New Style ESA & UC complicated! Help please :)

Teadora

Hi.
My husband has a life long condition since April 2018. He claimed ESA( new)contribution based alongside UC.  He had his work capability assessment under UC in May and he's got the LCWRA  element. Obviously ESA has seen as an income and they deducted it from UC payments which is ok. We've been told that one WCA would be enough for both departments. However, he hasn't placed in a support group ESA after the decision which he really should be in. Now his new style ESA is due to end. If he was in the support group I am not sure but it would continue.  I tried to speak to ESa today, their response is: they won't able to help or send any reassessment for him, we should contact  UC instead? Luckily, I manage to talk to UC and they said if ESA stops we'll stop deducting the amount:)  My question is; aren't they different benefit departments (one is means-tested other is not).and why isn't he in a ESA support group?..very confusing..Any thoughts? 

Adrian_Scope

Hello @Teadora and a warm welcome to the community.
Has your husband had an assessment under NS ESA during this year? If so, what was the decision and was this made after or before the UC LCWRA decision?

thespiceman

Hello @Teadora   Pleased to meet you.

Thank you for joining and sharing.

I am one of the team of community champions.

We guide, advise and help members who are part of our community.

Sorry to hear what had happened.

Please going to tag my lovely friend @poppy123456 who will explain a bit more to you about the benefit situation your husband is experiencing.

The lady is a member of our community champions team, has exceptional knowledge, expertise on all things benefits.

Please can I ask your husband has a long term condition please if there any thing you need or further additional support please ask.

Many illness, condition and disability has their own society, charity or association with that comes support workers or assistance with situations like this.

Please contact myself happy to be supportive, offer compassion, empathy.  Have a look on line for husband, hope that gives you some reassurance.

Pleasure to meet you and hopefully my friend will be in touch soon.

Please take care.

@thespiceman

Teadora

Thank you for your kind welcomes .Dear Adrian, I believe it is called the paper-based assessment. Whatever we provided(medical cert, hospital letters, etc) beginning of his claim, that was it!. During this year he hasn't been asked any other assessment by ESA. He is a cardiac arrest survivor and because of a lack of oxygen, he has a hypoxic brain injury now. the welfare system, benefits, everything is new to us even our support worker struggled  

poppy123456

Hi,

He wouldn't need an assessment for both, only the one assessment is needed but as usually UC doesn't communicate with ESA, even though they are both part of DWP. As he's already been given LCWRA then he should be in the relevant group for ESA. Financially it makes no difference because the New style ESA is deducted £1 for £1 anyway but New style ESA isn't means tested which may be useful in the future.

To be honest, i'm unsure what to do in the situation other than speak to ESA and tell them he's got LCWRA for UC, which is the same assessment.

Teadora

Thank you, Poppy. I'll speak to them.

Adrian_Scope

Do you know which assessment happened first (or which you received a decision on first) @Teadora? The paper-based one for ESA or the WCA for Universal Credit?

Teadora

We received a decision on first from ESA .(paper-based one) (14.May.2019).(it says: assessment is based on his NI contribution records) then he had his Work capability assessment 31.May.2019 under UC and 3-4 weeks later we received the decision via UC journal.26.06.2019. Uc rewarded him with LCWRA element. Thank you again