DS 20 not coping with work - get him to claim UC?

[dswork]

DS 20 has ASD and ADHD. Since 18 he has had multiple jobs and not coped with any in any form. FT, PT, retail, hospitality, admin etc etc.

Every job requires me to support him SO much. I have to help him get ready, deal with panic attacks and anxiety daily. Call in when he can’t leave the house, drop him off and pick him up and through every shift offer support with calls and messages when he has to take breaks . I’m exhausted and he just can’t seem to cope.

He gets PIP. Do I suggest to him that he puts a claim in for UC? To have a temporary break from working as it really doesn’t seem to be working out at all? The GP is supportive as says the stress and anxiety for DS is so high that he’s in burnout.

You are talking about other people making sweeping judgmental statements about people benefits by making sweeping judgmental statements about people on benefits... So the OPs son is fine but the other are wasters...

OP’s son has a disability, and has tried to work to the extent he’s burned out.

People are either entitled to benefits or not, worthiness doesn’t come into it. But if it did, I’d absolutely say he’s more worthy than someone who’s got no reason not to work, isn’t by choice, and hasn’t made the same efforts.

If he likes writing code, but doesn't have qualifications, are there any courses on coding he could study. May not start until September, which may give him some time to have a break first, but with a way forward.

Or is there anything that he enjoys, finds calming etc, he could use in a job - may be a better fit than the jobs he has tried.
Could be a local fe college ( who I have heard can sometimes be better with Sen, than some schools) or other provider.

No. He’s tried a job which is too much for him and instead of looking elsewhere would choose to not work and have uc.

That’s it in a nutshell. He needs to use his pip to get some professional support.

He won't get a break of 6-12 months on universal credit unless he gets lcw or lcwra. Being on Pip won't be enough to turn his job seeking requirements off. He will need to get fit notes from the GP and declare a change to his health on his journal. The fit notes won't switch his job seeking requirements off although some work coaches might turn them off

He will need to wait for a work capability assessment and an assessor will make a decision as to whether he qualifies for lcw or lwcra

Single people over 25 who are not in work get 400 pounds a month - getting your housing costs subsidised doesn't make much difference when your income is 400 pounds per month. Also some people in private rented accommodation have to pay towards their rent from their personal allowance as the dwp only pay the LHA rate for the area

I hate to be this person, because I’m usually the polar opposite and a huge advocate of benefits in general but..

There are many working adults in this country who once they’ve paid their bills have less than £400 in disposable income.

I absolutely believe that people who can work, should, and that long term unemployment should be reserved for people who really need it - like disabled people, carers etc (who would likely also receive other benefits).

So, in all honesty, if you’re over 25 and unemployed, and don’t like the £400 you get - take any job, and hey presto - more money!

It's absolutely not rare. A single person on UC with no other entitlement to benefit gets just over 400 pounds a month. It is also not rare that people on UC own their own home - sometimes peoples circumstances change - but the dwp don't pay people's mortgages. Because they don't want the situation where someone takes on a mortgage then gives up a job - so that their mortgage is paid. Yes it's unfair for people who end up unemployed through no fault of their own but that's the rules.

I will also say - getting lcwra isn't easy, I have been through the process more than once and I got it (for a limited period of time) on the third attempt

Being on long term UC has no bearing on what you get. If you qualify for lcwra you'll get it if the assessment goes in your favour and if you don't you'll either get lcw or basic UC unless you qualify for Pip or other benefits.

I had to go to tribunal to get lcwra on the third attempt and I would not put myself through the process again

The OPs son won't get 400 pounds a month anyway. He's under 25 so he'll get 316.

Surely people on benefits have bills too. It's not 400 pounds a month spending money. There are many people in work who claim UC as well. A few years ago I worked a zero hour job. I took as many hours as I could get but when I didn't get extra hours I got 8 hours a week work. I was also doing something else but that only paid me 80 pounds a month.

By the time I factored in travel (unsociable hours), paying more council tax and rent - I was barely better off that I would have been doing nothing

Of course it's better to be in work where you can - but in work poverty is a thing - lots of people using food banks are in work

I barely survived when I was on basic Uc

Personally, I’d have left that job. But each to their own.

People in work claiming UC top up don’t only have £400, do they? They have their wages, which they can take steps to increase.

People only getting £400 are single, childless, and capable of work - or they’d be on disability benefit too. The only circumstances I think it’s unfair is penalising people by not paying housing support for mortgage payments. Housing costs are housing costs, I don’t blame in the exclusion of homeowners.

So back to what I said. A single 25 year old who only has £400 (+ their rent and CT paid..) could increase their income through work earnings.

OPs son is currently unfit for work, he therefore is deserving of UC as anyone who else, and likely more deserving than someone choosing not to work because they don’t fancy it.

I'm sorry but it's not the case that everyone on UC who is on 400 pounds is capable of work. There are people who should qualify for lwcra and Pip who don't get it

Yes single people in work have their wages and UC but there is a taper. Some people get an in work allowance where they get keeping a certain amount of their wages before the taper hits. Single people don't

I believe the UC taper is now 55p in the pound so for every pound a single person earns their benefits get reduced by 55p. It used to be 67p from recollection

Leaving a job puts you at the risk of being sanctioned by the dwp

I didn't suggest for a minute that the OPs son wasn't deserving. Just that it's not as straightforward as everyone who is on basic UC isn't disabled - as I said in previous posts - lcwra isn't easy to get. There are also people with terminal illnesses who have been denied Pip and told they are fit to work

Being unfit to work doesn't mean someone will get lcw or lcwra. It's the assessor that makes the decision or a tribunal if someone loses the mandatory reconsideration. There are plenty of people who the dwp say are fit to work when their GP has said otherwise (speaking from experience here). The dwp can overrule a Gp

I was told by the dwp that I was fit for work with a broken shoulder - because the rules are you have to break two upper limbs to qualify for lwcra. I was also told that a triple leg fracture would heal in three months and I was put on lcw for that time period. Lost the mandatory reconsideration and had to go to tribunal where I got lcwra

I was also told I was fit for work when I was suffering from ptsd and depression and anxiety. I still have ptsd but that did not get me lcwra. It got me adult disability payment for a short time - but that was it. I see people on social media saying you only need to have a bad back or depression to get disability benefits - utter nonsense

I honestly do not understand the argument that some working people only have 400 quid a month left over. I assume that's after they pay for bills and food and travel

People on UC have to pay for everything out of that pittance. They have to travel to dwp appointments. Pay council tax (it's a myth that council tax is completely funded. In some areas yes but others no). Heat their home - food

Some people spend 200 quid a month on fuel because of the high costs of heating your home. You can't do that on basic Uc. Everything has to be cut to the margins

And when you are in the all work group on UC you don't just get sitting around doing nothing - you have to job search or face a sanction

Give up a job. Face a sanction. I live in an area where there are 200 plus people chasing one job and despite being very well qualified the job that I mentioned earlier was the only one I could get at that point

It's a miserable existence living on 400 quid a month and I would not wish it on anyone. The only reason I have more income now was due to a life changing accident and I still get people online calling me a scrounger

We have a very odd attitude to people claiming benefits in the UK. People get put into the deserving or not pile

BTW. I worked for over 30 years before I was unwell.

UC is there for people like your DS. Don't feel bad about encouraging him to claim.
Being AuDHD means burnout is potentially always going to be a threat regardless of what he does, and it is awful and hard to recover from. He deserves a life where he can feel safe and able to put energy into things that make life worthwhile, and not spend it all on work.
Get him on UC, let him recover. Then go from there.