UC - Disabled Child Element

[ScoobyBooby]

For those that go this element backdated was it a seperate payment or included in your monthly payment?

UC only advised me to update the claim to state I am now a carer , nothing to change my child’s details. After several phone calls on the helpline since no one answers the journal back the claims been updated correctly .

It’s so frustrating waiting for a reply on the journal. Will they backdate the child element ? They also missed the carers element off ! .

As a minimum it should be paid from the AP in which they're advised of the change.

Were you waiting for a DLA award at the time you applied for UC?

I for the DLA in March and we had to migrate over from TC to UC in April.

So your Child was awarded DLA in March, and when you claimed UC in April you didn't answer the questions about their DLA under the Child details? Is that correct?

If you've now updated this, then they will need to refer to a Decision Maker for late reporting. The disabled child element will then be backdated to the Assessment Period in which the DLA was awarded (or the start of your UC claim if this was later).

Carers Element will be more difficult - can you remember if you reported this when you made the UC claim? (You may have said Yes you were a Carer, but answered No to the question about whether the cared for person was receiving a disability benefit...?).

I would leave a message on your Journal asking for BOTH the Carers Element and Disabled Child Element to be backdated.

If you had Transitional Protection within your UC award at the start, this will also be recalculated.

@8dayweek sorry we applied for the DLA in March and got the award notice in September . I updated my journal soon as I got the letter. The reply from UC was to update the claim that I am
now a carer . Nothing about updating my child’s details. After phoning the UC several times after my statement was the same , the lady updated the claim correctly and my child’s details were verified.

I have asked them to backdate both in my journal at last week and haven’t heard back.

We do have Transitional Protection from migrating over from tax credits.Thanks for your reply x

Ah OK, that makes more sense.

Have you had a further UC payment since it's been updated which includes the Disabled Child Element?

If not, can you see in your Journal that's there's an entry along the lines of...Change: Children and other people who live with you...? Or have you got something that says "We'll notify you when your Child details have been verified"...?

If there isn't, then I would update as follows:

Home > Report a change > Children & Other People who live with you.

Input date of change as the Start Date of the DLA award.

Click change next to the Child who has been awarded DLA and re-input their details, including the DLA Award.

Click next / done and submit.

You should then be able to put on a Journal message requesting backdating of the Disabled Child Element and the Carers Element. Just refer to the fact you notified as soon as the Letter was received.

Also...

If your Tax Credit claim closed AFTER the start date of the DLA Award - contact Tax Credits and ask them to reassess your previous award on the grounds that DLA has since been awarded.

When you get a revised TC notification, add a message to your Journal asking for your Transitional Protection to be reviewed on the grounds your prior TC award has been revised.

A further complication is that all your earlier statements will be recalculated to include the missing elements which won't of course reflect the reality of what you were paid at the time. You will get a separate payment to cover the unpaid elements, it won't be included in the next payment.
You should be able to access the original statements in your payments section so you can compare them.

As @8dayweek says - this recalculation may mess with your transitional element. If your DC's DLA start date was while you were still receiving tax credits you should ask for a recalculation of the tax credits and then a recalculation of your transitional elements. If your DC's DLA start date was after you migrated to UC then unfortunately the Disabled Child Element and the Carer's Element will erode the transitional element.

Thank you both so much very much. More helpful than the UC ! I got a payment last week and this is when I noticed they didn’t add the carers element when I got my statement , after several phone calls being told the work coach will update it before the payment date , found out I needed to fill in the children’s section as you a stated @8dayweek , the work coach in my journal only told me to update that I am a carer , nothing about updating my child’s details or saying how to do this ! Just to add more issues.

Agent on the phone updated the claim the day before my payment was due , my child’s details were then verified last week. I feel like because of this error they won’t back date it , even though I told them in messages and updated the carers part on the actual day I received the award notice and my upcoming appointment was cancelled . So they totally missed off the carers element in that assessment period anyways . The claim was updated correctly within 3 weeks of me receiving his award notice. The agent on the phone just said to explain why it’s late and she doesn’t think it will be an issue.

@oviraptor21 the DLA start date was a few weeks before we migrated over to UC and we applied for UC the day after we received our last TC payment.

Think I just have to wait now and see what happens if I get informed it’s gone to a decision maker.

Sorry ladies and thanks for keeping up ! Honestly been a stressful few weeks x

Work Coach was sloppy... but probably works in your favour.

Disabled Child Element will be backdated, as long as they've sent the request to a Decision Maker. No qualms there.

Carers Element will too, I don't think you've got any issues there either. It sounds rather like nobody has done the "Verify Caring" to-do yet if the element wasn't included.

Once they do it you'll get a one month "backdate" automatically because they've clearly not completed it within period it was report, and then they'll need to send it for backdating.

Definitely contact TC and ask for review of prior TC award. It will make a difference.

Honestly I’ve had about 4 work coaches . The lady who responded wasn’t the work coach I’d seen a few weeks before! It’s very slow and I hate this journal and getting a prompt reply !

If I have to explain more I will happily I’ve got all the dates I’ve phoned and letters etc . Just a lack of communication !

Really appreciate your help and advice ! x

Just had some details verified 13th
Then 16th descion made for element backpack had the letter but don't state when and what how long to wait for thid anyone ???

Sons*

It might help to message payments rather than the work coach as the coaches are not involved in calculating payments.

Hi, I am so confused so I have been told even though not so clear that backdated severe disabled child element which I thought we would get I don't know that we are getting it at all. As I just added a 3rd child on to and getting higher rate care as 2 others already getting dla higher rate care and lower rate mobility even though he has no sense of danger and is a safety risk behaviour issues for himself and others and my daughter who gets middle rate and Lower rate mobility. 3 out of 5 children. Being told due tp erosion although reading on contact and also parliament online etc and others it is very confusing. I don't know can anyone tell me this is right or not please if they know. I have emailed citizens advice but only recently so won't hear back for a little while at least. Recieved carer element backdated and ongoing I think due to my husband missing getting it before as we were told basically lying to the system our coach because they didn't add him to caring for our daughter then.

Do you have access to your online account? Can you look in the payments section (under the home tab) to see what your statements say? The payments you receive for each child should be clearly laid out.
If you don't have access to your online account, do you receive paper statements?

Can someone.help I applied to dla on june 26 2024 I migrated over to uc 2024 July 24 pending a dla decion after a whole year going through mandotory reconsideration I won my dla and I got hight rate if I report this will my child disability elemmt come out of my transition payment as this was a pending decion I'm stick soneone help me.