esa contribution based and income related migration

hopefull50

i have been on benefits for 22 years because of heart problems and anxiety issues. in 2018 I was put on esa income related. I was already on contribution based esa which I was put on from incapacity benefit. I got a letter this morning saying the income related esa was ending in December and that I needed to apply for universal credit. the issue I have is when I changed in 2015 I think. atos wanted to assess me. my gp said no because of the heart problems and what the stress might do. they said we don't care and that I would lose my benefits. because of the stress I ended up having a heart attack and being in hospital. they then put me in the support group and left me alone.what i am wondering is, if I am getting contribution based esa is that ending as well?

will I still get the same money if I am on contribution based and will it stop?

being in the support group will I be assessed if I go over to universal credit and will they expect me to go to interviews.

I have been told I have ptsd. stress triggers panic attacks which intern triggers angina. if they want to talk to me or see me that is going to be bad.

i am trying for pip but the stress has nearly put me in hospital several times.

iI am worried that the stress will end up with me in hospital again.

any information or help would be appreciated as I am worried about this.

sorry its long. thank you for your time.

Emilee

When you apply for Universal Credit (UC) you will be placed in the LCWRA group as your Support Group status will be migrated across. You should not need to be assessed again and if you are asked to hand in fit notes to UC be sure to explain to them that you already have a "determined decision" on ESA and do not need to hand in fit notes.

You may have to attend the job centre for an initial ID and commitments meeting, but some people are able to verify these with a biological telephone appointment or online.

Your contribution based ESA will be converted to New Style ESA, and will continue to be paid alongside UC.

As for PIP, you can request a paper-based assessment, explaining the history and what happened when you had a work capability assessment. If your GP is willing to write a support letter explaining you are not fit for an assessment that can help. Most importantly is ensuring your form contains enough information and anecdotal evidence to support your claim that they can get the information from that and not need a face-to-face or telephone assessment.

hopefull50

thank you for your reply. the information is very helpful.

hopefull50

update. I have been awarded pip. how will this effect the esa to uc?

I get low care high mobility. I had a paper assessment as I couldn't do a face to face or phone because of the panic attacks. I am on esa support group. now that I have pip will this make going to uc easier?

poppy123456

Great news. You will still need to make sure you claim UC by the date in the letter.

Do you live alone or with other adults? (dependant children do not count) if with other adults do they claim a qualifying disability benefit their self such as daily living PIP, DLA mid/high rate care or AA? Or are they registered blind?

hopefull50

thanks. I live with my dad who gets pip also. he is also on pension.

poppy123456

If his PIP includes the daily living part then you'll be entitled to the Severe disability Premium for ESA. The quickest way to claim this is to ring ESA and ask to apply. The form will be filled out during the phone call and it will take about 10 minutes. It will be paid from the start of your PIP claim and will take a few weeks to make a decision.

Your dad will also be entitled to SDP but for him it will be paid in with Pension Credit, if there's any entitlement. If he's not already claiming Pension Credit there's a calculator here to check if there's any entitlement. This is assuming that no one is claiming either carers allowance or carers element of Universal Credit for looking after him.

https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit-calculator

If it shows entitlement he can claim online.

https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit/how-to-claim

You will still need to claim UC by the date in the letter and your UC will include Transitional Protection due to the SDP.

Jimm_Scope

Congrats on being awarded PIP @hopefull50!

hopefull50

thanks for the replies. I filed in the sdp form. but because my sister isn't getting pip I was entitled to the disability premium. she is on universal credit but that doesn't count so I didn't get it. I have talked to citizens advice and they said to do the UC transfer after my next esa payment. they also said I would be put straight into the LCWRA group. which should mean I don't have to have any assessments. but we will see.

poppy123456

I did ask you if you lived with any adults and you just said your dad, you didn't mention your sister. I can only give advice based on the information you gave.

If you live with other adults such as family members, they must all either be registered blind or claim a qualifying disability benefit such as PIP daily living, DLA mid/high rate care or AA.

This means that because your ESA doesn't include the SDP you'll be better off by claiming UC. UC that includes the LCWRA element pays more than ESA Support Group.

Yes, you'll be entitled to the LCWRA element from the start of your claim. They will ask you to provide a fit note but please do not provide that, you do not need it. If you provide a fit note they may refer you for another work capability assessment. Once you have access to a journal put a message on there to tell them you're in the Support Group.

It may take a few weeks for ESA to send your details across to them and UC will not know you're in the Support Group until this happens.

You will also need to attend your first appointment. If you're unable to attend in person due to your health conditions you can ask for a reasonable adjustment for a telephone appointment.

hopefull50

update.

hi everyone. I talked to citizens advice about going to UC. they said it would be easy and I would go straight into the support type group. I waited until my next esa payment day which is today. I made an account and began to fill in the claim. I got my proofs ready to send as I got to the end. it wouldn't let me choose to have a p60 as a proof or I couldn't see the option. I then tried to get the proofs option again but it said I was put forward for a face 2 face to sort out the proof of ID with my work coach.

i freaked out. now the panic started. I talked to the work coach. he said my only options now was to go to the jobcentre office, have a phone call, cancel the claim or have a home visit. I tried to tell him that I cant talk to people I don't know or see them or it triggers the panic attacks and can lead to angina. the poor guy couldn't do anything about it. so I have agreed to a phone call and my dad is going to talk on my behalf.

I have had two major panic attacks today. I cant get peace about it. with the ptsd and the heart stuff I am really stressing over this. I am really thinking of cancelling and try and manage without. I don't want to end up in hospital.

sorry its a rubbish update. I need a miracle.

poppy123456

They should be able to complete a biographical appointment over the phone. For this you'll just need to answer some questions about yourself, which only you will know the answer to. This will be things like, who you bank with, your date of birth etc.

The P60 is not accepted for ID purposes.

Please don't cancel your claim because if you do you'll be without money. It does get much easier once your claim is up and running.

If you haven't already, please put a message onto your journal to tell them you're in the Support Group. They won't know this until ESA send your details across to them, which can take a few weeks.

You may also be asked to provide a fit note BUT this isn't needed so please ignore that. If you provide a fit note you could be referred for another work capability assessment.

hopefull50

thanks poppy. I am being told by everyone to go ahead with the call. I am going to talk to my doctor about the chest pain and high blood pressure. but it looks like uts going ahead. I will keep you updated.

poppy123456

You're welcome. Once you submit a claim for UC you can't go back on your current benefits. Hope you get some help from your GP.

Jimm_Scope

I'm glad to hear you're going to talk with your doctor to see about help with the chest pain and blood pressure. You can of course have someone attend the phone interview with you, as you've already worked out with your dad. You can do this @hopefull50 😊