Universal Credit – My experience

Recently, I started claiming for the Universal Credit benefits. Applying for Universal Credit was quite a saga for me and my family, and I want to share my thoughts and go through some of the parts of the process. The application can be difficult to navigate in places and there are several obstacles to overcome as someone with Duchenne before you can receive UC benefits. It took nine weeks from the time I applied to when I received my first payment. Fortunately, I was not in a situation where I desperately needed the money but this could certainly be a problem for other people if they had to pay for carers or other necessities.

In order to begin claiming you need to create an account. This seems straight forward, but I encountered an issue at the very beginning with proving my identity. I needed three items and there were limited choices of documents to use as proof on the UC website. I do not have a driver’s license or my own mobile phone contract for example, so someone had to come to my house in order to prove who I was. To further complicate matters, my father is authorised to act as my appointee (to help me with things like signing documents) so we also needed to prove this too.

After setting up an account, there are several forms to fill in and documents to send in order to get the ball rolling. One problem with the website is there is nowhere to select what specific benefits you are applying for which seems to unnecessarily complicate the claims process. Once I began the claim, I needed proof of my disability. It was necessary to provide a note from a doctor to prove what medical condition is preventing you from working. I then had to fill in the ‘work capability assessment’ form, a very long form detailing your everyday activities and what you can and cannot do, within a month.

Despite already going through the process for Personal Independence Payments, which entailed filling in a very similar form about day to day living, and having qualified for the higher rate, there is no way to show that my disability has already been verified by the Department of Work and Pensions. As Duchenne does not improve and has no ‘cure’ currently, it should not need to be assessed twice or more. Therefore, I think it would be good if the DWP could check your history and check medical conditions before asking for the same documentation multiple times.

I had to complete an interview over the phone as well to go through a further assessment. Completing the forms and sending the doctor’s note before this interview turned out to be very useful as I avoided having to repeat certain answers about how you are disabled and what problems you have. At the end you agree on certain commitments such as attending medical appointments, and then I began receiving payments.

Sometimes there is a need for a face to face interview, but my answers on the assessment form were sufficient to show that my condition qualifies for the benefit, meaning I was placed into the ‘limited capability to work’ group without having to be seen.

Hopefully this post gives people a better idea of the process. Please leave a comment if you liked it.