Removal of ESA

lynbo
lynbo Community member Posts: 8 Connected
My wife is on esa in the support group which is contribution based. We have switched to universal credit and they have taken the esa off of our award! This has left us over £400 worse off. We have been to the CAB and also been in contact with Carers U.K. and they say my wife should get the lcwwra payment is this right? She has been on esa since 2013 and likewise me her carer! I’m so worried and not too proud to admit I got upset with the strain in the CAB yesterday! I am posting this on my wife’s account! Please can anyone help?

Comments

  • Adrian_Scope
    Adrian_Scope Posts: 11,653 Online Community Programme Lead
    edited August 2019
    Hi @lynbo and welcome to the community.
    I’m really sorry to read this, it must be very stressful for you and your wife. 

    CAB are correct, as your wife is in the support group for ESA her award should be transitioned and she should be in the LCWRA group on Universal Credit which adds just over £336 a month to your claim.

    Is she in receipt of the care component of PIP? If so, are you receiving carer’s allowance and the carer’s element on Universal Credit as well? 
  • lynbo
    lynbo Community member Posts: 8 Connected
    Hi thanks for the reply yes she is in the highest groups for both care and mobility in pip! They have said I get the Carers premium but take my Carers allowance off! I have put on my journal for UC what CAB and Carers have said 4 times and our case worker just says no! So instead of getting the expected UC we were lots down! We won’t be able to live without the extra! I have an appointment at the job centre in the morning Friday to see if it can get sorted! Thanks so much for your reply. I’m not great at this sort of thing and my wife is on so many drugs she can’t talk to them. I wish someone could speak to them direct for us! 
  • lynbo
    lynbo Community member Posts: 8 Connected
    One thing the caseworker said from UC sorry I forgot to put this to you was that my wife can only get the lcwwra if she switched to UC ESA but she is in the support group of contribution based! This isn’t true is it?
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 61,372 Championing
    HI,

    You need to speak to your case manager to ask for the MPG1 form to be sent to ESA for her ESA award to be honour in UC. Once this is done they will add the LCWRA element.

    Carers allowance is always deducted £1 for £1 from UC but you need to double check your journal to see if they are adding the carers element of £160 per month. Even though the carers allowance is deducted from UC payments you still receive the carers allowance separately to your UC payments.
  • Adrian_Scope
    Adrian_Scope Posts: 11,653 Online Community Programme Lead
    It does sound like your case manager may be mistaken. As Poppy said, she needs to request that Universal Credit send a MPG1 to ESA, she should have the LCWRA element as she receives support group ESA. 

    I hope you're able to resolve this on Friday. Were CAB unable to speak to them directly on your wife's behalf?
  • lynbo
    lynbo Community member Posts: 8 Connected
    I’m not sure if they can or not but after this many times we don’t know what else to do if when I visit the job centre tomorrow it’s not resolved!
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 61,372 Championing
    Did you ring UC today to speak to your case manager? If you didn't then you will need to do this and ask them to send the MPG1 form to ESA, Until this is done your wifes LCWRA element won't be added to your UC payments. This problem very often happens when people transfer from ESA to UC. Once it's done your wife will receive the extra £336 per month and she will receive all the money owed.
  • lynbo
    lynbo Community member Posts: 8 Connected
    Hi thank you for your reply! I have an appointment at 11am on Friday (tomorrow) how long would this take please?
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 61,372 Championing
    I have no idea how long it will take but it's your case manager you need to speak to and not the person you have the appointment with tomorrow.
  • Adrian_Scope
    Adrian_Scope Posts: 11,653 Online Community Programme Lead
    Hi @lynbo. The work coach at your appointment today should, at the very least, be able to create a task for the Case Manager to look into your query. Let us know how you get on with them and we can look at what your next steps should be if you have no luck. 
  • lynbo
    lynbo Community member Posts: 8 Connected
    Thank you so much! Our case manager isn’t easy to talk to she just won’t listen! I will let you know later what happens, thanks again!!
  • lynbo
    lynbo Community member Posts: 8 Connected
    So I went to the meeting at the job centre and he could see that taking off the esa and not putting in the lcwwra is wrong hence our deficit of over £400 a month. He then emailed a supervisor at Universal Credit for them to sort it out and hopefully we would hear later today that it’s been done! Well it’s 8pm and nothing has been done so now we have the weekend of worry again! I said goodbye to the man in the job centre and that I hope I wouldn’t have to go back and he said to me I expect you will be as they don’t usually get it gone quickly!! Universal credit is a nightmare and it’s terrifying! I hate that people all over the country are going through this! Thanks again!!
  • Adrian_Scope
    Adrian_Scope Posts: 11,653 Online Community Programme Lead
    Hi @lynbo, sorry they didn't action it quicker on Friday. Are you planning to call them today? 
  • lynbo
    lynbo Community member Posts: 8 Connected
    I’m going there today to try and find out what is happening! I’m worried sick about it! Thanks for your reply!!
  • Adrian_Scope
    Adrian_Scope Posts: 11,653 Online Community Programme Lead
    Best of luck, let us know how you get on. :)