Re supp evidence

lydia5683

Hi I was wondering if I should pay for medical evidence for my esa claim as Ive been told that the hcp doesn't always contact the gp even if requesting a paper based assessment due to severe anxiety.

 This happened for my pip renewal and they used my previous assessment but i still got the award i wanted via a paper based assessment despite not getting all the points i wanted.

When i used to claim uc they have always contacted my gp for evidence but not for pip

Thanks 

poppy123456

You certainly don't need to pay for medical evidence. Your own real world examples of what happened the last time you attempted each descriptor that applies to you will be fine. Yes, you're correct, they very rarely contact anyone for any medical evidence.

lydia5683

Thanks, I was wondering if it would be easier to claim class 1 credits without going through the esa assessment as even though I have a health condition im looking for work and if i found a job that is more than 15 hours a week i would still do it as depending on the job i can work around full time

If that is the case will i have to cancel my esa ni credits claim and make a separate claim via jobcentre 

poppy123456

You can claim New style JSA as a NI credits only claim. However, you will be treated as a job seeker and be expected to attend work focused interviews at your local job centre every couple of weeks and give proof that you’ve been actively looking for work. 

You need to ask for is the JSANC1 form. There’s no time limit on how long you can receive the credits for as long as you continue to do what it expected of you. 

lydia5683

Thanks, just to confirm even though im not eligible for new style jsa due to not enough ni contributions and if i only do a credits only claim do i still have to attend interviews and show proof im looking for work 

Sorry if this seems obvious

poppy123456

Yes that’s exactly what I advised. 

lydia5683

Ok do you only get your ni credits after your new style esa wca assessment or before 

poppy123456

After, if found to have LCW. Even if it was before your NI contributions aren’t updated straight away anyway. I can’t see any of mine from this tax year yet. I can see all previous years.