ESA assessment

libertyuk

i have been in the support group for 6 years and was told I would not need an assessment again due to having long term illnesses that will only get worse. Now all of a sudden I have been sent a form for an assessment. I don’t know how to fill it in and have no one to help, I am housebound never see anyone except my son who gets my shopping for me. Can’t meet people due to ptsd I only get 30 pound top up to my pension a fortnight but it helps I am so scared and don’t know what to do. 

Benistmonk

It is easy to fill in, just put is your name & address, national insurance number and explain that you are housebound due to illness and will need a home assessment, then post it off within 28 days. That should do it, they probably won't bother you at all when they see you are housebound, and surely not for 15 quid a week.

libertyuk

When I had the one six years ago, I was in hospital having spinal surgery and they told me I had to come for the assessment straight after the op, which I couldn’t as it went wrong and left me unable to walk. They were horrible and I am so scared this time I don’t mix with people it’s a long story. The form is so big just don’t know how to do it, That little bit of money helps, I don’t claim anything else am too scared too in case they are horrible again. The women at the last one said if my late husband had provided for me properly I wouldn’t need to claim. So it was my own fault , he didn’t know he was going to die suddenly at 50 or he would have sorted money out. 

poppy123456

Hi,

When were you told you would not need another re-assessment? Mose people need to be re-assessed unless you're placed into the severe conditions group and very few people are placed into this group.

I would advise you to put as much information as possible on the form about how your conditions affect you. The more you put then less chance you have of needing another face to face assessment. Make sure you send evidence to support your claim because they rarely contact anyone for this.

Benistmonk

libertyuk said:

When I had the one six years ago, I was in hospital having spinal surgery and they told me I had to come for the assessment straight after the op, which I couldn’t as it went wrong and left me unable to walk. They were horrible and I am so scared this time I don’t mix with people it’s a long story. The form is so big just don’t know how to do it, That little bit of money helps, I don’t claim anything else am too scared too in case they are horrible again. The women at the last one said if my late husband had provided for me properly I wouldn’t need to claim. So it was my own fault , he didn’t know he was going to die suddenly at 50 or he would have sorted money out. 

To stop them from being horrible, you can have the assessment recorded, you need to do this a few days in advance so they have time to arrange it.

It takes them 4 days to get a tape recorder out of a cupboard. 

libertyuk

I am in the severe disability group, was told by the dwp I would not need another assessment and not had one for six years. I thought if in that group the government had said they wouldn’t do re assessments. I am not sure I could cope going through it all again 

poppy123456

libertyuk said:

I am in the severe disability group, was told by the dwp I would not need another assessment and not had one for six years. I thought if in that group the government had said they wouldn’t do re assessments. I am not sure I could cope going through it all again 

That can't be possible. The new rules for this were only introduced at the end of 2017. This means that you won't be in this group. If you are successfully placed into this group then the decision will be made after this re-assessment.

See link. https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/3669-4-october-2017-update

BenefitsTrainingCo

libertyuk,
I'm afraid what Poppy says is correct. The policy whereby people in the support group were told after a reassessment whether or not they would be reassessed was brought in on 29.9.17. You should get this decision (whether or not you'll be reassessed again) after this assessment that is coming up now. Hopefully it will all be ok & you'll get the right decision, both putting you in the support group & stating you shouldn't be reassessed.

As others have said, you can ask for a home assessment, and you can have someone with you (for example, your son), if that would help. As regards filling out the form, you might want to check if there is a local advice agency which does home visits and could help you with this. The Scope helpline can check what local services exist in your area. 

Will

maggieomx

Hiya im moving to wales from manchester iv sold my home MIGHT have about £20.000 left in mank after all fees and removal fees and £6500 LEFT OFF MY MORTGAGE YAYYYY !!
Im on pip got a car and claim severe disability  and INCOME RELATED ESA  (I THINK)
i know il lose the SDP i know when i get down to £16000 in my account. I can claim UC ,
Do i claim when i get down to that amount or 5 weeks before ?? Im so confused with it all !?

CockneyRebel

Hi

You really need to get trained help from a local advice agency. This may not be straight forward. Do you need to spend some of your remaining capital on you new property ? Do you need to make adaptations and alterations ?

Some expenses are allowed under the disregard others could be deemed as unnecessary expenditure

I am sure there are members here better able to advise

poppy123456

I agree with @CockneyRebel expert advice is needed here so that you get the correct advice. If you're planning on paying off your mortgage with some of the money then this could be classed as deprivation of capital. As for any other expenses like adaptions then i would think only a decision maker can decide what's classed a deprivation of capital.

For these reasons this isn't something an internet forum can answer.

CockneyRebel

Thanks poppy, I couldn't remember the term deprivation of capital ( just deprivation of brain cells in my case )

poppy123456

CockneyRebel said:

Thanks poppy, I couldn't remember the term deprivation of capital ( just deprivation of brain cells in my case )

You're welcome... i had a brain freeze also and couldn't remember the name so i quickly googled it ...shhh

poppy123456

maggieomx said:

Hiya im moving to wales from manchester iv sold my home MIGHT have about £20.000 left in mank after all fees and removal fees and £6500 LEFT OFF MY MORTGAGE YAYYYY !!
Im on pip got a car and claim severe disability  and INCOME RELATED ESA  (I THINK)
i know il lose the SDP i know when i get down to £16000 in my account. I can claim UC ,
Do i claim when i get down to that amount or 5 weeks before ?? Im so confused with it all !?

Another thought. You should also get advice because you should be able to keep your ESA claim open for National Insurance credits only, towards your state pension. Doing this will mean that the same rules apply, if you were receiving payments and re-assessments will be needed.

Keeping the claim open, rather than closing it completely could mean that you could go back to receiving payments in the future. Providing the process to move people across to UC hasn't started. Of course it will also depend on how many more years you need for your state pension. Keeping a claim open for NI credits if it's not needed could be more trouble than it's worth.

Expert advice is most definitely needed in more ways than one. Good luck with the move.

maggieomx

If the stop my esa and won't give me any UC Till my money i make from the house sale   drops to £16000 the only money id have is my monthly pip an money from the sale of the house how else would i be able to pay the mortgage ??
So surley it would make sense to pay off the money off from the sale ??.

maggieomx

I may of made a mistake it might be contribution based ESA i get ???

maggieomx

Who is the best people to get advice from regarding m money and the sale of the house and stuff ??..
Deprivation  of money lol x

Benistmonk

You can laugh but if the DWP thinks you deliberately wasted your money on luxuries to get below the savings threshold to qualify for benefits, they won't give you a penny. 

maggieomx

Whos laughing ??

Benistmonk

You ya dafty with yer lol. 

maggieomx

I wasnt I was repeating the word that was forgot by the 2 people above who wer giving me advice!

poppy123456

Paying off your mortgage will most definitely be classed as deprivation of capital, it's not laughable. What it means is, that if DWP decide this then you'll still be classed as having that money.

Savings of £6,000 and more will reduce your benefits by £1 for every £250 over that amount. Once you drop below £16,000 you'll still have a reduction in your benefit.

This link will tell you what's in your area for further advice. https://advicelocal.uk/

I note from another post that you're receiving the SDP so some of your money is income related. Part of it could be contributions based but that will depend if you were working and paid enough national insurance contributions in the 2 years before you claimed ESA. If you didn't then it will be all income related.

Benistmonk

That's what I am trying to impress upon her, it is no joke having the DWP pouring over your finances. If they think you have wasted 1 penny, they will use that against you to refuse payment. 

maggieomx

You dont need to impress it on me i wasnt laughing at the system i was joking at cockney rebel forgetting the word deprivation !!

maggieomx

On your advice poppy123456 Im making an appointment at citizens advice tommorow .
I Wish id never started the process of selling my home now !! If id of known the trouble it would cause me !!!

poppy123456

Benistmonk said:

That's what I am trying to impress upon her, it is no joke having the DWP pouring over your finances. If they think you have wasted 1 penny, they will use that against you to refuse payment. 

You couldn't be more right there.

Benistmonk

maggieomx said:

You dont need to impress it on me i wasnt laughing at the system i was joking at cockney rebel forgetting the word deprivation !!

No problem, carry on as if nothing happened, nothing happened anyway. 

poppy123456

maggieomx said:

On your advice poppy123456 Im making an appointment at citizens advice tommorow .
I Wish id never started the process of selling my home now !! If id of known the trouble it would cause me !!!

CAB very often have long waiting times for appointments in most areas, you may not get an appointment that quick.

You didn't answer my question about contributions based ESA. Did you work and pay NI contributions in the 2 years before your ESA claim started?

If you're still not sure if part of your claim is contributions based then look at a recent award letter or ring ESA and ask them and they'll tell you exactly what you're claiming. As i said some of what you receive is income related because the 2 disability premiums are only paid if you're claiming income related. They aren't paid if you're claim is just contributions based.

Benistmonk

poppy123456 said:

Benistmonk said:

That's what I am trying to impress upon her, it is no joke having the DWP pouring over your finances. If they think you have wasted 1 penny, they will use that against you to refuse payment. 

You couldn't be more right there.

And then they will tell you how long the money should have lasted you. 

poppy123456

Replacing old furniture for new, within reason is fine. Going on holiday, within reason is fine. Paying of debts, like mortgage, loans etc, unless you're receiving letters from debt collectors then this will be questioned. As will giving money to family etc. When you re-claim they will ask for bank statements and if they think you spent the money too quickly to re-claim means tested benefits they they will more than likely question you.

maggieomx

Morning poppy iv been awake all night worrying about this deprivation of money and paying my mortgage off with the profit from my sale its within a couple of weeks il be due to sign contracts on my new home . I need to move as iv got terrible arthritis and need no stairs in my property .
Out of the sale i wanted to pay all the fees off and moving costs off from the proceeds.id have all the receipts dwp would see iv not given the money away wish i could just continue to pay my mortgage off like iv been doing .im moving for my health not to make money.

poppy123456

Paying your fees and moving costs would be fine, as it's all part of the moving process. Paying off your mortgage is different. Please speak to an advice centre near you.

maggieomx

I spoke to my solicitor sorting the sale out and he said the payment of  outstanding mortgage  its done automatically before the excess money is put in my account ? When sale goes through. I dont see any of that money ??.

poppy123456

maggieomx said:

I spoke to my solicitor sorting the sale out and he said the payment of  outstanding mortgage  its done automatically before the excess money is put in my account ? When sale goes through. I dont see any of that money ??.

I'm sorry but i'm not convinced this is correct. The mortgage will only be paid off because you requested it to be. DWP will ask what you did with that extra money from the sale of the house because they have ways and means of knowing. A solicitor isn't always the best person to ask about a means tested benefit and deprivation of capital.

My advice still stands, please get further advice from an advice centre near you.

maggieomx

I am convinced your correct its he rang regarding something else and i told him what you said and he said there is a paper trail to show the money went to pay the outstanding mortgage off .
Halifax said its nothing to do with them iv got citizens advice ringing me Thursday or Friday regarding this and to get advice like you said .

poppy123456

I understand there's a paper trail but that doesn't help the deprivation of capital rules because it's still your decision to pay off your mortgage. If CAB can't advise you then the only way to know a definite answer is to ring DWP and ask for a case manager to ring you back. I have tried to look for an answer and all i can find is it's deprivation of capital, unless the mortgage company is demanding payment.

maggieomx

The cab is ringing Thursday or Friday to speak and make an appointment to speak properly to them.
i wouldn’t try to hide anything from the DWP.
what I can’t understand is when I move they will be stopping my ESA anyway so I wouldn’t be on any ESA benefit anyway.
 So will it be in a year or whenever it is when I try to go back on esa when they will start all this questioning ?
i am grateful for all your help it’s I’m just not able to take things in quick ??

Benistmonk

You have nothing to worry about then, when you end up with £16,000 or less in savings, you can claim UC.

poppy123456

Benistmonk said:

You have nothing to worry about then, when you end up with £16,000 or less in savings, you can claim UC.

I disagree here sorry. As maggie is claiming a means tested benefit at the moment and will stop the claim when they have the money, DWP will most likely want bank statements when a new claim is started.

maggieomx

I will just make sure i take the equivalent of 2 weeks esa out and no more every 2 weeks then when i get to £16.000  just reapply for my  ESA again is that correct ??

maggieomx

When would i start a new claim ??

poppy123456

maggieomx said:

When would i start a new claim ??

When your money drops below £16,000.

maggieomx

So i move to wales ring them up and tell them my house is sold iv bought a new home got money in my account keep all receipts they will stop my ESA  and when i get to 16.000 in bank apply for UC OR ESA again am i nearly correct ???

Benistmonk

poppy123456 said:

maggieomx said:

When would i start a new claim ??

When your money drops below £16,000.

Yes, you can even check that online here.

https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/how-do-savings-and-lump-sum-pay-outs-affect-benefits

poppy123456

maggieomx said:

So i move to wales ring them up and tell them my house is sold iv bought a new home got money in my account keep all receipts they will stop my ESA  and when i get to 16.000 in bank apply for UC OR ESA again am i nearly correct ???

Yes spot on. You will have a deduction in the benefit when you do reclaim.

maggieomx

Yayyyyy i knew id eventually get it what you've been saying to me !!
So the first working day after i move in my new home thats when i tel them iv moved .i take the amount i get every 2 weeks out., 
What about my pip is that the same ring and just tell them iv moved ?? 

maggieomx

So id take £382.90 what i get every 2 weeks off EESA out every 2 weeks. till i get to £16000. 

poppy123456

Yes, we got there! Having that lump sum doesn't mean you can't buy yourself the things you need, within reason. You don't have to keep receipts for every single thing you buy. You can replace old furniture, just don't buy the most expensive thing of course. They will more than likely ask for bank statements when you re-claim.

They will question paying off your mortgage so you'll need to get advice regarding that.

For everyone £250 over £6,000 you lose £1 of your benefits each week, £4 for every £1,000.  Don't forget, if you cancel the ESA claim completely then you won't be paid your NI credits for your state pension and if you claimed UC in the future there's no SDP paid with that.

You will also need to pay your own council tax but living alone you can still claim the single person discount.

The PIP isn't means tested so your savings won't affect that and it will just be a simple change of address, once you've moved.

Good luck with the move and i hope it goes well for you!

maggieomx

So for example if i move sunday i fon dwp tuesday  what do i say ? I want to report a change of circumstances or do i say something else ???
Very bad day today been to a funeral of my cousinx

maggieomx

You are a patient star poppy
Thankyou xx

poppy123456

maggieomx said:

You are a patient star poppy
Thankyou xx

Thank you! You're very welcome!! xx

maggieomx

Your welcome poppy .
When i move to wales the next day i fone DWP SO I DONT fully cancel my ESA what must i say to DWP on the fone ??
not that i want to cancel my ESA claim ??
What phrase would i.use  ??

poppy123456

You need to tell them about your house sale and the money you have from that and how much. Tell them that you want to claim just for National insurance credits towards your state pension only. This will mean your ESA claim will remain open because of the credits you're receiving.

maggieomx

Thankyou poppy x

maggieomx

Hiya poppy just dug a esa letter out im on income related ESA SUPPORT GROUP ?
IV NEVER WORKED FOR OVER 20 YEARS ?!
Am i on right esa group ??

poppy123456

Income related means that your savings will affect it and your money will stop.

maggieomx

But iv not worked for iver 20 years ? Am i on right esa ?

poppy123456

Yes, Contributions based is when you work and pay NI contributions in the previous 2 tax years before your claim started. Income related is means tested and household income/savings/capital affect this.

CockneyRebel

Sorry if this is confusing but there are a few points that you really do need to get trained advice on

When you sell your property will the proceeds enable you to purchase your new property out right ie do you need to take a mortgage on your new home ?

It is normal when selling a property for the mortage on that property to be redeemed. If you have insufficient funds remaining to purchase your new home then you will need to take out a new mortgae on that property.

I believe that in this case the DWP will not raise a deprivation of capital, unlike if you had used savings to pay off your mortgage on your old home.

The ammount of capital / savings remaining is very important for the disregard that you may be able to get, which in turn can affect whether your benefit will stop or be reduced.

All cost of moving and  fees etc should be disregarded

Luxury items that you buy, if any will not count but if you need to pay for adaptations, decorating or furniture you may find that a CM will add this to your disregard.

I must stress that it is very important to get trained advice and help when talking to a CM about what can and cannot be considered

poppy123456

Yes, that's exactly why i keep advising maggie to get expert advice.

maggieomx

Hiya can you explain question 3 and 4 to me please.
 

CockneyRebel

This is my opinion nly

If you sell your house, the price you get for it will firstly repay your mortgage if you have one. Then any fees will be deducted ie. solicitors and estate agents. Any balance remaining will then be transfered to you to purchase a new property.

As an example

You sell your house for £200000

You have an outstanding mortgage of £10000 which is paid out from the selling price

This leaves you with £190000

You then have to pay solicitors  and estate agent fees

This may come to another £10000

This is taken from the balance to leave you with £180000 with which to buy your new home

You buy a new property for £160000 which is paid for out of the £180000 capital remaining

This will leave you with £20000 in savings / capital

You need to make adaptations to accomodate you condition, this might come to £5000 for ramps and handrails etc.

As it is a new property, the decoration and modernisation may need to be redone to your taste, This is your forever home so you need to get it right a new kitchen and bathroom could be £10000

This will now have reduced your capital/savings to around £5000 and you still have to replace some furniture

This is an example only which is why you need to get trained advice. What appear to be large sums of money can very quickly be be spent

I hope that helps

maggieomx

my new place will be paid outright from sale of my present property .

 I owe £6800 on my present home this will also be paid off from the sale. Of my present home .

CockneyRebel

OK

So from the amount that you sell your property for ( as an example £2006800 )

You will have a gross ballance of £200000 then you need to pay solicitors etc as above

The net balance you now have will pay for your new property without getting a mortgage

What is then left is capital for you to use to make your new property a suitable home, this amount or part of it could be be disregarded

maggieomx

I have I have sold my house for £169,000 my new bungalow is £120,000 so roughly £49,000 left out of this il be paying £6,8000 I owe on my mortgage on my present home.
roughly £42,000 left then fees and removal to be paid out of roughly £3,500 I think after everything’s paid there will be roughly £37,000 left ???? Then a few things to buy a new suite n carpet as lady had a dog ???
this is roughly the mist of it ???

poppy123456

Fees and removal costs are all part of the cost of selling your home, buying another and moving house. You're paying off your new home with the sale of your old home, so no mortgage and no deprivation of capital, in my opinion.

New carpet and suite and anything else you wish to buy is perfectly normal too.

The £30,000 plus will be classed as savings and exceeds the £16,000 limit form means tested benefits. As you previously said that your ESA is Income related, all payments for this will stop but you can continue to receive national insurance credits only towards your state pension. This way your ESA claim will remain open, instead of closing it completely.

CockneyRebel

You can of course live off your remaining capital until it is depleted.

However it is not unreasonable to use some of this to redecorate, replace dog smelling carpets etc.

Without knowing the age of your new property it is hard to say whether a modernised kitchen and or bathroom should be contemplated. Arthritis is a horrible disease and you should take advice as to any adaptations that will help you plan for your future needs

maggieomx

I think its built in 1950,s
The only thing it rearly need is toilet n shower room knocking  into 1 room ?? Could i have that done 

CockneyRebel

As you are a cash buyer, did you have a full survey done ?

There are many posibilities that could help you in the future, this is why you must get trained advice. There is a limit to what we can advise on an open forum. It is your money and this is probably the one time that you will have to make your self as comfortable as possible going forward. Without wasting money you should be able to make your new property into the home you deserve, using the capital that you have released from the sale of your old home

maggieomx

I will be buying  a bungalow( cost  £120.000) from the £198.000 selling this house im in now.

poppy123456

I honestly think we've given as much advice as we can possibly given on an internet forum and you really should get expert advice going forward.

hass

Hi all Hope your  all well 
What conditions  satisfy long-term conditions  for ESA 
Please 

maggieomx

poppy123456 said:

I honestly think we've given as much advice as we can possibly given on an internet forum and you really should get expert advice going forward.

Poppy whats a CM ??

poppy123456

hass said:

Hi all Hope your  all well 
What conditions  satisfy long-term conditions  for ESA 
Please 

Hi,

It's not as simple as that. There's 4 conditions you have to meet for future assessments to be turned off. Firstly it's only for those that are currently in the support group. More info here. https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/news/2017/october/guidance-work-capability-assessment-reassessment-published

maggieomx

What does CM stand for please ?

poppy123456

maggieomx said:

What does CM stand for please ?

Case manager, someone that makes decisions for DWP.

maggieomx

Thankyou x