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?

They most definitely are! Main reason they moved jobs

They are not. I don’t know why they would lie to you but its not true.

He’s clearly missed more than one appointment in that case

Housing benefit does still exist for some people - those in temporary or supported housing, and those still on ‘legacy’ benefits, ie. ESA JSA, income support. It is gradually being phased out though so if you are IC, you won’t get housing benefit, you’ll get a ‘Housing Element’ instead. This will be a fixed amount up to 100% of your rent, according to the Local Housing Allowance rate for your circumstances and your area. Some will get their whole rent paid, others won’t.

Housing benefit and job seeker allowance no longer exist and are just part of universal credit. Fyi for the posters mentioning those

They do, see my PP.

Some people get housing benefit but you cannot get universal credit and housing benefit at the same time. Universal credit Is the new benefit which has slowly been replacing the old.ones for years. There are very few people still on the old benefits and they will be moved over soon.

I would suggest having a look at your sons local councils household support scheme. Mine supports people who have been sanctioned with supermarket vouchers and energy top ups.

For his rent have a look at Discretionary Housing Payment from his local council-

He has missed more than one appointment.

As I said. You cannot get universal credit and housing benefit at the same time. Housing benefit is an old benefit and very few people are still on it and those that are will eventually be moved on to universal credit

There are two types of JSA - both still very much exist.

‘old style’ JSA is means tested benefit for those looking for work. New claims for this stopped several years ago but nationally there are still thousands of people receiving it.

‘new style’ JDA is a contributions-based, non means tested benefit. People who have recent work history can claim this at the same time as UC. It counts as income for UC, so the same amount will be deducted from the UC claim.

still not entirely correct. There are no plans to close housing benefit entirely for those in temporary or supported housing. Eg. Renting a room in a women’s refuge.

Plenty of people do claim housing benefit and UC if they have these housing circumstances.

A few years ago I lived in temporary accommodation while claiming universal credit. I know there are still people on the old benefits but they cannot claim them at the same time as universal credit so it's completely irrelevant to the ops post for people to be saying "what about jobseekers allowance or housing benefit" there's quite literally no point in saying that

I agree this has gone off on a tangent from the OP. My comment there is still the same - OP doesn’t have the full story.
i am merely trying to put straight some of the misinformation in this thread.

Sanctions are cruel and the process isn't clear for many claimants, especially if they aren't computer literate. The only way to end the sanction is to attend an appointment. His work coach will have booked him one, all of the details will be in his online account. Once the sanction is lifted you can ask for a reconsideration but tbh just being ill (without a doctors note) isn't generally accepted.

I'm an ex work coach, we aren't targeted on sanctions but there are very strict processes to follow and not much leeway unfortunately.

look For the hardship find, I think you message your job coach on your universal account, should help while your sanctioned but may need to pay it back unfortunately.

I am still on the old benefit. I haven't recently gone on to UC. Been on it a while

This can't be right, I'm sure making a complaint will sort it out. Did he notify the work coach by journal? I take photos of all my messages for future evidence, just in case. The work coaches hardly ever read the messages and I get no reply. I don't usually have a work coach as I work every day in a school, but not working in August triggered a review even though I'd already told them a year ago my job is term time and they assured me that was fine. They have been hassling me for an appointment for a month, but I just say I can't make any of the appointments as I'm working. They don't see any of my messages until the day of the appointment, the journal is not really fit for purpose. They also ignore any of my messages about my availability and continue to make appointments when I have already said I'm unavailable. The whole system is inefficient and money wasting.

I'm on the old one still. Get uc and housing. I will always get my rent paid in full. That won't change

Yeah I know there are people still on the old benefits my closest friend is one of them. But you cannot claim them while claiming universal. Credit. So there's no point in people commenting on this thread "what about housing benefit/jobseekers allowance" it has no relevancy to this post and situation. That's all I'm saying.

A few years ago I was unemployed and had a lovely work coach a really sweet lady however I have a friend who has autism and struggles to find an employer who will hire him. His work coach sanctions him practically every other month for the most petty reasons. I do believe some are just assholes.

He's not being completely honest with you about what's happened here. This scenario would never get passed a decision maker and just wouldn't happen over one missed appointment.

You’re talking about the housing element of UC, which is different from Housing Benefit.

It’s only going to be the full amount of your rent is less than or equal to what your local council specifies according to the number of bedrooms the DWP have decided that you need.

But some people CAN claim housing benefit and Universal Credit at the same time.

not many, but some.

and OP hasn’t given a lot of information about the circumstances, there’s no way to know if her son is one who can.