FIRST UC FORCED MIGRATION NOTICES SENT
The DWP has begun sending out the first forced Migration Notices moving claimants from legacy benefits, including ESA, to UC.
Initially just 500 claimants in the Medway and Bolton areas will be affected, as the DWP tries to work out how exactly it is going to move 2.6 million claimants onto UC by the end of 2024.
Claimants are warned by the DWP that they have just three months from the date on their migration letter to complete their claim for universal credit.
Missing the deadline will lead to the probability of losing your legacy benefits, having to make a fresh claim for UC and missing out on the transitional protection which tops up awards.
It is possible to ask for an extension to the deadline, but you must do this by calling the new Universal Credit Migration Notice helpline before your deadline.
The DWP say this helpline can also be used to make a claim if you are unable to do so online
It is already very predictable that, as migration numbers increase, claimants will spend hours trying to get through to this helpline – as they do to all the other DWP lines.
The anxiety and distress this process will cause must be absolutely clear to the DWP, but it isn’t stopping them going through with it.