Voluntary work and benefits - potential minefield

[sospan]

There is a quite a few threads on work and volunteering bubbling up.

So I thought I would post a link to the Disability Rights quite to "permitted work" and volunteering. I looked into this a few years ago and it was a nightmare even then. Now with the greater deployment of Universal Credit (UC) it is even more of an issue.

Whist before you may have been allowed to do "permitted work" on Employment and Support Allownance once you move to UC this isn't necessarily allowed.

Similarly volunteering opportunities may not be as straight forward as they seem. A volunteering role could certainly affect certain aspects of a PIP award.

Here is the link

disabilityrightsuk.org/work...

Hope it is useful

[Marnie22]

Hi. As far as I understand it, PIP is only affected if your condition changes. So if you volunteered or did a job that suggested that you were more able than when you applied for PIP and you hadn't told them your condition had improved, then it could be an issue If you are the same in your health it shouldn't affect it.

I know UC is a bit more complicated, but I was told by a work coach that you could volunteer within certain limitations if it met the conditions of your benefit commitments. It will also vary depending on if you are in the okay to work group, the preparing to work group or the don't have to look for or prepare for work group.

Of course I may have it all wrong, but that was my understanding.

Why can't it all be simpler?!

😮🌸

[Owl51]

It's a tricky one. I've been off work for 8 months so applied for ESA once my statutory sick pay ended. They sent me a work capability assessment...phoned and said that I had a job, was off sick and that the occupational health doctor had examined me and said I wasn't fit for work yet. So what did they want me to do? What would the point be going to CV workshops, interview training when I have a job that I intend to go back to (and my work are happy to have me, with accommodations as long as occ health says I'm ok)? Lots of hmm..ah...I will get someone to ring you back. They haven't done so, and this was a couple of days ago. It's a tricky system and it doesn't seem to match real life sometimes.