Pip esa

willie

I've recently been awarded pip I've been on esa since May contribution based should I be in the support group  now I've received pip

CockneyRebel

ESA and PIP are totally separate, so having an award for PIP will not affect your ESA group

CR

Sam_Alumni

@Debbie_Scope do you have any info on this?

Debbie_Scope

Hi @willie,

Getting a PIP award doesn't automatically qualify you for the support group. It can however affect the amount of benefit you get by way of premiums in means-tested benefits. These premiums won't apply to your contributory ESA but if you're claiming another means-tested benefit such as housing benefit you could be entitled to extra help. There are also other forms of support you'll be entitled to with PIP. There's a discussion about extra help with PIP  that you can read to get an idea.

With your ESA have you already been assessed and placed into a group? If you're waiting for your assessment then your PIP decision letter and assessment report can be very helpful evidence to support you. PIP and ESA are two separate benefits and they assess different things (although similar in some respects).

If you've had your assessment and you're in the work-related activity group you should seek advice about your options. It's possible to ask for a supersession but before you do that it's best to try and get some advice specific to your situation.

What I would add as a final thought is that the rollout of Universal Credit is speeding up starting next month. More and more areas will become full service areas. A change in circumstances which would trigger a new claim for an old benefit will become a new claim for Universal Credit. This may not apply to you as you're in receipt of contributory ESA, but anyone reading this who is receiving means-tested benefits will be affected by Universal Credit in the near future.

If you need further help with this please do let us know.

Best wishes
Debbie