ESA UC and Fit Notes

robbo2000

I am currently claiming NSESA and have to provide fit notes as and when they expire. My letter says my overall claim will expire after 365 days. I’ve been told I do not have to look for work currently. I am unsure which group I am in, LCW or Support Group, it’s not stated on the letter.

I am also in receipt of UC and get the LCWRA element. I do not have to provide fit notes.

I don’t understand why I have to keep providing fit notes for the NSESA. It’s a real pain having to make an appointment with my GP every month to get the fit note updated. My condition is currently unchanged.

If I was to just stop providing the fit notes, I understand my NSESA would stop/be cancelled. Is that correct?

Would that mean my UC payments would automatically increase by the amount lost from the NSESA?

The only benefit of claiming the NSESA was for the NI contributions.

I have tried so many times to ring the DWP over the last 2-3 days but cannot get through. The call drops after the first option selection #2.

robbo2000

@OverlyAnxious can you help on this one?

OverlyAnxious

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1032053#Comment_1032053

Hi,

As you already have LCWRA on UC, you should automatically have been put into the Support Group for NS ESA. The work assessment is exactly the same for both UC & ESA.

If your letter says the NS ESA ends after 365 days then you are in the WRAG (work related activity) group. The equivalent of LCW on UC.

I'm not quite sure what's happened in this case as it doesn't seem right to me.

To answer the UC question though - yes, if the NS ESA stops, the UC deduction would also stop and your UC payments should go back up to full again.

robbo2000

thank you @OverlyAnxious

My thoughts exactly.
I seem to be in the wrong group for NSESA.

I get £184.10 every 2 weeks.

I might just stop sending the fit notes if I cannot get through to them by phone.

OverlyAnxious

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1032058#Comment_1032058

Ah with that payment amount, you are still on the Assessment Rate at the moment. No WRAG or Support Group added.

Essentially the system is still waiting for you to complete the Work Capability Assessment and be put into a group.

Kimi87

£92.05 a week unhelpfully matches both the assessment rate for over 25's & the main phase WRAG rate!

robbo2000

@OverlyAnxious

Ok, thanks for that.

My first ESA payment was paid beginning of March.

I did the WCA by phone and I then received a letter afterwards telling me what my commitments were and that I had agreed to them.

Do you think I am still in the 13 week assessment period?

Many thanks

OverlyAnxious

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1032081#Comment_1032081

Hmm, I'm confused myself now.

The fact that you're still having to send fit notes suggests that you're still awaiting an assessment decision. Are you sure it was a WCA that you did over the phone, not just basic details of address and bank etc?

Accepting commitments was for the Assessment Phase so that doesn't help us here.

I didn't realise there was no additional money for WRAG on NS ESA, so thanks to Kimi for correcting that. At least we can say that you're definitely not in the support group yet… I guess you could just about still be in the 13 week period with a payment from early/mid March.

robbo2000

@OverlyAnxious

I’ve checked my paperwork again.

I had a telephone interview on the 7th of March with a work coach.

She asked me a few questions and I had to commit to some agreements over the phone.

This included agreeing to send in fit notes but I did not have to have any ongoing meetings with the work coach and I did not have to do any work preparation activities.

My first payment was on 13/3/25 for £441 (I think this included some back dated amount)

I’d lost my job on the 31/1/25 due to incapability to work.

OverlyAnxious

Ok, thank you. The work coaches don't carry out WCA's so that was just the basic account setup, not a WCA.

You must have previously had a WCA if you're getting the LCWRA element of UC. If that is the case, then there was no need to provide fit notes this time. I don't know why they've set that as a requirement.

As far as I can tell, you are still in the assessment phase for NS ESA at the moment, awaiting a decision.

I think you will just have to keep trying to get through to ESA to clear this up unfortunately.

robbo2000

thanks for your help

Much appreciated

robbo2000

@OverlyAnxious

Just FYI….

I called ESA today and eventually got through to the automated voice assistant that tells you how much your next payment is going to be. Mine is due on the 2nd June.

It now says that my 2 weekly payment will be £281.10.

So that would heavily suggest that I am now in the support group.
Previously my payments had been £184.10 every 2 weeks, which meant I was still in the assessment phase.

I am on LCWRA on my UC, so I can only assume this information has now been reported over to ESA and they’ve put me in the support group.

That’s what i had expected, so I will no longer need to send fit notes, unless advised otherwise.

Just thought it was worth coming back to you with the information to explain what has happened.

Many thanks

Rob

Kimi87

Thanks for the update, glad it's sorted 😊

OverlyAnxious

Thank you @robbo2000

Always good to hear a positive outcome! 🙂