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Help!! Migration nightmare continues

Tillyboo

I thought my migration nightmare was over, but just recieved a letter saying Cont based ESA will change to New Style ESA & I have to see a work coach accept a claimant commitment & explain how my illness affects me. There us no way I can go to a job centre. I even had a DWP home ID visit due to health. None of this as been mentioned on my UC jounal, just this letter in the post today.

My limbs are numb I feel sick & cant take anymore.

I'm in the support group IR ESA

What do I do who do I ring?

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Kimi87

Please read through this thread for information and reassurance.

You don't need to do anything but sit tight and wait, a telephone appointment will be sent to you.

There will be no interruption to your ESA payments even if they take a while to get to you.

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/130268/ive-already-moved-to-universal-credit-but-ive-received-a-letter-from-esa

The up to date figures are £281.10 per fortnight in NS ESA payments, with £609.05 deducted from UC.

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/134866/uc-shows-incorrect-new-style-esa

Tillyboo

I cant read thru anything. I'm in a terrible mess feel sick & my chest is tight. I need my doctor

Mary_Scope

Hi @Tillyboo

I'm so sorry to hear you're in so much distress. If you feel like you are in danger and can't breathe, please don't hesitate to call 999. Are you able to get in touch with your doctor today?

Craig24795

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1053855#Comment_1053855

Hello,

If you're in the support group, you don't have to do anything. This is just a generic letter. I received the same letter. If you were on both income related ESA and contribution based ESA, the income related ESA changes to Universal Credit once you migrate over (it appears that you've already done this because you were in the support group when you were on income related ESA, which means you're now in the support group for Universal Credit). I imagine that you will receive a message in your UC journal at some point asking you to complete a claimant commitment so you can obtain New Style ESA. If you're in the support group, this will involve a brief phone call. If you're in the support group, you shouldn't have to provide any evidence. If I'm wrong on this, I hope that somebody will correct me.

I received a generic letter in February stating that CB ESA will be changing to New Style ESA. The letter implied that I had to accept a 'Claimant Commitment' to continue to get New Style ESA and that this might entail providing medical evidence, explaining how my illness or disability affects me, etc. In reality, all I had to do was check my journal regularly and answer the call when it came (you should receive an appointment via your UC journal, if you don't receive it via letter). I simply agreed to the commitments and didn't have to provide any medical evidence. If you're in the support group, I assume it will be the same for you.

If you're struggling with anything benefits related, this forum is here to support you. If you need medical attention, please call your doctor, or if there is an emergency, please contact 999 or visit A&E.

All the best.

Tillyboo

I've contacted my GP & taken extra diazepam to try & calm me & stip this feeling in my chest.

My MP as contacted me & tge DWP. to find out whats going on

Holly_Alumni

Hi @Tillyboo I've just popped you an email. Please would you keep an eye out for it.

Tillyboo

Still in bed as feel so unwell. But had a bank notification £281.10 as been paid into my bank from DWP ESA, I would normally get paid ESA today, but was told that stopped.

I've had this message on my UC a/c. I'm not ringing ESA not only does it take over an hour or so to get through, I simply cant face it. My council welfare officer is taking my UC log in details next week to check whats been paid if its correct & also get the thing the council tax dept want.

I said I'd given up with it all now & dont care what happens & whats paid. What I'm being put through is cruel & shouldnt be allowed to happen. Once our ID was proved with the home visit on the 22nd July, I had a message from UC to say everything would be ok & nothing more was needed from me even the rent & c/tax they said would be sorted direct. Fast forward a week, the council tax dept are emailing me for a UC statement & I'm recieving a letter about work coachs & job centre interviews.

So I've given up with it all, dont understand any of it & mentally worn out & at some point I have to start a PIP review. I feel like typing up a letter attaching to the review form and saying unless I get a new brain, ears & spine my conditions wont change, as I've been saying for the last 10 years & sending my GP letter to confirm.

i'm so worn down by this now I've nothing left to give.....

Screenshot 2025-07-31 114427.jpg

{moderator - amended screen shot to blank out full name}

Tillyboo

Had another message on UC have attached. I'm lost & feel so ill with everything.

Dont understand any of it

Screenshot 2025-07-31 133605.jpg

{moderator - amended screenshot to remove full name}

Kimi87

As previously advised in the thread I linked to, all you'll need to do for New Style ESA is a brief phone appointment, where you are asked to agree to keep them informed of any changes.

That really is it. Within the thread I linked to is another thread, where a few people who have been through this call say how easy it was.

Craig above has also given you his experience with this process.

As he said the letter they send out is a generic one assuming you are a new claim for NS ESA, which you are not.

The payment of £281.10 is correct as I wrote yesterday it would be for that amount. You will get that NS ESA once a fortnight, with your income topped up by a UC payment once a month.

Your Income Related ESA has stopped and been replaced by Universal Credit.

Your Contributions Based ESA has converted into New Style ESA.

It's incredibly common not to know what your ESA award was made up of until you migrate.

It's one of the most common questions I myself see and answer here on the forum, sometimes as often as few times a day, certainly multiple times per week.

This is why I link to threads as a response because the information is already available here on the forum, and I voluntarily help people amongst my own health issues.

Tillyboo

So I just have to wait for a call & no idea when that will be. As the UC journal doesnt mention anything about a call & the screenshots I've sent neither UC or IRESA have anything to do with it. But I didnt know I was on CONT ESA I dont even know what it means, never seen it written on any of my paperwork, its come from out the blue. So this migration from ESA to UC I'm going to be recieving:

UC plus the IR ESA premiums/transitional protection plus this CONT ESA. So I'm paid every 2 weeks ESA & once a month UC?

I was confused before, no idea how I'll work this out.

I dont understand any of it. So what happens if this call comes & I dont hear my phone or my phones off? I only normally answer my phone to numbers I know or numbers when I'm expecting a call ie UC ID proof.

I have never experienced stress like this.

What about if I say I dont want that extra worry of New Style ESA & additional payment & just have the UC as I orignally told I was getting?

I really thought all this was sorted & had 4 wks to get my PIP review done.

I panic & suffer severe anxiety, the least little change & I cant cope. I lost my hearing overnight which resulted in a right side brain periphial dysfunction, I have so many side affects to the sudden hearing loss & that happened during rehab after I broke my back.

So I dont want anyone to think I'm dumb, things dont sink in with me & I panic with change. So all of this as been a nightmare for me.

Thanks for your help, hand on heart I still dont understand & I'm absolutely terrified of whats coming next, sorry

Kimi87

You will at some point receive a telephone appointment via your UC Journal for the NS ESA commitments.

Your ESA will continue to be paid even if it takes a while for them to get to you.

ESA letters are very difficult to understand, even for experienced advisors so many people simply don't know or are mistaken about their ESA award.

Every two weeks you will receive New Style ESA of £281.10.

Every month you will receive a UC payment made up of the different UC elements that you are entitled to.

On your UC statement you will see a deduction of £609.05, this is a months worth of New Style ESA.

Tillyboo

So they pay me & then take it off the UC, whats the point of that? Cant I just ask for the claim to be processed under UC. This is just not making sense & I still dont know what CONT ESA is. I doubt very I'll ever know if the amount I'll recieve is the same as my previous award due to the way its calculated.

Thanks for all your help

Kimi87

There were two types of ESA, Contributions Based and Income Related. IR was means tested, CB was not.

When people originally applied for ESA, DWP put them onto whichever one they were eligible for.

Some people were on one type, others like you and me were on both.

NS ESA isn't a means tested benefit like UC so there are advantages of staying with both, recent discussion here:

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/136944/hi-my-name-is-carlos76-if-i-migrate-fully-to-uc-will-i-receive-a-refund-of-my-deductions

Tillyboo

Ok. Thank you for posts. TBH my brains so foggy its like I'm looking at words, but nothing is sinking in, thats the way my brain works. I'll just leave everything & see what happens. My council welfare benefits officer is taking my access to my UC online account & shes going to check everything next week

Tillyboo

Will this mean that my housing benefit will stay in place as normal with this ESA 2 week payment or will that be inc in the UC payment?

The only reason why I ask is I was expecting a 2 week HB payment & just checked & the full 4 weeks as been paid into my bank