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Changes to ESA Support Group?

SystemSystem Posts: 519

Scope community team
edited April 2017 in Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
This discussion was created from comments split from: ESA support group changes.
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  • kevstar1kevstar1 Member Posts: 5 Listener
    What changes are being made to the support group please
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  • NystagmiteNystagmite Member Posts: 609 Pioneering
    They want to try and get us meeting with advisers. Good luck with that - some of us, like me, need someone with us. Does that mean they're going to pay one of my parents to come with me? They'd have to take a day off work to come to these appointments. There's no way in hell I'd be able to go alone.
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  • WheelyRachelWheelyRachel Member Posts: 67 Courageous
    Here we go again being declared fit for work without even see us.
    its happen to me 3 times already in the last 8 years. I just get a letter turn up saying I've now gotta sign on. So I go of to the job centre and the advisor there take one look at me and declares me medically unit to work and then comments I totally sorry for this we've had a day of nothing but people like your self getting letter declaring them fit to work.

    So I looking forward to the next one.
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  • BenefitsTrainingCoBenefitsTrainingCo Member Posts: 2,692 Pioneering
    Hi kevstar1,

    The changes the government have recently announced are for people in the work-related activity group, offering them more help (although it really doesn't look like much more!) to get ready to return to work in the future. The changes DO NOT apply to people in the support group.

    The additional employment-related support (which is maybe where the confusion comes from) was announced by a government minister called Penny Mordaunt. It's connected to the loss of the work-related activity component that new claimants in the work-related activity group experience since the beginning of April. 

    Long term, there may be changes to the whole format of the work capability assessment but I'm not aware of any specific announcements on that.

    Will
    The Benefits Training Co:
    Paul Bradley
    Michael Chambers
    Will Hadwen
    Sarah Hayle
    Maria Solomon
    David Stickland
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  • BenefitsTrainingCoBenefitsTrainingCo Member Posts: 2,692 Pioneering
    Hi WheelyRachel,

    That's terrible - if it's happening so often, have you tried making a complaint? I know it is a lot of work but this definitely is a mess up. Your MP might be interested too. It sounds like an administrative mess but doesn't really matter where the error is being made, it's causing people lots of distress and wasted time.

    Will
    The Benefits Training Co:
    Paul Bradley
    Michael Chambers
    Will Hadwen
    Sarah Hayle
    Maria Solomon
    David Stickland
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  • GeoarkGeoark Member, Scope Volunteer Posts: 1,372 Disability Gamechanger

    @kevstar1

    You might be interested in this stories

    http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/dwp-presentation-on-esa-plans-confirms-worst-fears-about-green-paper/

    and

    http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/ministers-set-to-force-work-related-activity-on-everyone-in-esa-support-group/

    As an individual I stood alone.
    As a member of a group I did things.
    As part of a community I helped to create change!

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