I am supporting a man who has serious MH issues - he was released from prison 3 months ago after serving 5 years - he was sectioned twice in the last year whilst in prison and was on 15min suicide watch until the moment of release.
He has been signed off sick by the GP and has had his work capacity interview and is waiting for the result.
He worked every day of his life from 14 until he went to prison at 38 and wants to go back to work but the thought of working 35hrs a week is far too daunting for him right now - he cannot leave the house on his own.
A friend has offered him a few hours a week working at a kennels, cleaning down the cubicles and walking some of the dogs. He feels like he could cope with this as he does not have to talk to anyone and at only 2 hrs a day 3 days a week it is not too overwhelming. He feels this could be a real starting point - it is possible he could increase his hrs at the kennels until he is pretty much full time as he feels better and more able to cope with the world. Obviously this would not be enough to live on - his rent alone is £1200pcm for a single room in a hostel.
I spoke to the universal credit helpline and have been told that if his assessment comes back that he is either totally unable to work or has limited capability to work taking this job will nul and void this decision and he may be determined fit for work and forced to look for full time work. This decision will be made by a decision maker that has never met or spoken to him, not by his job coach or anyone who has actually met him.
He now feels completely unable to take this risk and has turned down the job. I think most people will agree there is a massive difference between being able to work a few hours a week as a stepping stone and being able to work full time. Surely the limited capability to work should mean he could take a small job like this - and in theory it does - but apparently even if this is accepted it would only be for 12 months and then he would be expected to be working full time.
Of course it may be accepted that this job still meets the criteria for limited capacity to work and he may progress really well and be ready for full time work in 12 months but the risk is far to great for him to take.
If he is found to have no capacity to work he will get extra benefit that would be more than he earns but he would still rather try this small job and get less benefit but that comes with such a risk he cannot do this. He also may start this job and find he cannot cope even with this and then the whole work capacity assessment would have to start all over again.
My brother is in the limited capacity to work bracket for mental health issues as well and does absolutely nothing at all and continues to receive money - I spoke to him about this and he was told the same - he was offered a small job helping a mate on market stalls on a Saturday and he had to refuse it for the same reason. He feels if he had been able to take this job he would be doing much better now - maybe not working full time but certainly working. He was a welfare rights lawyer - on £60K before having his catastrophic breakdown and he says this is the way UC works.
I have done so much work with this man and had got him to a point he felt he could begin his life again - albeit gradually - and Universal Credit has just kicked him back down - I left him today saying he wants to go back to prison as life on universal credit in a hostel is so crap it is little better than prison and comes with all sorts of hassle - in prison he was left alone.
AIBU in being really pissed off - this all seemed to me to be a really great option, allowing him to build up his confidence and stamina but apparently not - in universal credit land a single man is either unable to work at all or able to work full time and there is little option in between.
Has anyone any experience of these decisions - what is the likelihood of him being accepted as only able to work these hours and what happens after 12 months?