Linking rules

joan2106

my husband receives the esa support group payment, a couple of months ago he was offered work which he thought he could manage but he couldn’t. He contacted esa and mentioned rapid reclaim and linking rules but was told there’s no such thing but to start a new claim and then told to submit a fit note? He received a letter telling him he was to receive £90.50 a week until November 2024 when he would receive the full esa support group payment? Why would he not be placed back on to the same payment due to the linking rules and why did he have to send a fit note? When we speak to anyone at esa we are just fobbed off and it is very frustrating.

poppy123456

12 week linking rules apply to New style ESA only so if it was this is what he was claiming then yes it should apply and be placed back into the Support Group, assuming it wasn’t longer than that the ESA stopped.
See link https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/379/regulation/86/made

joan2106

Thanks for your reply, my husband was only working for 6 weeks. We just can’t understand why he is not receiving the full amount which he was receiving before he began working, he is now only receiving £90.50 and he had up to send a new fit note?

poppy123456

Reading your first comment again it sounds like they are making him wait the full 13 weeks before increasing his ESA to Support Group amount, this is incorrect because he already received the assessment rate for that time when he first claimed.

He will need to ring them to remind them that he was in the Support Group and this should apply now due to the 12 week linking rule.

joan2106

Thank you for your help. Do you know the correct contact number to sort this out as the people we have spoken to just fob him iff as they don’t seem to have a clue.

poppy123456

The correct number will be on the letter he received.