If this is your first visit, check out the community guide. You will have to Join us or Sign in before you can post.
Receiving too many notifications? Adjust your notification settings.
Contributory ESA and Universal Credit One big confusing mess

I already claim Contributory ESA (support group). I recently moved house and applied for housing benefit. This triggered a move onto Universal Credit as I live in a full service area. The Contributory ESA I already receive runs outside Universal Credit and will not change.
I have today received a Universal Credit Health Care Questionnaire to fill in so they can assess my fitness for work.
Being in the support group for Contributory ESA I am now just wondering if after my assessment Universal Credit put me in a work related group, how they will justify their actions on this. Is it possible to be on UC in a work related group and on ESA in the support group. The whole system is very confusing and does not relate to my circumstances at all.
I was even asked on my journal today for UC if there have been gaps in my employment over the past few weeks. I am in the Support Group on ESA so YES quite a big gap unfortunately. How stupid is this situation. I am totally confused and exhausted by it all.
So, Watch this space. I can't wait to find out how this one is going to play out.
I have today received a Universal Credit Health Care Questionnaire to fill in so they can assess my fitness for work.
Being in the support group for Contributory ESA I am now just wondering if after my assessment Universal Credit put me in a work related group, how they will justify their actions on this. Is it possible to be on UC in a work related group and on ESA in the support group. The whole system is very confusing and does not relate to my circumstances at all.
I was even asked on my journal today for UC if there have been gaps in my employment over the past few weeks. I am in the Support Group on ESA so YES quite a big gap unfortunately. How stupid is this situation. I am totally confused and exhausted by it all.
So, Watch this space. I can't wait to find out how this one is going to play out.
Replies
Our @BenefitsTrainingCo answered this on a similar post
Some of my colleagues are working hard to raise this with the DWP to get a better solution (you will see a discussion amongst advisers here). I would suggest you complain to your MP and the DWP as well as letting us know of the outcome of your claims.
Senior online community officer
The whole exercise was pointless.
What a horrible mess for you to deal with.
As you suggest, it is usually a claim to a "legacy" benefit, and housing benefit is one of them, that triggers a claim for universal credit. In a full service universal credit (UC) area - one where all new income-based claims have to be under UC rules, the only way tot get any help with rent is to claim housing benefit.
I am wondering whether you are getting enough UC though, according to the rules. Perhaps you are under 25, so that the amount that UC has to pay to make your income up to the amount that is laid down for each group of people (for example single person under 25, couple under 25, couple over pension age etc etc) is correct, according to regulations.
I would suggest doing a benefits check online to check your entitlement and/or going to a local benefits specialist or other advice group to check your entitlement.
Here's a link to the benefit checker on our website.
https://www.scope.org.uk/support/disabled-people/benefits/check
Very best wishes
Gill_Scope