Hi A-M
You have no need to worry - I will try to explain what I think this is about - but no one can force you to try to go back to work.
Yes I was offered an interview like this both on incapacity and on DLA – I was not well enough to work the first time so I just declined but the second time I just went along and co-operated but also made it clear what my disability was and how it affected me at its worse.
While it was obvious with me as at the time I was still walking with to sticks it might not be obvious with you as yours is a blood immune disorder-
You really do not have to go!! see my explanation of this below, but if you do I think its important to tell it at its worse - which is not lying but reality as it is no good getting work and then finding you are unreliable or going off sick and missing days because at your best you can do it but when your medical condition is really causing you problems - you can not do the work.
I think it is just routine to ask everyone at some point to go to something like this as there have been changes to the incapacity benefit system and while you can keep yours at the level it is, they are lowering the rates for new people and trying to get people off of it.
And it is a bit of a trick because the government are trying to get as many as they can off benefits and they are hoping you do not fully know the situation and you go along with this to give work a try as it is mostly presented to you as if you can try work and not lose anything in terms of benefits.
But this is not strictly true .
As while as long as you inform the benefits agency before you take a job you can work for under 16 hours earning under £70 ( not sure about the exact figure at present) and not lose your benefit for a year
or earn over £70 a week or work over 16 hours up to full time, lose your benefit, but have it re-instated at anytime at your current level in the next year
(again you have to inform them by letter first, there are organisations that will help you with this as you have to word the letter in the right way to keep the right to your incapacity benefit for a year)
But after that year if you stay employed you will lose your incapacity benefit and if you want it reinstated at any time after this because you can not work due to your existing condition - you will have to re apply even though your health has not changed, it will be harder to get benefit and you will go on the new lower rate.
I say it is a trick as when you see the benefits agency or private organisations that are contracted to get disabled and sick people back to work it is often presented in a good light
i.e. as a possibility to see how you cope with work as you will not lose your benefit or if you earn too much to keep it, you can get it back if it does not work out
But the fact that if you work for over a year - you do lose it, is skated over.
The benefits/government bank on you getting a job and keeping it a while before you realise that it is adversely affecting your health and then getting up the courage to go off sick and claim incapacity again - and that by then a year has gone by and while you may well re- apply as you will then receive a lower rate this will have saved the benefit system a years benefit and you will be getting less in future.
Well this is a cynic’s way of looking at it!
But I do not think you have anything to worry about.
First of all I should find out exactly who this appointment is with. Because it may very well not be with the benefits or job centre themselves but with one of the many private organisations that have recently got on the bandwagon of getting a contract with the government to be paid to get disabled and sick people back to work.
This is what the government have done as they do not have resources to see every disabled and incapacitated person and try to encourage them – often over many months – to go back to work, and there are many private organisations making money out of this.
Indeed the person I saw was from a local org with such a contract. The benefits office gave them my contact details and it was them I saw them as they made an appointment for me. The private organisation I saw was called WTCS Limited who a are a ‘private research and training company that specialises in helping people who are disadvantaged in the labour market to gain employment’ - see there web site here:
www.wtcsltd.co.uk/wtcssite/They operate all over the country, but there are many others so it could be these or it could be another. You could also be seeing a benefits officer or a disablement employment officer from Jobs Plus i.e. the job centre or benefits agency – but I doubt it as they do not usually have time to deal with trying to get people on benefits back into work...
So first check who the person you are seeing works for? If they are from one of these companies, you simply can ring them and say you are not interested as you are not well enough to work at present ( in fact you can do this anyhow if it is a benefits officer but they may insist on seeing you just to confirm this)
I actually went to both my interviews and at my first one I was still too weak to work but at my second, as I am happy and would even like to work if I could find something suitable given my disability, I accepted their help.
I look in the paper every week but as I am looking for such limited work – under 16 hours and preferably 8 to 10, flexible so that if one day I am in too much pain to go I can go in an catch up another day so I do not let them down, and in a building with easy access for someone on crutches and not to far to travel doing something which uses my skills.
I am on this scheme:
www.wtcsltd.co.uk/wtcssite/contracts_workprep.aspThey have not come up with anything for me yet and it must be difficult as I am over 50 and disabled, but trying gives them something to do I suppose.
Although I did get an interview a few weeks ago fro ironically enough – as a benefits and employment advisor for Pathways -
www.wtcsltd.co.uk/wtcssite/contracts_pathways.asp Working in fact for one of these very agencies - Not WTCS Limited but one very like it - which is why I know quite a lot about it! They should of employed me as I really did my home work so now really know the system they operate.
– I did not get it, and I am now quite glad as although I would like to work a little, this would have been too much for me as it was 20 hours.
However it does not sound to me that you can work at all at the moment or that it would be good for you to try and I really do not think you need worry as seeing this person is optional.
I found that with most genuine incapacity like yours and mine (ie you have a medical condition which has not gone or changed that has been diagnosed by a consultant or Doctor that affects your ability to work)
The person you see is happy to accept this; it is just routine due to the governments clamp down on what they see as benefit fraud and people claiming incapacity benefit because they could work and find work if they had some help to do so - to either see you themselves or refer you to a private agency, but if you come under neither category and you do not feel able to work – then you can say no thanks.
But this is why it is best not to make light of your difficulties so the full extent is understood. If you do have any problems ask for them to see your medical notes or to write to your consultant.
But I would probably think that this is just routine because they are running this job/careers festival and they have got your name to make up the numbers – so please do not be scared .
I would find out more about it and if it is not compulsory as I am sure it is not ( the only thing I have ever had to go to which was while on incapacity is what used to be called ‘The All Work Test’ which I think is now called the Personal Capability Assessment:
www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/Anything other than this – then it is your option to attend or not so do not worry
All the best
Veritee
