Advice about New style ESA

egraham

HI,

I have been off sick from work & returning at the end of the month , after 3 months off.

I am receiving SSP .

I will be returning on a phased return, 12-13 per week , does anyone know if I would be able to Claim ESA whilst on phased return , and when I should claim this ?

I do have a Longterm Condtion.

Any help on this would be really appreciated.

OverlyAnxious

Hi,

It's not possible to claim ESA at the same time as SSP. If your SSP is ending, then you can claim ESA from the end date.

You can apply for NS ESA up to 3 months before the end date to get it ready. You will start on the assessment rate while waiting for a Work Capability Assessment. If you get put in the Support Group from that WCA, then your payment rate will increase.

ESA allows you to do Permitted Work while in the Support Group, as long as you have told them about it first. That needs to be less than 16 hours a week, which yours is. But also needs to be less than £195 a week, so that will depend on your hourly rate.

egraham

Hi,

Thanks for reply,

My ssp will stop when I return to work .

So my question really is should I apply now if I'm returning at the end of the month ?

OverlyAnxious

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1048943#Comment_1048943

Yes, as long as you know the SSP end date, you can apply now. Your employer should provide you with an SSP1 form to help your ESA application.