Universal credit is not unfathomable by those who claim and those administrating the claims!

[UndertheCedartree]

Just a desperate plea for advice, really.

Just to give a bit of background - over 2 years ago I had a mental breakdown. I was working at the time but had to stop as I was admitted to hospital. I made a claim for Universal credit. 28 months later I am coming up for discharge but one of the requirements is that my finances are stable. In all this time I have still not managed to sort my Universal Credit claim completely despite getting help every week/couple of weeks to make calls/other actions. About a year ago I finally got the main amount sorted (which was having a knock on effect on my Council tax) but still not getting help with my housing costs (mortgage).

I could write an essay on this but just some recent examples. I was told someone needed to phone me to go through a form for housing costs. They asked me to give them the hospital phone number/ward and day and time to call on my journal. I did so and noone called. I was told to do it again. I did it 4 times and noone called. I phoned up concerned as I'd been sent a message saying I had to apply by a certain date but of course it was out of my control as noone phoned. They promised someone would phone before that date. Noone did. I phoned asking what to do. They told me they needed to send me the forms - noone needed to phone me - they hadn't sent them as they didn't know I wanted to claim housing costs. Despite countless journal messages over the 2 years asking about claiming this. So I asked the woman if she could send the forms to hospital - she couldn't. I then recieve a message on my journal that they had no idea I was in hospital and I can't claim housing costs because of that. I had someone from the job centre visit me in hospital when I made the claim, a year ago they didn't know I was in hospital (hence I was getting wrong amount) and it was sorted out and I was told it was now on the system I was in hospital. Last few months countless messages asking them to phone me in hospital. Yet, they didn't know I was in hospital?! So I was told to appeal on grounds I am at my house on home leave and my children live there. I was told to get letters about these take photos and upload to the journal. I went to do it but unable to. They then tell me you can't do that you need an appointment to bring them in. But I now can't get someone to bring them in within the appeal time-frame as I bought the letters to hospital as I was told to upload them. This is a tiny tiny snippet. I am so worn out with it.

How on earth do people manage to navigate this as despite help it is still dragging on. And of course it affects my mental health. I need to get my finances to be in a much stabler place. Is it normal to take this long to sort a claim?

I have no experience with UC but sounds dreadful and so frustrating. Bumping in case anybody can help you.

This is awful! Do you have a Hospital Social Worker you can contact? Quite often the CAB do outreach in the hospital too, get an experienced Welfare Rights Officer. Your MP should help too.
You actually have an absolute time limit of 13 months to appeal a decision, BUT you need to show good cause, and this would be a definite good cause. Most people think it's a month ( and it usually is), but it is written into legislation that there is a 13 month time limit. I am a Welfare Rights Officer and UC is shocking!
See if your local Welfare Rights service can come and see you in hospital ( most hospitals do have someone ), and as well as appealing, they should help you formally complain as well.
You should also be claiming PIP. You won't get paid whilst you are in hospital ( after 28 day) but you do get paid for home leave and when you are discharged.

@SusanneLinder - the social worker or assistant have helped me every week or so for over a year now. My MP is horrendous I doubt he would help based on having asked for help in the past and he didn't want to know. I've not heard anything about a Welfare rights officer? Thanks for telling me about the 13 months - they told me I had 14 days. I have put a claim in for PIP some months ago and hoping to hear soon as it would make such a massive difference. I know I've made a lot of progress with the UC credit since the beginning but I'm just so worn out from it. It's just like the blind leading the blind. It took quite a while to even get a claim made as I had no internet access in the first hospital and the person on the phone just told me I would need to get my legal guardian to apply. I was very very unwell then and just had no idea of what to do as obviously I didn't have a legal guardian. The worry of all the debt I'm getting into gives me nightmares

UC doesn't cover mortgages so you won't get housing payments through UC if you have a mortgage. You can claim mortgage interest payments if you have been claiming UC for at least 9 months but this is a loan and separate to UC.

Sorry it’s been so difficult OP. I don’t have personal experience of UC myself but I have a friend who does and she’s had all sorts of trouble. Despite updating her address on their system (and getting confirmation it has been updated) they sent a very vital form to her old address. Fortunately she was still in contact with her former housemate there who kindly advised her of the letter and forwarded it on. By the time she received it though she’d lost a week of the deadline they’d put on the form and only had a few days to complete it, despite being quite complex. She called to ask if she could have a longer deadline given their error but they refused.

She sent it off recorded delivery to ensure they got it and contacted them again to advise of her address change and explain it has been updated and they claimed it was now sorted. Lo and behold she got another letter the following week...sent to the old address!!

So no practical advice but just wanted you to know it’s not just you, the system feels very complex and hard to navigate.

Get a fax number and ask the hospital to fax it to them. They don't advertise a fax number but I have done this to help someone in hospital with paperwork that UC needed. Or alternatively if the are obstructive do you have a job centre advisor, you can email it to them or fax them the paperwork to upload. Good luck I hope you get the help you need.

@Flem - this is what I'm claiming and it is claimed through Universal credit.

@sparklesocks - thank you
@dilliga - there is no where to actually send anything to UC which is why the man told me to upload it to my journal. Faxing to the Job centre is a good idea although I'm sure it won't be easy. At least now I know I have longer than 2 weeks I can get an appointment to take it to the job centre during leave this week or leave it for someone to take in.

Anyone else have any experience of this?