What Benefit should my autistic son be claiming now that he has finished college

Lilac14

my son is 20, has autism and is due to finish college next week and I am a bit confused as to what benefit he should claim.  He could work with some support, in fact he does some voluntary work at a local charity shop.  An advisor at college has said that he could claim ESA but I thought that was for someone that was off sick and would need a sick note.  I don't think our GP would sign him off.  Does anybody know if there is any work capability assessment in JSA for disabled people.  The benefit calculators are confusing.  They advise that because he has a limited capability for work he should claim ESA but then advises that he needs a sick note.  We haven't got full service for universal credit is our area yet so I am thinking he should be claiming JSA but does anybody know if they give any extra support for autistic Job Seekers.  Be grateful if anyone had experience of this.

steve51

Hi @Lilac14.
It's great to have you here & I do hope that we can help in anyway ???
 Have you seen our Benefits Section where there is plenty of info on ESA + other Benefits??? Do you want me to help you with this??? I have been on ESA since I had to take early retirement due to ill health at the age of 50. Please let me know if I can help you further with this???

MikeBroderick

Hi @Lilac14:

Welcome! 

It certainly sounds like there a lot of factors at play in terms of your son's benefit situation, so I am going to repost your question in our Ask a Benefits Advisor section.

But please also see our Benefits overview and also our discussions in What Benefits am I entitled to, our ESA section, as well as our Parents and Carers, and ASD sections.

We're glad you're here, and you should find helpful information and advice.

dedus

I have a autistic stepson , he is 29 , and used to do one day a week at the odeon handing out tickets and things , me and my wife his mother , claim Eas and pips for him , because he is autistic and his condition will never change , he is learning disabled ! Their is assessments to go to , so it depends on if your son can go to them with you or another adult, some autistic people would just find it too stressful ,we asked for a home visit and got one , hope this helps

BenefitsTrainingCo