Universal credit review checks!

[eatdrinkandbemerry]

I'm my sons appointee and I'm beginning to think he's being disability discriminated against by universal credit!
He's severely mentally impaired so is awarded LCWRA.
He's only been claiming 7 months and I've just had another notification to say his claim is being reviewed again and he must attend another appointment.He's not verbal with severe learning difficulties and doesn't know what a job centre is for so it just distresses him which can result in a massive autistic meltdown that can last days.
This is the third review in 7 months but I know people that have been claiming years and have never had these so called reviews ever!
Do you think it would be reasonable to put in a complaint as they won't listen to my reasoning and don't care about the distress they are causing 😩.

Can you insist he needs a home visit instead due to his inability to attend? I know someone who did this due to their DC with LDs not being able to be left with anyone else while mum goes to the job centre to show them forms she offered to upload online which would be much simpler for everyone but the job centre said the computer says no The job centre said they'd book a home visit but never actually did, and the UC is still getting paid.

If you are his appointee for DWP purposes then its you that goes to the appointment not him?

I've asked every time and they insist he attends also which is stupid as they don't even acknowledge he's there!

You're his appointee so that means that you act for him. It is you that should attended any meetings etc, he has no need to even know about its.

Do you understand what your function as appointee is?

Yes I do but obviously they don't as they insist he also attends.
Honestly I've spoken with them so many times but they won't back down

On his journal online - does it say how long his LCWRA has been awarded for?

This was happening to me until I sent a message saying I had been awarded it for 3 years so I wasn't sure why I was coming in - they called me and cancelled the meeting & also set it so no meetings / reviews until my LCWRA had ended.
It did take 2/3 times of calling for them to realise I shouldn't have been having review meetings though

It sounds really excessive. Especially as he has a long term severe condition that's unlikely to change in the short term?
I think you should definitely call up the team on his letters and insist on a home visit. Or even a phone appointment. Surely you can stress his condition has not changed and would not every few months. Can you get a letter from his consultant or similar?
You can say it's damaging his MH and actually holding him back.

Yes I do but obviously they don't as they insist he also attends
Honestly I've spoken with them so many times but they won't back down

Well, that's outrageous. You need to insist on making a complaint and as for a manager call back to sort it out.

It might (hopefully) help you if, instead of getting onto the job centre person, there's a phone number you are supposed to call if you miss an appointment etc.
It's in all the info about "what to do if you are sanctioned" iirc, it's there somewhere .
That gets you through to the next level up the hierarchy, and they can actually do things to help, rather than the "computer says no" people on the job centre desks.
Explain to the phone person that your son cannot attend appointments and see what they can do.
(I know I haven't explained very clearly, hopefully you get what I mean. Basically the front line staff are there to make you lose the will to live, make you miserable, and are tin pot dictators with more power than brains, but the call centre people seem to know more, and can actively help you because they listen, and have leeway to change things)

I have been campaigning with my local MP who is quite prominent in the shadow cabinet to complain about the level of admin parents have to do. The amount of administration for parents of adult disabled people is crazy - all the time. I would do likewise if you. The DWP cancelled the review. What with that and EHcP reviews, sorting transport, organising PA, time sheets, lost son phone call from his taxi driver meant to pick him from college ( tonight) liaising with tutors , college etc etc and then we get to care for the remaining time

It's outrageous how much admin we have to do.
I've got another disabled child too so it's all double.
I'm definitely following everyone's advice from this thread though or it's never going to stop.

@eatdrinkandbemerry I've had it since 2016 and touches wood I'm yet to have a review. Have had a couple of PIP reviews since though, and I have known them to use my PIP assessment report for my ESA review once when my PIP review was just before my ESA review. The decision maker had called me and said himself that it was pointless to have another identical assessment so he'd use that.

You can insist on a home assessment though. All my assessments have been home-based for years now. They do push back quite a bit at first and sometimes they need to "send the request to panel for a decision" but they always allow it in the end

To be clear, it's LCWRA that I've been on since 2016. The ESA was prior to that