ESA and NHS Continuing Care

plum

Hi

I'm hoping someone can help me with some questions i have regarding my Dad's benefits. He was previously on ESA i believe. Around 3 years ago he had an accident whilst in hospital which left him paralysed from the waist down. He has since been assessed and awarded full funding by NHS continuing care and is in a care home, and has been for the last couple of years. When he first moved into the care home we received a letter regarding his ESA stating they needed a dr note. We provided this (the dr signed him off work for 3 months i believe, with the medical reason, so they are aware of his broken vertebrae and inmobility). He is still receiving ESA payments, which helps him pay for things like haircuts, podiatrist and outings with the home where possible. However I am concerned that since he receives continuing care I am unsure if he is entitled to any other benefits and if this could get him in trouble? He hasn't received any correspondence regarding his ESA in over a year, yet still receives payments. I'm unsure who i need to speak to about his benefits, and i struggled to get answers before as I do not have power of attorney. i just want to check if there's anything we should be doing, anyone we should be speaking to?

poppy123456

Hi and welcome,

Whether he's entitled to continue to claim the ESA while he's in hospital will depend which ESA he's claiming and which group, if any he's in. If he claims PIP or DLA then the care part of both of these are not payable while in hospital for more than 28 days.

If he's had any letters in the past year regarding his ESA then you should take a look to see exactly what he's claiming. It will be DWP that will need to be contacted regarding this.

Chloe_Alumni

Hi @plum, how are you getting on?