Universal Credit Work Search Meeting???

[H-O-W-L]

Been on Universal Credit and signed off continuously by my doctor for my anxiety issues since December last year, and I've just gotten an email saying I need to attend a work search meeting on Wednesday the 1st (!!!) two towns over, despite having put my latest fit note on file. How fucked am I? Do I still need to attend? Are they going to ask me why I'm not doing any fucking searching?

[Cold Meat Platter]

Nope. Call them and suggest that if they need to speak to you they can do it by phone. Unless it's a 'health assessment' which at least until recently in my experience was doable by phone, at least in Scotland where I am. If you are signed off they have absolutely no reason to have changed your search commitments, hopefully it's just some automatic flag that's been set off in your account because of the amount of time you've been on UC.

EDIT: Actually just ask in your online 'journal'

[H-O-W-L]

One of my notes expired on the 22nd and I only got the replacement to file on the 23rd. Probably related to that?

EDIT: I did leave a message in my journal saying I've got an active fitnote but they've ignored dozens of journal messages in the past, so if I don't get a reply sometime during the day I'll ring them in the early afternoon.

[Cold Meat Platter]

It may well be but just go to your journal in the morning and leave a note for your 'work coach' (boak lol) and they'll usually get back to you pretty quick, I find. There's no way your work search commitments will have been changed without your agreeing to them first though so don't worry. You have to agree to any changed commitments online.

EDIT: obviously not that quick at your Jobcentre, sorry. But I don't think they can penalize you for telling them you can't make it.

[H-O-W-L]

Thanks for the help either way. If I don't get a response in journal I suppose I'll ring them?

[Cold Meat Platter]

Definitely do ring them. They are specifically hired to answer questions like this. Make them do their job. :)
And you'll have a weight off your shoulders (not him) afterwards.

[H-O-W-L]

Definitely do ring them. They are specifically hired to answer questions like this. Make them do their job. :)
And you'll have a weight off your shoulders (not him) afterwards.

Just checked and it seems my work coach(es) hasn't left a message saying that they've accepted my fitnote, so I'm guessing it's just a fuckup? Hopefully ringing/messaging them will clear it up.

[Cold Meat Platter]

You've done nothing wrong at all mate, don't worry :) Bit of arseache maybe calling them if you can't get a response soon but that's it.

[H-O-W-L]

Thanks for the reassurance, I am proper bricking it since this is the first interaction they've had with me barring asking for updated fit notes. Constantly panicking they're gonna cut me off 'cos I'm a skiver or whatever.

[The Guppy]

I don't think they can make you do anything until they do one of those work capability assessments. Once they do that, they assign you to a group (fucked/semi-fucked/bullshitter) and treat you accordingly. I'm in the semi-fucked group and normally have to meet the work coach twice a year, but they haven't been in touch at all since covid started.

[H-O-W-L]

I don't think they can make you do anything until they do one of those work capability assessments. Once they do that, they assign you to a group (fucked/semi-fucked/bullshitter) and treat you accordingly. I'm in the semi-fucked group and normally have to meet the work coach twice a year, but they haven't been in touch at all since covid started.

Yeah, I sent a form off for one of those back in like April and I've not heard anything back. The notification doesn't say anything about it being related though and I'm pretty sure it's because my fitnote didn't get accepted yet. Hopefully I can clear it up when they open.

[canadagoose]

Yeah, I sent a form off for one of those back in like April and I've not heard anything back. The notification doesn't say anything about it being related though and I'm pretty sure it's because my fitnote didn't get accepted yet. Hopefully I can clear it up when they open.

They take forever. Hopefully you get yours before the end of the winter. The phone assessment for UC limited work capability took an hour or so for me, and I got quite a nice person to interview me so it isn't all bad. Still pretty irritating having to go through your entire medical history though.

[H-O-W-L]

They've gotten back to me, saying they have to call me because my fit note isn't accepted (??). Hopefully nothing.

[bgmnts]

Weird they didnt accept your fit note though.

[H-O-W-L]

I've only ever put in details and dates on the site so maybe I fatfingered a number, or they want me to post them or something.

[canadagoose]

They've gotten back to me, saying they have to call me because my fit note isn't accepted (??). Hopefully nothing.

What a bloody faff. Let us know what happens!

[Rich Uncle Skeleton]

Just to make this about ME for a minute,  they stopped accepting my fit notes after a year when the health assessment guy rang me up then basically lied about what answers I'd given him,  so i was immediately doing fortnightly appointments and having to act like everything was absolutely fine and dandy...

You'll hopefully be fine but if their fuck up with your fit note leads to an assessment call make sure you're a lot more prepared than I was!!

[H-O-W-L]

Aaaand now they've told me they may not (?!!) even call me today because of a booking error, and it'll be next week instead. This sure as hell isn't helping my anxiety (wot I've been signed off so long for)!

[bgmnts]

I decided to re-sign on just until I find another job and now they're making people go back into the job centre rather than doing it on the phone. Fucking mental.

For those who dont know, you literally go all the way there just to go "you looking for work?" "Yeah" "alright see you next week"

People are just weird as. So I'm just gonna live off my meagre savings til my grant kicks in yay.

[madhair60]

In america it's called a univoisal credit woik soich

[H-O-W-L]

Now me fitnote's gone through. Fucking odd affair.

[Cold Meat Platter]

Glad its been sorted, sorry you had this unnecessary stress.

[itsfredtitmus]

Now me fitnote's gone through. Fucking odd affair.

Great news!

[Bence Fekete]

I had a capability assessment a few months back via phone after about a year of asking for one and doing the pointless fit note thing (presumably I could've just lied the whole time because they obviously don't want the physical copies now). It was also with a seemingly nice 'i'm on your side love' nursey lady, which I wasn't expecting tbh. But she did have a strange and mildly infuriating habit of twisting everything I said to make me sound even more of a psycho.

'I don't go out much'
'Oh, so would you say you're suicidal?'
'Er, ...yes.'

Presumably it all goes through quicker if you tick psychology box X, and she was actually doing me a solid and feeding me the cheat codes. Thank you kind nursey lady

[itsfredtitmus]

I had a capability assessment a few months back via phone after about a year of asking for one and doing the pointless fit note thing (presumably I could've just lied the whole time because they obviously don't want the physical copies now). It was also with a seemingly nice 'i'm on your side love' nursey lady, which I wasn't expecting tbh. But she did have a strange and mildly infuriating habit of twisting everything I said to make me sound even more of a psycho.

'I don't go out much'
'Oh, so would you say you're suicidal?'
'Er, ...yes.'

Presumably it all goes through quicker if you tick psychology box X, and she was actually doing me a solid and feeding me the cheat codes. Thank you kind nursey lady

I've had similar ones and they're lovely

[H-O-W-L]

I've now got a phone disability assessment tomorrow. Fingers crossed, because I feel proper fucked mentally as well as physically. Me asthma's on two puffs of Fostair daily, and I cough like I've got tuberculosis-- and that's not saying anything about my anxiety, which is... drastic.

[bgmnts]

I'm still able to work despite being mentally and physically just gone.

So I have to go to a pointless meeting with a pointless cunt in the middle of town during a fucking epidemic to do something that had been done successfully on the phone for the past 18 months prior.

Even when you're unemployed you can't escape the stupid presenteeism.

[Rich Uncle Skeleton]

good luck tomorrow @H-O-W-L ! hope you get someone who actually gives a toss instead of some conveyor belt jobsworth.

got my appeal response in the post yesterday, sided with the person who rang me up and wrote down the opposite of what answers I'd given, surprise surprise. tribunal god knows when, can't wait.

I've temporarily gone back to an old job for christmas just to keep them off my back, fucking miserable but better than the pointless trudge into town @bgmnts is talking about.

[H-O-W-L]

Proper shitting it!

[Mrs Wogans lemon drizzle]

Hope it goes OK for you.  Try and get a good nights kip tonight if you can.