LCWRA and making new style esa claim

neen88

I wondered if anyone can help me better understand the situation with making a claim for new style esa. 

I have been claiming universal credit since 1st feb after having to leave work due to ill health. I was assessed and awarded LCWRA a few weeks ago, which will change my universal credit benefit entitlement from June. 

I have just made a claim for new style esa today (I did try and do them both at the same time back in February but it was too overwhelming) and I have stated that I want the new style esa claim to start from 1st feb also. 

I am not sure how the new style esa stuff works and haven’t found many clear answers online.
Will I have to have another form and assessment, or will I not have to because I already have been assessed as LCWRA? 

When do you normally receive your first esa payment, after you have made a claim? And does that payment include a backdate?

Will I be backdated esa from 1st feb when I am starting the claim from, and how will this be rectified with my universal credit as some should have come off that since February in that case for the esa. 

I hope those questions make sense. 

Thank you so much. 

poppy123456

You can backdate an ESA claim for a maximum of 3 months, providing you weren't claiming SSP at any point during that time. You will need a fit note from the start of your claim. (1st Feb)

You will not need another assessment and you'll be placed into the Support Group from the 14th week of your claim. (if entitled to ESA payments)

Your ESA will be deducted in full from any UC entitlement and you'll have an overpayment of UC from the start of your ESA claim. This will need to be repaid back so they will very likely reduce your future UC payments to repay back what you owe.

When you attend your first appointment for ESA you should tell them that you've been found to have LCWRA for your UC.

neen88

Thank you Poppy. 

I have submitted notes online from 1st feb - 1st June. 

I am glad I won’t need a second assessment, I thought I needed to do two forms and two assessments which was why I withdrew my claim previously and didn’t go through with claiming ESA.

Is the repayment of UC for the ESA claim to correct for a backdate, or they just skip doing a backdate because I was already getting UC at the time? 

If they do give a backdate, does that come with your first payment of ESA or separately do you know? 

calcotti

If you backdate the ESA you will be paid arrears of ESA but this means the earlier UC payments have to be recalculated to deduct the ESA. The UC will have been overpaid for the period and that will have to be overpaid through deduction from future UC payments.

neen88

Thank you both for the advice. Paying the backdate to UC might well be simpler. 

Does anyone know how long it usually takes for the payment to come through given having already been assessed? 

poppy123456

neen88 said:

Thank you both for the advice. Paying the backdate to UC might well be simpler. 

Does anyone know how long it usually takes for the payment to come through given having already been assessed? 

It can take a few weeks sometimes longer for your first payment. Your weekly rate will be £77 (old rate) (£84.80/week after April 10th for the first 13 weeks. It will then increase to £129.50/week. There's no financial again anyway, regardless of the rate. 

flour

Whilst as poppy says there is no financial gain that is not usually a good enough reason not to claim new style esa.

The big advantages of it are;
- Class 1 National Insurance Credits, which access more benefits if you claim something else later on
- You're single and you move in with a partner and their earnings reduce your UC, but your ESA stays the same so you're better off and keep your own personal income
- You have a partner and their earnings increase which reduces the UC, but the ESA carries on at the same level
- You come in to a large amount of money, such as inheritance, which closes your UC but your ESA stays the same and keeps going 

You've done the right thing claiming now, because you can't claim later on as your NI won't be up to date.