We are making some changes to the Benefits and Work forum as a result of the increasingly complex queries we are receiving.
The forum is only intended as additional support for the issues that the site itself deals with: AA, DLA, PIP and the WCA. It’s provided as a courtesy to members, as long as we have volunteers to staff it.
Unfortunately, and entirely understandably, as a result of the forced migration of ESA claimants to UC, the forum is receiving many more enquiries about a range of issues relating to UC. These sometimes involve calculations of how much UC should be in payment or which UC elements a claimant should be entitled to.
These are questions that are far outside the purpose for which the site exists.
The unfortunate result is that the moderators are being overwhelmed with posts which only some have the knowledge to deal with and those moderators are not always available.
It also makes it much harder to recruit moderators, as members may feel they have to have expert knowledge of all aspects of UC in order to contribute.
So, we have now appointed a volunteer Forum Moderator, whose role is to check for posts which fall outside the site remit. These will still be published, but without any answer by a moderator.
Instead there will be a brief explanation of why an answer cannot be given. Other members will still be free to respond to these posts if they feel they can make a helpful contribution.
We hope that readers will understand the reason for these changes and, if any readers have a good knowledge of any of the issues the site deals with – you might be good on PIP but not the WCA or vice versa, for example - and would like to consider becoming a moderator, please do get in touch.
