Diary of a benefit claimant.

I'm not concerned, really.
Nothing to see in my emails.
Ordinarily I quite enjoy being a fly in the ointment of red tape.
I'm just not up to it, presently.

Thanks to the brilliant idea by icanhandthemback the concern over telling the man the password disappears.

Excellent.

Ah, I cross-posted and I did not see your reply as I was preparing the post of how to sign in.

Anyway, the infomation is there when/if you choose to set up a gmail account.

A gmail email address and password is also useful to use to log in to YouTube.

You can still make us laugh!

Thank you.
I'm not sure which will give the ghost first - my eyes or my phone.
I was going to say they're both on the "blink".

Link to how to sign in to a gmail account once you have one.

support.google.com/mail/answer/8494?hl=en-GB&ref_topic=7065107

Thank you.
Not today though.
It's sunday, and I am getting uniform ready for grandson.

Link to a page to set up a gmail account.

support.google.com/mail/answer/56256?hl=en-GB

I havent even looked at my own emails for a few months now.
To be honest, I've been asleep almost constantly since the last proper update of this thread - it's just exhausting me to do all of this stuff.

Thank you for the offer of help.
I may well need it after the next coach appt.

I am doing the online thing because I may have some help from a charity.

They seem to think they can negotiate with the coach and act on my behalf. He insists otherwise.

I asked him how it would work if I set up the journal and I gave them permission.

Complicated.
I can see why people give up!

You can just set up a Google mail account specifically for the Benefits Office. The beauty of this is that you won't have to worry about them accessing your private mail and you should only receive stuff from them so it won't get lost. I have a different email for my stuff, my Mum's stuff and our joint mail. Some days I view all inboxes as one, other days I just look at the ones I need to.
I am happy to help if you need me to.

I’m so pleased your vision has improved. That’s great news.
I absolutely agree with you. The priority is to get the cash, and frankly I would bite my tongue and say Whatever It Takes (within the bounds of decency!?).
Good luck next week. So many of us have everything crossed for you and look forward to your updates. When saying my prayers I refer to you by your username on the basis that the man upstairs knows who you are!

That is very true, gsm.
I am going to have an appt with the work coach early next week and try to set up the online journal, as my vision is improving.
I'll ask what the situation is around consent and my email, but my main and only priority is to get this all underway, so I can then deal with all the other issues, on an as and when basis.
If I need to consent to email access, then that is what I'll do.

StarDreamer, I know you are trying to help MissA but I feel that your recent suggestions are not at all helpful. Indeed you really patronised her when explaining that her GP was “your doctor “. She is an intelligent and articulate woman. I recall your own unfortunate employment experiences from your Elderly Person incarnation and regrettably these are now reflected in the advice you offer. MissA desperately needs the DWP to be on her side and to help her as quickly as possible. This will not be achieved by intense suspicion of officialdom or asking for time to think about her answers or hard copies of official policy documents. She doesn’t have time to ponder, she needs money yesterday.

* MissA* you are very much in my thoughts

Thinking of you MissA hope you have success next week with your appointment.

MissAdventure

This is from the 'they work for us' site.

Dear Department for Work and Pensions,

I have recently been asked by a job centre plus adviser to bring in my log in details for my personal email account to show proof of myself emailing my cv for jobs and for making contact to employers.
I have refused but I was at threat of a possible sanction if I did not comply

Have you got a link please? I have tried to find it but not yet successful.

Thinking about this, I think that if I were asked to provide the password to my email account, I would say that I feel that I would like to think about it and seek advice and sleep on it and say "Can I have a hardcopy of any official document that states that I am required to do that please?".

Then it could not be lawfully stated that I have refused, I have simply asked for an official document that requires it, so that I can seek advice.

Some people plan what they are going to say then call someone to a meeting and then expect/require the person to respond immediately without having time to consider the matter. Such as some personnel managers.

Cabbie21 wrote StarDreamer, I am not convinced you really know what you are talking about.

The mission is to try to be helpful to MissAdventure and to try to help to protect her. If you are concerned that anything that I have posted is incorrect, please specify. I can then look at it and assess any feedback on what I have written and if necessary act to correct. I am always happy to correct in the interests of accuracy.

You may mean well, but it is not coming across as helpful to MissA.

I do mean well. It is a matter for MissAdventure as to whether my posts are helpful to her.

In my opinion, the fundamental problem with the system, going back many years, is that successive governments, of whatever political colour, cannot seem to decide whether to help people who are out of work or to punish them, and so end up with a strange mix of the two resulting in such things as the letter that I got years ago when I was out of work inviting me to a meeting offering help and advice then including a paragraph that if I cannot show that I have been making an effort to find work that my benefit may be stopped.

So what sort of ambience does such a meeting have?

It is very easy for someone who is kind and fair to assume that everybody else acts to the same standards. Many people do, but not all. I used to make that mistake.

Yes, many people in an official position do act helpfully, honourably and within the rules.

Yet one needs to keep one's Hurricanes and Spitfires fuelled up and on the runway in case one's white cliffs are crossed.

Too, not yoo

I am learning something yoo, from MissAdventure’s experiences.

Helpful Cabbie21 and positive.
Thank you!

That is very helpful Cabbie.

As you are submitting fit notes from your GP, you should not be asked to do any “ Work Related Activities” until you have had your assessment and a decision about your status.

There will be one of three outcomes:

- that you are fit for work( despite what your GP says) and have to look for and apply for jobs. Yes, the DWP overrides GPs, consultants and other fully qualified professionals.
MissA, this looks highly unlikely.

- that you are not fit for work and not capable of any work related activities- the best outcome, as you will not be pestered into doing anything and will get more money

- that you are not yet fit for work, but are considered fit for work related activities. No extra money, and the WRA will be negotiated with your work coach. There are several pathways, eg preparing a cv, improving your skills…..
But let’s not cross bridges yet.

MissA, when you get better, you just report a change of circumstances and stay on UC, and have to look for work. You don’t have to apply all over again.

StarDreamer, I am not convinced you really know what you are talking about. You may mean well, but it is not coming across as helpful to MissA.

When, not if.

Thank you both.
Of course, if I get better, I'll have to reapply for everything all over again! Arrrggggghhh!

In my prayers each night MissA, fwiw.?