Universal Credit Sanctions are so unfair

[Fluffysocks700]

Hi all, this is my first ever post so sorry in advance for the long rant. My 30 year old son is currently unemployed since the company he worked for went bust and now gets universal credit. He has attended every single fit for work interview, job course etc as well as actively seeking work through sites on the internet. He has depression/anxiety/ADHD/PTSD but still want's to work obviously. However, he had a Job Centre interview last week but couldn't attend because he was ill with Norovirus, he let his job coach at the DWP know this prior to the appointment and she said it was fine and another appointment would be made for him to attend. However, he then got an email via his online journal to say that his universal credit has been sanctioned by £12.70 a day for 7 days because he failed to attend his appointment, he queried this and explained he was ill. But then got another email from his work coach to say the sanctions were now for 14 days, when he emailed her to ask why she said the exact thing..that he hadn't attended his mandatory appointment. When my son challenged this, he then received yet another email to say his U/C was now sanctioned to 21 days.Clearly this is not right, he has asked for a mandatory reconsideration but has heard nothing back because by this they are putting him into severe hardship, he receives £302.60 per month so these sanctions at £12.70 a day are £266.70 which leaves him with £38.30 to live on for a whole MONTH. He lives in a privately rented one bedroom flat and will not be able to pay his rent, buy food and top up his utility meters but obviously the DWP don't care a jot about this and this is also affecting his mental health. Has anyone got any suggestions as to what he can do to get this put right?

So if you query it they add on another seven days of sanctions? That can't be right surely.

He’ll get housing benefit surely?

That sounds awful and very unfair. Agree it can’t be right. I would say though that if he really wants to work, surely there must be a job somewhere he can do just temporarily whilst he finds something better?

I work in a similar set up but not in the UK. It sounds to me as if something is missing.

I think the first question to ask is what do I need to do to stop the sanctions and the second question is why was I sanctioned and how to I appeal those?

So I would check is what he is meant to do when he is sick and therefore unable to attend. Ours have to register as sick online (they login and click). The same for when they are recovered and well enough again.

Then find out how to officially appeal. I would take a screenshot of his call log to show that he had spoken to someone at the jobcentre that day.

How do you communicate with JC in the UK? Do you have an online profile where you login and it shows you when your next appt is? Is he checking it every day? Has he missed some letters?

Has the advisor not recorded their phone call in the journal? If ours miss an appointment then it's an "as long as" sanction. So as long as they don't contact the jobcentre they dont get and money.

That's terrible, OP.
I'm glad he's put in a mandatory reconsideration.
In the meantime, he can ask for a hardship payment. Although, this is in the form of a loan that will be recovered from his UC in the future.
If the mandatory reconsideration is taking a while, I'd encourage him to ask his MP to get involved. Often an email from an MPs office can get the wheels turning a little quicker.
If the mandatory reconsideration is refused, he should go on to appeal. The situation is so manifestly unfair that he is sure to win and get the money refunded in the end. Especially if he has evidence from his GP that he had the Noro virus on the day of the appointment.
But, as they say, the process is the punishment :(

Are you sure he only missed one appointment?

That’s not how it works op. I think something is missing, likely this isn’t his first missed appt.

Did he get a sick note to confirm it was norovirus ? Can he submit that as evidence? Obviously you can't self-disgnose Norovirus so presumably tests were done by the GP/hospital.

Did he put he was sick in his Journal? If so, he’ll have written evidence he told them and of their reply. It seems very strange to do what they’re doing and I too wonder if there’s more to it.

Does he get job seekers on top of UC? Job seekers is approx £90 a week

He needs to request a mandatory reconsideration of the decision to sanction him. Set out the facts of what has happened as you describe - he had an appointment, had norovirus, informed WC he couldn't attend etc.

IF they do not revise the decision in his favour, he will need to request an appeal of the decision. You can do this online via the gov website. It'll go to an independent tribunal. In practice it won't get that far as DWP will likely revise their decision once the appeal is requested (you have to request an MR before an appeal).

ALL sanctions are appealable. Don't put up with this shit. Challenge!

It's mixed into the universal credit I think now . So you pay your rent out of what you get .

If he has all of those things doesn't he claim contributions based ESA (contributions because he previously worked)

Put the same effort into appealing/challenging as job seeking and it will be a moot point.

Exactly this.

He's not told you about the previous ones he hasn't turned up for and this is exactly how the sanctions work. He'll get no money for 6 months (yes, really) if he keeps on missing appointments.

Why can't he pay his rent, it would be fully covered by UC?

I know a couple of people who have worked for dwp. They have now left but as work coaches they would be told on a regular basis they have to sanction a certain percentage of people weekly . They had to targets to reach.
It sounded awful.
So I bet they have picked your son probably because he is a young man who maybe doesnt have kids to feed and such ?
So they probably dont feel as bad doing it to him.
It's an awful system.

So help him write a message in his journal title it urgent you'll get a reply quicker. Explain how he was sick ect. And set up a new work appointment asap. I had a wrongful sanction for missing an appointment I didn't even know about. The sanction lasts until he makes a new appointment

She said he is actively looking for work . Sometimes it is not so simple as finding a job in a day .
No point commenting just to make the typical negative comment about anyone who is unemployed

Hi Op,

A similar thing happened to a friend- his pay was cut for illness and even though he informed his “work coach” they sanctioned him. I would suggest that your son calls and speaks to his work coach on the phone and follows up with a journal entry. I would also recommend putting in a complaint via gov.uk. When my friend did this, they changed his coach.

Also, for those who are saying something is “missing” I hope you never have to face having to engage with these supposed “work coaches”. The system is horrible, no humanity and there is no effort to get you into work- no support what so ever. At points when you write into the journal it’s not picked up, not responded to etc. They essentially treat you like shit.

But the £302.60 can’t covet rent surely? I live in a not particularly desirable part of Glasgow and my private let is £650

hamstersarse: This is his first ever sanction.

hamstersarse: This is his first ever sanction

He does get some housing benefit but has to pay £120 a month to cover it because he doesn't get the full rent paid.

UnitedOps : Exactly, you're right, they just don't care, they are corrupt and don't keep you updated about jobs then have the bare faced cheek to say he isn't actively seeking work when he is.