Diary of a benefit claimant.

MissA wondered how your where especially with the heatwave we had. Luckily it's cooler today.

Your honest posts inspired me to go for anything I can get after 34 years of being refused any benefits . But because I finally had my diagnosis in April I applied for PIP had my interview weeks ago now just a waiting game.

EON sent me a letter because I am on there priority list incase power goes off . With Newcastle uni they are giving away things to help with any form of disability. Choice of 5 things had already paid to have 4 of the things fitted myself. But have attached a photo of the plant pot holder and handrail. So decided to have that. Did need at handle by my garage door. Some may disapprove but if I can get anything for free I am going after it. 34 years I have been refused any help because of didn't have a label. The last 18 years have been hard as my husband died and I haven't been able to work since I was 29. All he left me is long gone and the money I inherited from my mom will be gone by the time I get my state pension in 2024. Plus my husband paid 30 years NI he didn't want to die aged 47. He paid a lot as he was on good money. I have been told I will get 43p a week from what he paid in. Which is an insult to his hard work and long hours.

Anyway at least I have a label and I was born with it.

Hope everyone on this thread coped with the heat and are doing well .

I'm lucky to have her, I know, and I've been quite tetchy with her lately.
I will try harder to be nice.

I am so pleased for you, MissAdventure. What a relief!
I hope you enjoyed your well deserved ice cream. What a kind neighbour.

The ice cream gods were watching over you!

I need reminding of that sometimes.

Everybody needs good neighbours!

Thank you all.
I was just thinking I'd treat myself to an icecream if only I could afford it, and make it out to the van.
Suddenly... ^Oi! Ere you are".
My neighbour with a caramel icecream (with bits in) a flake, and a serviette.
Lovely!!!

Yes. Records in your own handwriting (if that is possible for you) signed and dated are best. I suggest to always put the date in full, as on the Good Morning thread. Not Thurs for the day, not 22 for the year, not Jul for the month. [simle]

A date written in full shows attention to detail and thoroughness, and so adds credibility to whatever one writes.

A good clear signature with one's name written below the signature in capital letters is good too.

Really pleased to hear that the much dreaded meeting went better than expected MissA, you've jumped (metaphorically) a lot of hurdles to get this far. But it's exhausting both physically and mentally isn't it. Well done for today.

It's a difficult situation for you MissAdventure and very stressful. Perhaps worth logging all interactions with them...dates and times and even better, if possible ,correspond with emails, as then you have proof of what happened. Take screen shots of your phoning them... it will show the dates and times, hopefully. Take serene shots of the emails as well. Remember the dialogue and write it down immediately after the call? These services are no longer fit for purpose. Good Luck with it.

MissA sounds like a good result for you. I am glad. Just have a rest and hopefully can treat yourself to something nice. ?

Well, that's something.

No, but he has said that if ever I am expected to go again, I can get a message to him (although he wasnt allowed to give the job centre number) and he will deal with it over the phone.

Oh, have they paid your travel expenses for going to the meeting?

Yes, it's the same man I've been having the phone appointments with.

It means I will get a bit more money (16 pounds spent today on the round trip) and i have no need to attend any work related training, or even really deal with the job centre. For now, at least.

MissAdventure

I'm back.
No need to attend the jobcentre anymore.

They honestly couldn't have been nicer.

They got the barrier opened so that the taxi home could pull right up to the door, and bundled helped me in.
He still wasn't able to officially tell me as it isn't on the system yet, but he mouthed it to me.

Excellent.

I had not seen your post until after I had posted my previous reply.

Is the man to whom you refer the man with whom you had the telephone calls some time ago?

So, in pactical terms, what does the result mean for you going forward please?

MissAdventure

I'm back.
No need to attend the jobcentre anymore.

They honestly couldn't have been nicer.

They got the barrier opened so that the taxi home could pull right up to the door, and bundled helped me in.
He still wasn't able to officially tell me as it isn't on the system yet, but he mouthed it to me.

???????
And toes!

You may well be right.

I wrote my post early this morning as I felt the need to do it. If in the event it was not needed, well there we go, if it was not needed then that would mean that MissAdventure did well at the meeting, so that would be the best result.

After posting I went searching and I found the following.

LINK > www.understandinguniversalcredit.gov.uk/new-to-universal-credit/health-conditions-or-disabilities/

In the section just a bit more than half way down the page, headed Access to work is the following.

quote

Access to Work is a publicly funded employment support programme that aims to help more disabled people start or stay in work. It can provide practical and financial support if you have a disability or long term physical or mental health condition that makes it hard for you to do your job.

An Access to Work grant can pay for practical support to help you:

start working
stay in work
move into self-employment or start a business

end quote

But I have not found anything else about grants to move into self-employment.

Whether such a grant would be available for a fairly basic computer, a budget desktop publishing package, and an internet connection I have no idea.

In general terms, not specific to anyone here, more my general experience in life as well as at the jobcentre, I have found thst it is best to always say what one would like. For example, in a letter "I wonder if you could possibly consider [whatever] please?"

Certainly the reply could be that yes we have considered it.

But in practice I have found that when I have written such letters I have quite often been successful in achieving my goal, or got something helpful even if not what I requested.

So if the people who make the grants don't know what someone wants then even if they are kindly helpful people and even if the rules are generous, unless they are asked they cannot say yes, but even if they were to say no then the fact that the request was made shows that the person receiving Universal Credit is making the effort, which makes it harder to sanction the person.

I'm back.
No need to attend the jobcentre anymore.

They honestly couldn't have been nicer.

They got the barrier opened so that the taxi home could pull right up to the door, and bundled helped me in.
He still wasn't able to officially tell me as it isn't on the system yet, but he mouthed it to me.

StarDreamer I don’t t think it works like that any more. Things change and the current regime is harsh. I shall be interested to hear Miss A’s update on her appointment today.
Now you are in the Support group, you should not need to go to a Job Centre in person. I hope this is the last time for you.

Thanks stardreamer.
I'm not expecting to be spoken to about work or training, as I've been told I am in the support group now.
I can't even think about working presently, or training; life is too difficult.

Thank you.
I'm still here, bu the skin of my teeth; I read the time wrong on the text so nearly set off 2 hours early.
Callistemon post as,much as you want, it's not my personal thread.
It's helpful to hear others' experiences.

Good morning MissAdventure

I posted some notes for you earlier this morning. They are on page 28, which is the previous page from this one.

Just this note in the hope that you see the notes before you go to the meeting, though as it is now after 10 am I suppose that you might be on your way to the meeting at this moment, at the meeting or perhaps it has already finished.

Cabbie21 those were the questions DH failed when trying to get a Blue Badge here.

I didn't mean to sidetrack from MissA's problems, rather it was more to illustrate the tick-box scenario of struggling through any of these processes to get anywhere, even something as apparently simple as applying for a Blue Badge.

MissA I am sorry you are still being treated in this terrible way. Please be very careful in this heat. As the last thing you need is to get over heated and feel faint and fall. I know my stability was bad yesterday because it was so hot and had to take extra care walking. Had to keep stopping as I couldn't keep going in a straight line. Think the heat must have effected my memory as I forgot what I doing a couple of times. I have HPX which is a physical neurological condition but it can also effect your memory and get what is call brain fog where you just go blank for a couple of seconds.

Just walk slowly and watch every step.
?