05.08.2021
Whilst many people are hopeful and excited about coming out of lockdown, and quite right too, there are many people who are simply trying to make ends meet, Covid or no covid. In the last month alone I.e., July , our two advice caseworkers supported 44 people over 67 appointments, each of which lasted an average of 90mins.
In our role supporting the local community, we find that the majority of clients coming to see us for advice are not able to get online and as a consequence rely on other people to access their Universal Credit accounts for them. This presents problems if there are no family members or friends to assist in this. The client may receive a text message asking them to check their Universal Credit account, however because they cannot use the online portal it is very easy for them to be unaware of important messages. There may be instructions in their Universal Credit account journal asking them to take action. One such common example is a situation in which a claimant has a note in their journal saying that they have been overpaid, and that the money will be recovered. There is usually a deadline given for the client’s response, but digitally illiterate claimants often only notice that something is amiss when they get a reduced payment. Our off-line community of vulnerable residents should not be put at a disadvantage, rather the welfare system should be flexible and person centred enough to make sure that the system is fair to everyone.
By the time they notice that they should have responded to a UC message it is too late to add a note in the journal, - your record of everything you've done whilst claiming Universal Credit - and the claimant has to seek help and ask for a mandatory reconsideration. This can take several weeks and leave the claimant facing financial hardship, the threat of homelessness and food poverty.
Given that Universal Credit is paid monthly the claimant is left wondering how they will manage to survive whilst they wait for the next payment. They have to pay their rent regardless and this places undue stress on our clients. Whilst we can provide support in the form of food parcels, this is not a long-term solution.
Supporting clients with their Universal Credit accounts is extremely time consuming. There are other elements such as fit/sick notes which can be difficult to access. Many GP surgeries no longer accept requests for fit/sick notes by telephone. The requests have to be made via email – which again is impossible for our clients to do, leading to the claimants needing further assistance. Fit/sick notes are generally only valid for a month, and upon receipt of the note the claimant needs our help again to upload it to their Universal Credit account.
Mistakes are sometimes made by Universal Credit, and we are currently assisting a number of our clients in challenging their awards.
All in all, Universal Credit, if the clients account is kept up to date, is reliable. However, keeping the account up to date is challenging for those without internet access and the required know how to utilise the online services. We are delighted with the dedication and professionalism of our client centred advisors but of course need more if we are to ensure that our disadvantaged residents are able to access the support that they have a right to. Funders! Please invest in more advisors for us.