Support group

heather12

hi I’m on ESA support group , my condition has changed a little , do I need to inform them, I’m supposed to be on this till 2028/2029,

poppy123456

You can't receive a higher award than the Support Group so no, you do not need to inform them if your conditions get worse. If they improve then that will depend on whether you would still qualify for Support Group.

If your ESA is Income Related the last Government changed the migration date from 2028/29 and brought it forward to between Sept 2024 and Dec 2025, whether that goes ahead now with a new Government, no one knows for certain.

heather12

yeah it’s income related , I didn’t know they were going to be bringing it forward.

poppy123456

Unfortunately it's correct, unless the new Government announce differently. As your dad claims carers allowance for looking after you then your ESA will not include the Severe disability Premium.

This means that Universal Credit with the LCWRA element (same as Support Group) will actually pay more for you than ESA Support Group. This was originally the reason why they decided to delay the migration process for those claiming Income Related ESA to save them millions.

heather12

when I do move over would I have to be assessed again , or is it automatic, no wonder they delayed if you get more on UC if migrated. I definitely won’t move till I get letter to keep the protection.

poppy123456

Being in the Support Group would mean you'll be entitled to the LCWRA element from the start of your claim. This applies regardless of when you claim.

You have misunderstood what I advised. As your ESA doesn't include the SDP then you would be entitled to more UC regardless of when you claim, whether that's through managed migration or not.

heather12

okay thank you , I was told to wait for a letter to move over, but I’m glad to know that I’d be entitled to more up regardless. There’s just not really much information out there about it.

heather12

I just can’t remember what conditions I put down last time, it’s really annoying. That’s why I was going to inform them but I guess I’m being stupid

poppy123456

You are over thinking this because you're always in the Support Group and that's the highest award you can have. It's not about the actual conditions anyway, it's how they affect you.

heather12

yeah I’m definitely an over thinker, it’s just worry because I’m wondering if I’ll be reviewed again and I can’t remember anything I put on the forms etc,

heather12

I even spoke to citizens advice they telling me to report it though

poppy123456

That’s quite concerning that advice you’ve had there and I’m hearing more and more bad advice coming from citizens advice.

As I advised you can’t have a higher award than the Support Group so if you’re conditions have got worse there’s nothing to report.

Of course it’s entirely up to you what you do but if you report changes you will be sent another form to fill in and return and another assessment is most likely because most have them.

All of which is rather pointless…

heather12

yeah I was just trying to get opinions of different sources , but your right with citizens advice they aren’t great. I’m not going to inform as it will be pointless.

poppy123456

Curious why you contacted them when you agreed their advice isn’t great.

heather12

I agree their advice isn’t great after I contacted them all they did was just send me links no proper conversation

heather12

thank you I just get really anxious, about it all, I don’t want to get in trouble, by not declaring anything new