AIBU to wonder why Universal Credit journal entries barely ever get a reply??

[UndertheCedartree]

I have a longstanding 4 year battle with Universal Credit. According to the annoying messages when you try to phone them the journal can be used for anything. But how so when an answer is so rare. And usually just states the query will be passed over to the case worker who will contact me - but of course they never do. I can't make the phone calls alone as I end up in tears and have a lack of support right now - Care Co is long term sick, Children's social worker left as did my DV counsellor. My volunteer was stopped.

Does anyone have any inside knowledge as to what is happening? Why does noone answer the journal??

The process is explained here if this helps-
www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/support-for-mortgage-interest-smi/support-for-mortgage-interest-smi/apply-for-smi/

@CiderJolly - I waited around a year for the form! At first noone knew how to apply so kept saying someone would get back to me but they never did. Then they kept telling me someone needed to phone and speak to me before they could send the form. I gave them the hospital number, ward name and a good time to ring as agreed over and over and they never phoned. Constant phone calls to them. Then one day someone on the phone said 'oh, noone needs to phone you, we just haven't sent you the form because we didn't know you wanted to apply for it!!' despite all the previous rigmarole fully detailed on my journal. As I think I've explained I have now filled the forms in 3 times and my mortgage provider has done their bit but UC loses the forms each time. It takes months and months to actually find out this fact and then get new forms. Sometimes someone will throw another spanner in the works and decide I am not eligible, then after my social worker has managed to prove I am eligible we then start again trying to get forms or find out what has happened to the ones sent. I think it's a disgrace it has taken 3 years and counting but the people at UC don't bat an eye lid when I tell them...perfectly normal and they have no time scales to work to they tell me...it's crazy!

Journal messages get sent to your case manager or your work coach.

Whilst responding to journal messages is important, it’s low down the risk of priorities of daily tasks. Both roles require a lot of admin work and there’s no specific time set aside for responding to journal messages. They have to balance it simultaneously with work that takes higher priority.

Therefore you sending complex queries via the journal may naturally lead to a longer wait time as they will either wait until they have 10 minutes to set aside to wholly focus on it, or they will have to transfer the query to someone more knowledgeable and wait for their response before responding to you etc.

Sometimes a delay in journal message response can be caused by your WC/CM being on annual leave or sick and no one is covering their caseload

Also with messages directed to your work coach, some claimants don’t actually have work coaches (eg those with no work related requirements) so any messages sent using this option will take longer for a response as no WC would be notified of the message

Your best option is formally raising a complaint

@UndertheCedartree I’m seriously wondering if it’s your mortgage provider- I would want a copy of the form that they have sent and I would want proof that they have sent it. They should be sending it recorded delivery. Can you get proof from your mortgage provider that they have sent the smi form 3 times? There is no way this would happen in the Jobcentre I worked in. You need to request to speak to the case manager team leader- they have to call you back if you request it. The only thing that would stop you being eligible for smi is income or if someone else is named on the mortgage and not agreeing to it. Get your MP involved or Citizens Advice. Also, the smi will be backdated to when you were eligible.

Depending on how long you were in hospital is it possible that you lost your eligibility to UC at some point?

@CiderJolly - mortgage provider is definitely sending it and this is confirmed by UC. No one ever rings back no matter how many times it is requested! It is like banging your head against a brick wall! No, I didn't lose eligibility for UC although it was claimed a few times I wasn't eligible at the beginning but that was proven wrong. They did decide I wasn't eligible for SMI at one point because I was in hospital but again this turned out to be wrong. I was lucky to have a Social worker and Advocate phoning UC every week for a couple of years. I really need to phone them but it causes me so much anxiety I put it off and try the journal again!

@genericuserneeded - well, maybe UC shouldn't push the journal as the answer to everything! It is so frustrating waiting on the phone to be told 'did you know you can use your journal?!' every 5 minutes! I appreciate some things aren't straightforward but I've been trying to sort all this out for about 4 years!!

I would call and insist on speaking to a team leader. Call every day until it is sorted. Be polite, tell them what the process is if needs be. Involve MP if no joy.

It’s a case manager team leader that you need to speak to.

Maybe it’s time to complain to your MP? Or walk into your local job centre and ask to complain to a manager

@CiderJolly - thanks for all the advice.

Unfortunately, I have no faith in my MP - he refused to get involved in a very clear cut issue I had with tax credits many years ago.

@genericuserneeded because it’s SMI/ a payment issue, it’s dealt with by the Service Centre/Case Managers. It’s possible the JC will help but it’s more likely they will do a handover to the Service Centre. It’s better to call- the person who answers probably won’t be a case manager but they will handover to a case manager and if you ask specifically for a team leader they will arrange this for you. In theory, the team leader should have the knowledge to get this sorted. Ask them to mark the handover as an escalation as you’ve chased this so many times.

@UndertheCedartree if you want it sorting you need to be proactive. Just because the MP didn’t help previously doesn’t mean they won’t help now. Citizens Advice are also excellent, they will even make the call for you if you explain your anxiety.

You need to call and request a manger if your still awaiting forms from May.

@Musereader hi sorry I know this is an old thread, but I'm just wondering I'm waiting for a backpayment for the child disabled element, a dm has decided I'm allowed but I've got to wait for a case manager to get intouch with me, how long should that usually take? I got informed on the 12th I'm eligible for the backpayment and that a case manager will be intouch

I would give them 5 working days and chase them through your journal if you haven’t heard back

@santorinii so they informed me on Monday when would you message them next week Tuesday/Wednesday?

I mean, you’re obviously concerned so it wouldn’t be a problem to message them now. They’ll pick your message up on Tuesday due to the bank holiday however.

@santorinii ah I'm not concerned as such I was just wanting to know once a dm has made a decision how long a case manager takes to get intouch and sort payment

Yes you would need to write a mandatory reconsideration explaining why you thought you met the criteria for LCWRA.

There is an online form that you can use to raise a complaint. I completed one a couple of weeks ago on behalf of a client. I imagine it takes a while to repsond though ! It is on the Gov.uk site.

Hey can you help me with advise x

I've sent 3 messages in last 4 weeks as they still Deducting for cares which claim stopped for cares back in August, Quick at taking from you, not so quick when they in the wrong, system is a right disgrace

There have been a lot of issues with carers allowance claims being suspended rather than properly closed down. I would ring carers allowance department and make sure it properly cancelled otherwise I suspect the problem will persist. You need to speak to carers allowance rather than message UC as they will continue to deduct it if the carers allowance claim isn't properly closed. Hope you manage to get it sorted.

Just seem my thread has been resurrected!

Just thought I'd give a bit of an update: it took 5 and a half years to finally get SMI. One day they just decided to give it to me. I'd not even filled in any of the loan agreement forms. So not even sure about it really. Essentially they give me a bit of money to help with my mortgage but I've not actually agreed it's a loan!

I was told the back dated money would go into my bank account. They didn't back date to when I was eligible for it but about 3 years and I didn't have the energy to fight anymore. They didn't put the money in my bank account but gave it to my mortgage provider. So I was screwed over as couldn't even use it to pay back a bit of the debt I'd accrued paying the interest on my mortgage for all those years. I said surely it's common sense that I need that money to pay off debt? You think I'd not been paying my mortgage for 5 years and still got a house?? They argued with me for 6 months that it had gone into my bank account. Then one day decided it had gone to the mortgage provider and suddenly decided that was where it should go!! But at least I'm getting a small amount of help with the interest on my mortgage now.

Incidentally, it seems UC calls are now answered by people working from home in an Asian country. I phoned the other day and expected to wait the usual 40min to 1hour, but it was answered almost immediately. I couldn't understand the lady's accent to start with but she kindly spoke slowly so I could understand. I could hear a child talking/playing in the background. My request was dealt with promptly. It was something straightforward but nevertheless I was pleased!

Hey
I know this is a really old thread but I’m looking into SMI and wondered how you’ve found it? Is it worth doing? I’m worried about the amount of interest it will accrue.
Thanks