Mental Health

emx890

Hi my name is Emily, I applied for disability living allowance as I have a mental health condition called borderline personality disorder of the emotionally unstable type and it is not yet controllable. My claim was rejected, so I appealed and that was also rejected. My unbiased opinion is that this decision is unfair as my doctor and psychiatrist have both advised I am unable work. My area is not covered by ESA, only universal credit but I can't actively seek jobs when I'm unable to work, any advise would be much appreciated 

BenefitsTrainingCo

Hi Emily,

Do you know if the benefit you applied for was disability living allowance (DLA) or personal independence payment (PIP)? In any case, it might be worth claiming again (or taking the appeal of your previous decision further, depending how far you got with that and how long ago it was). PIP, which is now the benefit for new claimants between 16 and 65, is supposed to take mental health conditions into account. It does that by looking at activities such as engaging with people. PIP is a benefit for the extra costs of disability though; it's not related to whether or not you can work.

ESA is a benefit for people who have what's called limited capability for work. That might apply to you, and you can claim Universal Credit for the same reason (it replaces the income-related part of ESA). So you absolutely don't have to actively seek work to claim Universal Credit. If you're in a 'full service' area (you can check with your postcode on this website), then you can claim Universal Credit, and supply sick notes from the beginning of your claim so that you don't have to look for jobs. After an assessment period, you should be assessed to see if the DWP agree that you have limited capability for work. 

If the website says that 'gateway conditions' apply, then you can claim ESA.

I hope this helps. Do post back if you have more questions.

Will

pip

you may be able to claim PIP after an assessment, I have mental health problems and just had a PIP review assessment, I have help from a welfare advice centre person.

emx890

This was really helpful, thank you for your advice.
 
Emily