wouldn't help answering questions they put to him.  We were told he may need to have an interview by the benefits people to assess his fitness to work.

universal credit is the standard unemployment... you dont need any evaluations, you just need to sign on, you need to agree to be looking for employment, at one time you had to prove to be looking for and applying for jobs but now they branded it discriminatory to prove that people on jobseekers (which is what it is) are seeking work lol