Backpay the £20 covid uplift to people on Legacy Benefits

[Harmonypuss]

www.petition.parliament.uk/608486

We need 100,000 signatures and as there are around 2 5 million people affected by this we need to spread the word. If this doesn't affect you personally, I'm sure you know someone that it does affect. So I am urging everyone to please, sign the petition.

The petition aims to make sure that the disabled and unemployed people who are not yet on Universal Credit and didn't get the £20 uplift last year, are treated fairly and given a backdated payment to put them at the same financial level as those who are on UC and did get the uplift. This amounts to £1,560 power claim, which so very many people missed out on just because of the way their benefits are paid.

A group of legacy benefit recipients took this case to the High Court in November 2021 but last week the judge ruled that the DWP was 'justified to discriminate against the disabled people who aren't in receipt of UC '.

This is totally unacceptable! Why are some members of the disabled community considered 'more deserving' of this financial help? The only difference is the way in which they receive their benefits.

So please, spread the word and let's hit that 100,000 signatures target.

That link isn't working for me OP.

Trying again
here

According to the Government, it was intended to help those "new to benefits".

I am not going to type what I think about that as I don't want to wake my neighbour anfd break my keyboard.

The Government’s rationale for not extending the uplift to other legacy benefits is that the increase to UC and WTC at the beginning of the pandemic was intended to support people newly unemployed or experiencing reduced incomes and therefore new to the benefits system, who have mostly been claiming Universal Credit. Ministers and officials at the Department for Work and Pensions have also commented that delivering a temporary increase as quickly as was achieved in UC and WTC would not have been possible in the legacy system for operational reasons

commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9246/

I'm sorry if the link doesn't work, this is how it was given to me but I was told that if it didn't work to copy and paste it into Google and it will take you to the correct page.

Thank you for trying.

@StarCat2020

That's what the government said, yes, but in practice it didn't ONLY go to those that lost their jobs due to the pandemic, it went to EVERYONE who received Universal Credit.
A large proportion of those receiving UC were originally on ESA, JSA etc and have been migrated onto UC. These people receive their benefits for exactly the same reasons as those of us still on the old (legacy) benefits.
So let's imagine you and your nextdoor neighbour both have exactly the same disability, your neighbour is on UC but you've not yet been moved across, so you are still on ESA, your neighbour got the uplift but you didn't, the only difference between you is the vehicle by which you receive your payments, would you consider it fair that one of you got the uplift whilst the other didn't?
The DWP also said that it would be difficult to give LB recipients the uplift, but there's absolutely no reason why they couldn't, if they could change payments dor UC or for everyone each April, then they could have made this change too.
At the end of the day, the DWP has treated these disabled people as two separate groups, one group (according to them) evidently worthy of the uplift and the other not. We're just trying to level the playing field.

This the link in full working order looking more like a link -

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/608486

The Government is behaving disgracefully, especially given how many of their chums got millions for contracts which were awarded illegally.

Signed and bumping the thread

@Harmonypuss
Sorry you misunderstood me (probably because I didn't explain myself very well at all)

I find it amazing that there was only an uplift whilst "temporary Covid claimants" needed it and it was taken away as soon as furlough ended.

It is fucking evil.

Also, since they took away the £1,000 a year uplift, many UC claimants have been sent on "Restart Schemes" costing £3,000 a year each.

These schemes are utterly pointless.

I really hope that the legacy uplift gets appealed because I don't see how it is acceptable to not treat everyone the same.

At the end of the day, the DWP has treated these disabled people as two separate groups, one group (according to them) evidently worthy of the uplift and the other not. We're just trying to level the playing field
Mate I totally get everything you are saying.

Another thing the DWP are currently doing is "reassessing" some claimants for PIP and ESA LCW.

Strangely enough it seems to be mostly younger men who are getting this "treatment".

I have got a link for the figures showing that somewhere on this PC.

[quote Harmonypuss]@StarCat2020

That's what the government said, yes, but in practice it didn't ONLY go to those that lost their jobs due to the pandemic, it went to EVERYONE who received Universal Credit.
A large proportion of those receiving UC were originally on ESA, JSA etc and have been migrated onto UC. These people receive their benefits for exactly the same reasons as those of us still on the old (legacy) benefits.
So let's imagine you and your nextdoor neighbour both have exactly the same disability, your neighbour is on UC but you've not yet been moved across, so you are still on ESA, your neighbour got the uplift but you didn't, the only difference between you is the vehicle by which you receive your payments, would you consider it fair that one of you got the uplift whilst the other didn't?
The DWP also said that it would be difficult to give LB recipients the uplift, but there's absolutely no reason why they couldn't, if they could change payments dor UC or for everyone each April, then they could have made this change too.
At the end of the day, the DWP has treated these disabled people as two separate groups, one group (according to them) evidently worthy of the uplift and the other not. We're just trying to level the playing field.[/quote]
Even though you have the same disability you would receive more on the legacy benefits.

@urbanbuddha thank you for making the link work

@Wafflefudge thank you for signing

@StarCat2020 I'm sorry I misunderstood you.

I agree, the way the DWP is behaving is diabolical. I'm sure they're reassessing people in yet another bid to push them off benefits and back into work in order to cut the benefits bill, which in some cases is a good thing because not everyone on JSA or ESA is actually registered disabled, many are just long-term unemployed or sick and could work but this process is completely pointless in cases where people simply can't work due to their disabilities but the DWP will try to force us if they think some of us can be bullied back into work.

Even though you have the same disability you would receive more on the legacy benefits.

This isn't entirely true because if you have a payment for 'severe disablement' as part of your ESA, your benefits are protected when you migrate to UC, so some will, some won't.

I don't see why this is the case though because whichever vehicle (ESA or UC) is used to pay someone benefits, they should still be the same, surely a switch-over from one method to another shouldn't give the DWP the right to cut someone's income.

Signed and shared with my mum and sister for you x

@StarCat2020 I'm sorry I misunderstood you

No dramas, it was my fault for not being clear enough

Forgot to add, if you can avoid switching to UC for as long as possible because it appears to have been shambolic for some people.

@danni0509 thank you for signing and sharing, we need to get this out to add many people as we can.

@StarCat2020 we've been told that we can choose to move sooner which will protect benefit levels (for those without the severe disablement payment) but I don't know anyone, let alone someone on benefits who can afford to wait for 5 or 6 weeks with no money coming in before getting their first payment on UC. They say you can have a loan but there are so many hoops to jump through to get one, then like any other loan you have to pay it back but you're just going to be paying catch-up for the next year, it's not worth voluntarily moving across.
My advice to anyone on legacy benefits would be that if we can get this covid uplift which is worth £1,560, if at all possible to try to hang onto it for when we get migrated across to UC, that way we'll have a little in hand and the financial pressure won't be as painful during the waiting period. I know that's a massive ask for anyone on benefits but it's so easy to swallow up £20/week and then feel it's loss when it ends (as those on UC did), whereas if you get it in a lump you're more likely to put it aside for a bigger purchase or as I've said, knowing we'll get nothing for 5-6 weeks when we're migrated, to cover the shortfall.

This group of people could have switched to Uc to get the extra £20 if they had wanted to. It was designed to help make Uc a little more palatable for people who lost their jobs and everyone on Uc ended up getting it as it was too hard to separate the two. It was a poor decision made as a kneejerk reaction to a quickly changing situation. There were many other ways they could have helped people without increasing UC. It just makes the government look bad when the uplift ended as everyone saw it as a cut in benefits.

[quote Harmonypuss]@danni0509 thank you for signing and sharing, we need to get this out to add many people as we can.

@StarCat2020 we've been told that we can choose to move sooner which will protect benefit levels (for those without the severe disablement payment) but I don't know anyone, let alone someone on benefits who can afford to wait for 5 or 6 weeks with no money coming in before getting their first payment on UC. They say you can have a loan but there are so many hoops to jump through to get one, then like any other loan you have to pay it back but you're just going to be paying catch-up for the next year, it's not worth voluntarily moving across.
My advice to anyone on legacy benefits would be that if we can get this covid uplift which is worth £1,560, if at all possible to try to hang onto it for when we get migrated across to UC, that way we'll have a little in hand and the financial pressure won't be as painful during the waiting period. I know that's a massive ask for anyone on benefits but it's so easy to swallow up £20/week and then feel it's loss when it ends (as those on UC did), whereas if you get it in a lump you're more likely to put it aside for a bigger purchase or as I've said, knowing we'll get nothing for 5-6 weeks when we're migrated, to cover the shortfall.[/quote]
There are no hoops to get a UC advance, it is offered to you.

@StarCat2020

Forgot to add, if you can avoid switching to UC for as long as possible because it appears to have been shambolic for some people.

And many people are way better off on UC. It is a much easier system than having multiple benefit claims. You do not get the same problems with overpayments. There are some problems but overall much simpler and people can easily wok out for themselves what they will get if they have fluctuating earnings.

This group of people could have switched to Uc to get the extra £20 if they had wanted to.

They were scared of losing money in the longer term, as many others in the same situation.

It's a shit excuse for a poorly thought out decision.

It is a much easier system than having multiple benefit claims.

It might be for you, it's not for others. When did you turn into an apologist for this shit storm?

@Bayroobs. I disagree. I enquired about switching over about three years ago via Turn To Us. They advised I ran a risk of being worse off and said the paperwork wasn't straightforward so I've stuck with ESA ever since.

OP, I signed last week. Great to see its now over 10k.

It is not an easier system for those in receipt of benefits.

Previously when money was split into a number of smaller payments if there was a problem with one of them the others would continue to be paid leaving some money towards bills/food while the issue was sorted out.

Now if there is a problem claimants can have nothing as it's all lumped into one payment, paid less frequently & subject to unfair changes such as the problems with those paid 4 weekly
As claimants don't receive enough to be able to build up even a one week financial buffer they are often immediately plunged into a crisis.

UC is intentionally cruel & has been consciously designed to promote poverty, ill health & high stress levels at the same time as making it harder than ever to get off benefits & back into work.

@CorrBlimeyGG

It is a much easier system than having multiple benefit claims.

It might be for you, it's not for others. When did you turn into an apologist for this shit storm?

I'm not on benefits myself but until recently it was my job to help people claim UC and to do better off calculations to see if people were better off. Most were unless they had significant savings. I wouldn't be telling people to claim it unless the benefit calculator showed they would be better off or I wouldn't be doing my job correctly would I ? Since the work allowances increased a few months ago and the taper rates reduced, it is definitely worth people getting a better off calculation.

@Snugglepumpkin

It is not an easier system for those in receipt of benefits.

Previously when money was split into a number of smaller payments if there was a problem with one of them the others would continue to be paid leaving some money towards bills/food while the issue was sorted out.

Now if there is a problem claimants can have nothing as it's all lumped into one payment, paid less frequently & subject to unfair changes such as the problems with those paid 4 weekly
As claimants don't receive enough to be able to build up even a one week financial buffer they are often immediately plunged into a crisis.

UC is intentionally cruel & has been consciously designed to promote poverty, ill health & high stress levels at the same time as making it harder than ever to get off benefits & back into work.

Claimants can have Uc paid twice a month instead of monthly. they can even have it paid weekly if they have particular problems with budgeting? They can have rent paid directly to their landlord to help too.

Signed. £80 for someone on benefits is a LOT of money to loose. Especially with bills rising at rapid rate.