DLA and universal credit - back pay?

[liltshake]

Hi, my son was awarded middle rate DLA on 18.03.2024 (received in July). I am on UC, I told my work coach on 1st August that he had been awarded DLA and I thought I had to inform them…. She told me no that’s not relevant because it’s your child’s benefit not you. So I assumed I’d made a mistake and there was no extra benefit for having a child with a disability. I found out yesterday I should have been recieving a disabled child element to UC. I’ve now managed to update my claim to say that he gets DLA, but will it be backdated? I was wondering if I should make a complaint/talk to someone else because I was told it’s not relevant when she should have definitely told me to update my journal with the info and I would have received this money since August? Thanks for reading

yes deffo complain there’s a section on the claim when you notify them of change of circumstances you click on your child’s name and say what benefit they’ve been awarded with the rates. Contact uc on your journal and insist that a case manager looks into your claim and when they ask you why you haven’t notified them explain you only got a decision with dla when you did and that a uc advisor advised of the wrong information. They deffo do back date cos they did with my daughter.

So select report a change on your claim, people who live with you and then your child’s name. I would escalate this and make a complaint to uc which you can definitely do.

You are also entitled to the carers element too which is £198 a month and they can backdate that too.

@Skeooeorle101010 hey thanks for your messages. So to complain - do I just do it through my normal journal entry? And say I would like to make a complaint and explain what happened?

wow I didn’t know about carers element either!!

Yeah so call them and log the complaint over the phone, they have to type it up on the phone and send it across the case manager to look at. Update your circumstances today and write on your journal that you would like the carers element and disability element backdated.

so again find change of circumstances on your claim, click on children that live with you and then update the rate of dla your child receives and the date you had it awarded from.

ask them on journal to back date carers element form the date of your award.

they will do it but may take up to six weeks, ensure that a case manager looks at this for you. I’m so sorry you’ve missed out on this money from uc.

Also op if you were awarded from March last year that’s when they need to backdate it from not July.

@Skeooeorle101010 Thank you so much for your help. I got a message this morning saying they have processed the carers element back payment and I should recieve it by 17th Jan! They said the DLA one has to be processed or something. Thanks so much because I didn’t even know about the carers element until you told me and that’s a lot of money!

That’s ok hope you put the day you were awarded from cos it’s nearly a year they have to award from the date your awarded not the date you received your backdated pay from dla

glad they sorted your carers element

Hi I’m just wondering if anyone can help me please? My daughter is due a backdate from UC for child disability element and now I have received a journal message saying “we have received a response from the technical team regarding (daughter) and need to speak to you regarding this before we proceed? Am I available for a phone call on …)

does anyone know what time could mean please? Thank you in advance