Hi, my name is johno65! Should I have been getting disability premiums before I migrated to UC?

johno65
johno65 Online Community Member Posts: 4 Listener
edited 1:53PM in Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

Hi, I was just wondering if anyone could help me. I was claiming contribution based ESA (Support Group) before a forced migration to UC in December 2024. I've just heard I could of been entitled to these so called premium disability benefits. Since 2016 I was claiming yet I never got none. I'm also on PIP. What do I do and who do I talk too? Please help. Thanks

Comments

  • Rosie_Scope
    Rosie_Scope Posts: 5,974 Scope Online Community Coordinator

    Hi @johno65, welcome to the community. Unfortunately, disability premiums are only available to those on income-based benefits so it's unlikely that you would be eligible.

    There's a bit of information about eligibility here in case you'd like to read about it:

    Disability premiums: Eligibility - GOV.UK

  • johno65
    johno65 Online Community Member Posts: 4 Listener

    Thank you for your reply. I was actually asking if I should be backdated from the whole time I was on legacy benefits, ie... ESA (Support Group) as I never received any form of a disability premium the whole time I was on ESA. I was and still are on PIP. I just wondered if I had grounds to be backdated because clearly I should of been getting some form of premium.

  • johno65
    johno65 Online Community Member Posts: 4 Listener

    Sorry I do apologise I was actually getting income related.

  • Rosie_Scope
    Rosie_Scope Posts: 5,974 Scope Online Community Coordinator
    edited 2:36PM

    No problem @johno65! If you were on income-based then it may have applied but there are still some eligibility criteria to match up with. The premiums are usually added automatically if you're eligible but mistakes do happen sometimes so it's worth investigating. You could try contacting the local JobCentre Plus that looked after your ESA claim before you migrated. Or the main contact line is here:

    Contact Jobcentre Plus: Existing benefit claims - GOV.UK

    It may also be worth speaking to a local benefits adviser to see if they can look at your claim and whether it's possible to challenge ESA for a back payment. Turn2Us have a directory to search for local help:

    Turn2Us - AdviceFinder

  • johno65
    johno65 Online Community Member Posts: 4 Listener

    That's great, thank you. I'll see what I can do and hopefully I'll have some much needed success lol. Cheers for your help

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