The Department for Work and Pensions will ring people on Universal Credit for appointments, but missing one could prove costly.
The Department for Work and Pensions will ring people on Universal Credit for appointments, but missing one could prove costly.
People on Universal Credit who miss a phone call could have their payments stopped completely. The Department for Work and Pensions will ring people on Universal Credit for appointments, but missing one could prove costly.
Universal Credit News explains: “When you fail to attend an appointment without explanation, you risk facing a Universal Credit sanction.
“This sanction may result in a partial or complete reduction of your benefit payments for a period that varies depending on the circumstances and your history.
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“First-time missed appointments may result in a warning or a short-term deduction. However, repeated absences or a pattern of non-engagement can lead to more severe sanctions.
“In some cases, claimants who frequently miss appointments, even with excuses, are referred to a decision maker who reviews whether the reasons are sufficient.
“The DWP considers several factors when determining whether to apply a sanction, including how quickly the absence was reported, whether evidence was submitted, and how plausible the explanation is.”
Universal Credit claimants are required to attend various interviews and appointments as part of their work-related requirements for Universal Credit. For more information, see Universal Credit appointment list.
If a claimant fails to attend these interviews or appointments without good reason, a sanction may be applied. Sanctions only apply to mandatory Work Focused Interviews
In some circumstances, a claimant who fails to attend a mandatory interview can be treated as having good reason without making a referral to a decision maker. A maximum of 3 good reason decisions are allowed.
A fourth failure to attend must be referred to a decision maker. Once a decision maker has made a decision following 3 consecutive locally allowed good reason decisions, the clock starts again and there can be a further three locally allowed decisions.
Only those reasons listed in the DWP guidance can be accepted without referral to adecision maker and only if the event occurred unexpectedly.
