work coach told me to accept commitments I can not..?

[Lucybeary]

Hi everyone

I could barely hear my work coach at my mtg, she was telling me all sorts of stories about her family and her life and I think she was keeping her voice down as this wasn't strictly work.

Either way she was both pleasant and, at first, unfriendly. She didn't seem to be interested in any of the information I brought, except my ID. While she was telling me these stories she would repeatedly tap out 3 keys on the key pad. I couldn't see how she could concentrate on what she was doing on the screen while telling me these stories.

Anyway, I have been working 16 hours / week and under due to health problems that have been ongoing for some years. I told her and she said 'we' will expect you to do 35. She said something about a form that I could complete but I couldn't hear the rest.

As I left she said just agree to your commitments 'don't worry about that yet just agree to it' and then I may be paid today.

The problem is I'm now looking at my commitments and it is saying I need to spend 35 hours per week looking for work. This is currently impossible for me with my health problems and also that I may soon be caring for my mother (not there yet and my mother supports me as much as anything as well, but she needs a lot of input as well). I explained this to her while there. I just wonder if I'm being tricked into agreeing to something I cannot agree to, there was no real discussion of my health or anything, just me listening to her telling stories...for an hour.. and waiting for us to actually discuss what I came to discuss.

Can anyone advise. Do I sign this commitment even though I cannot commit to it. Is she right that I sign that 'for now' and then I go through another process to explain my health problems?

Thanks

I don't know the answer to this, but I do know that once you are officially an unpaid carer, they don't force you to do anything (look for work, work related activity etc). How old is your mother? Does she qualify for AA or any of the other qualifying benefts to allow you to claim CA? They are listed here: https://www.gov.uk/carers-allowance/eligibility

In general people are expected to either work for 35 hours a week or spend 35 hours a week looking for work. I personally think this is ridiculous.
I have looked for, and found, a job many times and the process has never taken up that much of my week.
The rules are different for people who are unwell or who have caring responsibilities.
It sounds like you would fit into one of those categories but haven't quite evidenced it yet (not your fault. The system is very bureaucratic).
In that situation the pragmatic thing to do is to accept the commitment, get the claim going. And then apply to get an exception put in place.
To me it sounds as though the work coach was trying to help you navigate the system- rather than trying to trick you.

thanks, yes thinking through what she said I did realise she was just trying to get the process underway. 🙂

Hi Unsync

My mother is 79, currently not receiving AA but has blindness and probably qualifies. Recently her doctor suggested she apply, so perhaps we'll look into it. Regarding caring though, I'm not likely to be her official carer. I have work, I just cannot do the amount they are saying, at least not yet.

You can be officially recognised as her carer when she has Attendance allowance in place and if you are caring for her for 35 hours a week. You need to make sure first though that she agrees as if she claims pension credit ( or would be eligible for pension credit once AA awarded) and lives alone, then you claiming to be her carer would have implications for that.
Claiming the carers elment on your UC claim would get you out of having any work commitments on UC.
Your other option if you earn less than 16 x nmw per week is to hand in sick notes and wait to be assessed for work capability. If you currently get PIP then you can do this regardless of earnings. Depending on the result of the work capability assessment,you may then not have any work commitments but the whole process of being assessed for work capability can take some months as there is a form to complete and then as assessment then a wait for the result.
In the meantime if you are handing in sick notes to UC, your work coach should consider reducing work search commitments.
I expect she just wanted you to accept the work commitments for now as if you don't this will be a payment blocker and you won't get any UC.

You can still claim the UC carers element regardless of how much you earn as long as caring for her for 35 hours a week. It is not like carers allowance where there is an earnings limit. Claiming to be her carer is just one way of being exempt from work commitments but you can't do that anyway until she has AA awarded so either of the options ( claiming carers element or being awarded LCW or LCWRA yourself after a work capability assessment) are going to take some months.
Also when you made the UC application you should have declared health conditions that affect your ability to work. It specifically asks this question. If you haven't done that on your initial application then you need to do that asap under report a change section on your home page of your journal. I'm pretty sure they will not refer you for a work capability assessment unless earnings less than 16 x nmw though. If this is not the case you will need to discuss next steps again with work coach.

Accept your commitments or they will close your claim.

Then apply fitnotes from your Dr saying that you can only work for 16 hours a week and this should trigger the process to see if you are unfit for work.

Alternatively, get your mum assessed for AA and claim carer's allowance or element for looking after her.

When you apply for the AA, if you phone for the forms rather than download them, her claim, if accepted, will be awarded from the date of the phone call (if you send the forms back within six weeks). It's definitely worth doing as being in receipt of it, can unlock a lot of other things. Caring for someone is relentless, and it all helps to make life a little easier.

If you have health problems yourself would you qualify for DLA or PIP? I imagine that they would also exempt you from the 35 hour rule.