Managed migration starting September 2024
Meg24
Online Community Member Posts: 390 Trailblazing
Benefits & Work news and Rightsnet are reporting that the DWP has officially announced the start of managed migration to UC for legacy claimants of ESA & ESA/HB. This after their previous promise that they wouldn't move us till 2028.
There seems still to be no word on precautions for vulnerable people who may struggle to claim within the 3 month window, and no commitment to not stopping peoples benefits if that happens.
Personally I am very worried that I won't get the letter as our post only comes twice a week now and often gets mixed up with a similarly named street in the town because none of the posties are regular anymore.
They have not said where they're starting it or in what order, just that we will all get a notice to migrate between September 2024 and December 2025.
Benefits & Work states that because this may begin before any election, that it is not likely to be stopped now the wheels have been set in motion.
I'm an atheist but may I say, God help us all.
There seems still to be no word on precautions for vulnerable people who may struggle to claim within the 3 month window, and no commitment to not stopping peoples benefits if that happens.
Personally I am very worried that I won't get the letter as our post only comes twice a week now and often gets mixed up with a similarly named street in the town because none of the posties are regular anymore.
They have not said where they're starting it or in what order, just that we will all get a notice to migrate between September 2024 and December 2025.
Benefits & Work states that because this may begin before any election, that it is not likely to be stopped now the wheels have been set in motion.
I'm an atheist but may I say, God help us all.
0
Comments
-
Remember, if you fail to claim within the 3 month window, not only will your legacy benefits stop, you will lose the right to transitional protection which is going to be a big loss for some of us.
I am set to be £65 a week worse off once the erosion of the TP has completed.
Furious is one word about that, combine that with the potential loss of PIP & the LCWRA/Health element and my anger gives way to hopelessness. I am living day to day atm, I feel like my days are numbered.0 -
If (like me) you're on IR-ESA Support Group and you get moved on Universal Credit, do you have to do another WCA?0
-
I understand not, but I'm going to try to get a benefits advisor to do my application for me and make sure it goes as it's supposed to. I have less than zero trust in the DWP.Grissom123 said:If (like me) you're on IR-ESA Support Group and you get moved on Universal Credit, do you have to do another WCA?1 -
Also, you don't "get moved" as such, you have to do all the legwork - we have to manage all the application process, the only bit they will do is cut you off if you don't complete it in time, so that's nice...Grissom123 said:If (like me) you're on IR-ESA Support Group and you get moved on Universal Credit, do you have to do another WCA?1 -
But don't do it before you get your letter or you won't get your transitional protection.Meg24 said:
Also, you don't "get moved" as such, you have to do all the legwork - we have to manage all the application process, the only bit they will do is cut you off if you don't complete it in time, so that's nice...Grissom123 said:If (like me) you're on IR-ESA Support Group and you get moved on Universal Credit, do you have to do another WCA?1 -
Thanks Meg24 this whole thing has me worried. Be interesting to see how they will cope with the extra workload. I'm guessing not well.1
-
Citizens advice have a help to claim phone number you can ring and they will help to guide you through the process. See link.https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/contact-us/contact-us/help-to-claim/
It's not difficult to claim UC, it's actually quite straight forward. I've only ever done one claim and before that had never even seen the form. I did it on behalf of my daughter back in 2021.
You will not need another WCA as your ESA award will transfer across with you. However, you will need to make sure that once you have access to a journal that you put a message on that to tell them which group you were in when claiming ESA. You will very likely be asked to provide a fit note as part of the claims process but please do NOT provide that fit note, there's no need for that at all. If you do that they could refer you for another WCA. (I'm not saying this would happen but it could) It may take a few weeks for ESA to send your details across to UC. Once this is done you will be asked to agree to a new claimant commitment. If in the Support Group for ESA then that would be LCWRA for UC and your commitments would be to agree to report all changes. No other commitments.
Your Income Related ESA and housing benefit (if you claim that) will continue for 2 weeks and then stop. Your first UC payment will be 1 month and 6 days after submitting your claim. You can request an advance payment but this does need to be repaid back so please bear that in mind.
Some people's ESA will be part contributions based, this will continue as normal but be deducted in full from any UC entitlement.
There has been some people claiming Tax credits as well as ESA that have already migrated across.
2 -
-
Thank you Poppy I will make sure to do that if and when the time comes.0
-
So if ESA runs on for 2 weeks but then there's a 3 week wait for UC, does that mean we won't get any money to cover rent etc for 3 weeks? Or is it just paid further in arrears than ESA? I don't want to borrow money because I can't cope with the stress of being in debt, however I'm not sure how I'm going to pay the rent if there's a gap, surely therr can't be? It's not my fault they are forcing us to do this! Also, do we have to claim CT relief through the council again or does that run on automatically? Do we even still get that? This whole thing is a complete.nightmare to me...0
-
Nothing about this seems simple to me and I point blank refuse to step foot in a jobcentre, I'd have a complete meldown and it would be very unsafe for me. How do I verify my identity without going in? Or I haven't got photo iD? Do they want bank statements and rent agreements etc? I've been here for 16 years, I don't know where my tenancy agreement is!
Nothing like this is simple when you've got severe MH issues...0 -
Both ESA and Housing benefit run on for 2 weeks once you submit your claim for UC. The wait for your first UC payment is still the same, 1 month and 6 days after submitting the claim. Unfortunately, that's how it works for everyone.Meg24 said:So if ESA runs on for 2 weeks but then there's a 3 week wait for UC, does that mean we won't get any money to cover rent etc for 3 weeks? Or is it just paid further in arrears than ESA? I don't want to borrow money because I can't cope with the stress of being in debt, however I'm not sure how I'm going to pay the rent if there's a gap, surely therr can't be? It's not my fault they are forcing us to do this! Also, do we have to claim CT relief through the council again or does that run on automatically? Do we even still get that? This whole thing is a complete.nightmare to me...
UC is paid 1 month in arrears. After you receive your first payment if you're unable to manage your payments monthly you can ask for an alternative payment arrangement. Your payment will then be split into 2 equal payments and then you'll receive a payment twice a month. In extreme circumstances you can ask for weekly payments. See link.alternative-payment-arrangements
You can ask for a telephone appointment as a reasonable adjustment. If your identity can't be confirmed online then they will ask you some questions over the phone.Meg24 said:Nothing about this seems simple to me and I point blank refuse to step foot in a jobcentre, I'd have a complete meldown and it would be very unsafe for me. How do I verify my identity without going in? Or I haven't got photo iD? Do they want bank statements and rent agreements etc? I've been here for 16 years, I don't know where my tenancy agreement is!
Nothing like this is simple when you've got severe MH issues...
If you live in social/council housing then you won't need to provide proof of liability to pay rent because UC automatically contact your landlord. This is exactly what they did for my daughter when I reported changes for her housing costs in January as we live in social housing. You just need to tell them who your LL is.
If you privately rent then you will need proof of liability to pay rent.0 -
Forgot to include information about Council tax reduction. It's not part of UC and will continue to be paid from your LA. They will very likely recalculate it based on your UC award. Unfortunately, I can't give any other advice on this because all LA's have their own rules.2
-
I feel your pain Meg, I'm with you 100%. For many of us it's difficult enough simply to survive on a daily basis due to the debilitating nature of our sickness/disability(s), now we're forced to live in fear of the possible upcoming reforms.Meg24 said:Remember, if you fail to claim within the 3 month window, not only will your legacy benefits stop, you will lose the right to transitional protection which is going to be a big loss for some of us.
I am set to be £65 a week worse off once the erosion of the TP has completed.
Furious is one word about that, combine that with the potential loss of PIP & the LCWRA/Health element and my anger gives way to hopelessness. I am living day to day atm, I feel like my days are numbered.
For me it was horrendous enough living every day in constant fear of my next WCA or PIP review, constantly scared of when that brown envelope would fall through my letterbox - then came the added worry about the migration of legacy benefits to UC - then came the added worry of the proposed reforms to the WCA, the proposed undermining of the substantial risk rule and general tightening of the descriptors and possible powers being handed to work coaches - then came the added worry of the proposals to get rid of PIP payments and replace them with vouchers/etc. It literally feels like every single time I look at the news the government is unveiling a new despicable way to torment the sick/vulnerable/disabled.
I too am aware that my life is in peril if all of these reforms come to pass. I know my own limitations in my daily life because it's ME who has to live with these issues every single hour of every single day. I know what I'm unable to do more than ANYONE else ever could, especially more-so than any so-called 'health professional' or 'work coach' contracted by the DWP, they don't know anything about the debilitating nature of the health issues I go through each day, nor could they ever know the true extent of how much my health issues have ruined my life and how much I truly suffer behind closed doors.. So if I were to 'fall through the cracks' of the 'reformed disability welfare system' I know I wouldn't survive.
It's a very frightening time and I'm trying to stay positive but it's not easy. It doesn't help when people keep saying ''these reforms might never happen, stop worrying!'', I'm sorry but when my very life is at stake, YES, I will worry and YES I will feel anger, fear and frustration.. If we are all silent it will just give the current/future government the unchallenged ability to press on with these 'cost cutting' measures. We can only have hope of stopping these proposals by making our collective voices heard at EVERY stage of these proposals, the start, the middle and the end.
3 -
Do you know what we are supposed to do if we can't use the telephone either? I dissociate under stress and that happens to me on the phone too, also I can be prone to emotional outbursts and if I perceive they are being unreasonable or incompetent I might just kick off and hang up.poppy123456 said:
Both ESA and Housing benefit run on for 2 weeks once you submit your claim for UC. The wait for your first UC payment is still the same, 1 month and 6 days after submitting the claim. Unfortunately, that's how it works for everyone.Meg24 said:So if ESA runs on for 2 weeks but then there's a 3 week wait for UC, does that mean we won't get any money to cover rent etc for 3 weeks? Or is it just paid further in arrears than ESA? I don't want to borrow money because I can't cope with the stress of being in debt, however I'm not sure how I'm going to pay the rent if there's a gap, surely therr can't be? It's not my fault they are forcing us to do this! Also, do we have to claim CT relief through the council again or does that run on automatically? Do we even still get that? This whole thing is a complete.nightmare to me...
UC is paid 1 month in arrears. After you receive your first payment if you're unable to manage your payments monthly you can ask for an alternative payment arrangement. Your payment will then be split into 2 equal payments and then you'll receive a payment twice a month. In extreme circumstances you can ask for weekly payments. See link.alternative-payment-arrangements
You can ask for a telephone appointment as a reasonable adjustment. If your identity can't be confirmed online then they will ask you some questions over the phone.Meg24 said:Nothing about this seems simple to me and I point blank refuse to step foot in a jobcentre, I'd have a complete meldown and it would be very unsafe for me. How do I verify my identity without going in? Or I haven't got photo iD? Do they want bank statements and rent agreements etc? I've been here for 16 years, I don't know where my tenancy agreement is!
Nothing like this is simple when you've got severe MH issues...
If you live in social/council housing then you won't need to provide proof of liability to pay rent because UC automatically contact your landlord. This is exactly what they did for my daughter when I reported changes for her housing costs in January as we live in social housing. You just need to tell them who your LL is.
If you privately rent then you will need proof of liability to pay rent.
I'm scared they might close my claim for failure to engage, but my disability directly affects my ability to engage, so I'm not sure what to do.0 -
In extreme circumstances they can do a home visit.Regarding the phone call, do you have someone that can be with you during the call? You can put the phone onto loud speaker and they can help with that.Once that appointment is done there shouldn’t be any further appointments because your details will be sent from ESA and your claim will be updated to include the LCWRA element. You can then accept your commitments through your journal.Any future contact will then be through your journal but to be honest with no commitments there wouldn’t be any reason to contact you.My daughter was found to have LCWRA in July 2021 and the only contact I’ve had for her (I’m her appointee) is when they accepted the changes for housing costs for the first time back in January. In that respect it’s like ESA.0
-
I've come to bring you some good news. As your ESA is contributions based, this isn't part of UC so you will not receive a migration letter. Your ESA will just continue as normal so you won't lose anything.woodbine said:I almost have mixed feelings about this one, most benefit claimants are now being moved to UC be that a good or bad thing, personally I know we will not get UC due to capital rules and will lose over £500 a month on the plus side I will get my SRP in early 2025 so kind of saved by the bell (or old age lol).
It will change to New style ESA at some point but this will automatically take place and you won't even know about it.1 -
No I don't have anybody - again due to the nature of my MH. I isolate myself from people because I don't feel safe and I am prone to outbursts. Years ago I had a benefits advisor who came to my home to set up my ESA claim for me, since then it's always been done on the papers with my medical evidence.poppy123456 said:In extreme circumstances they can do a home visit.Regarding the phone call, do you have someone that can be with you during the call? You can put the phone onto loud speaker and they can help with that.Once that appointment is done there shouldn’t be any further appointments because your details will be sent from ESA and your claim will be updated to include the LCWRA element. You can then accept your commitments through your journal.Any future contact will then be through your journal but to be honest with no commitments there wouldn’t be any reason to contact you.My daughter was found to have LCWRA in July 2021 and the only contact I’ve had for her (I’m her appointee) is when they accepted the changes for housing costs for the first time back in January. In that respect it’s like ESA.
The journal thing as the only point of contact is also very unsuitable for me because I will obsessively check it due to worrying about missing an important message and having my benefit cancelled. I can't not worry about that - again this is due to my MH. As it stands I do worry about missing post, but as I can't do anything about that it's not something I think about day to day whereas in future I am going to feel pressure to check my journal every time I pick up my phone because I will convince myself that the time I don't check will be the time I miss a message. Every time I have to have dealings about my benefits I am traumatised, again due to the nature of my MH and past trauma related to neglect and abuse.
I told Neil Couling that UC as it's designed is going to make me very ill, I filled in the white paper and explained all this.
They don't care though. They want to chuck as many of us on the scrapheap as possible.0 -
Also they won't do home visits for ESA/PIP because I'm red flagged due to outbursts. I take responsibility for this by isolating myself to keep everyone safe. But how do I make a claim when there is no paper based way to make a claim?0
-
@Meg24 when there's a message on your journal you will receive either a text or an email, so the chances of missing messages would be slim. Not only that when you have LCWRA I wouldn't expect you to receive hardly any contact from them once the LCWRA element is included with your claim. The last time I received a message on my daughter's journal from a person was July 2021. All other messages have been things like cold weather payments, and changes reported for housing element. All those are automated.
You can claim as a paper claim but for this you need to ring the helpline. By doing this you will not have access to a journal. You would then need to contact the helpline if there's ever any issues. Access to the journal really is so much easier.
1
