Fit Note Requests Making Me Ill

Girl_No1

@MoochingMinnie just to ask is your Support Worker aware of your financial difficulties?  Have they referred you to a Welfare Rights Officer to maximise your benefits?  If they haven't referred you, could you ask them to do so?

Also, in terms of the estrangement from your relative, would you be able to contact a local advocacy service and ask for support regarding the financial matter i.e. could they advocate on your behalf with the relative/bank etc?  That said, I think some advocacy services only accept referrals from other agencies e.g. Social Services or CMHTs, so it might be something else to ask your CMHT support worker?  CMHT staff will know whether they need to make a referral or whether you can access the service directly by yourself.  

Hope these suggestions help a little  I can fully relate to you terror of contacting DWP by phone too.  I was on hold for two hours and thirty-seven minutes the other day, and as stressful as it was holding on I was actually relieved when I got cut off!  Anyone normal would be furious at wasting their time like that but not me - I was relieved I didn't have to speak to an official person!  lol

Wouldn't it be wonderful if everything could be done online?  I certainly find I can (sometimes!) articulate better when writing than speaking.  Plus, everything seems to take forever .... I know it doesn't but it feels like that, eh?

In the meantime, try to keep your chin up and remember to make use of the support you have via the CMHT and on here.   

Adrian_Scope

Hi @MoochingMinnie. Have you had any progress with this at all?

MoochingMinnie

Adrian_Scope said:

Hi @MoochingMinnie. Have you had any progress with this at all?

poppy123456 said:

That will be to do with the work capability assessment form that you'll recieve soon. When your payments end, your claim won't just close because you haven't been assessed and no decision's been made yet. Once you've been assessed and a decision's made, if you're placed into the Support Group your payments will start back up again. You will also receive extra money from the 14th week of your claim.

Hello Adrian & Poppy,

Quick (and urgent) update:  They sent me an ESA50 30.11.2020 (deadline was 31.12.2020), which was returned to them in plenty of time (evidence of postage paid for).  

They wrote to me on 24.12.2020 to tell me that they intend to close the claim on 20.01.2021 (tomorrow) and to claim UC or be assessed for Income-Related ESA (which I'm not entitled to).  They still haven't put me in either group (WRAG, or SG). 

I rang them on 04.01.2021 and yesterday (18.01.2021) to ask if they had received the ESA50.  First time I called they said they had received the ESA50. Yesterday they said they weren't sure if they'd received the ESA50 and that nothing had been recorded on my claim/account since April 2020. They then said to call back in a week's time (?!).

If they attempt close the claim without putting me in any group, can I challenge this with a Mandatory Reconsideration?

Apologies for the urgency, sometimes I just can't face dealing with them and avoid it until it's possibly too late.

Best wishes,

Milly

poppy123456

HI,

Your ESA will not close completely. Payments will end on the date stated in the letter because New style ESA is only paid for 365 days unless placed into the Support Group. Your NI credits will continue to paid until they assess your capability for work. Once this has been done if you're placed into the Support Group you'll receive backdated money to the 14th week of your claim.

Unfortuntately, requesting the Mandatory Reconsideration will not help you here.

You won't be able to claim for income related ESA because this no longer exists for new claims. The only other benefit is Universal Credit.

Hope this helps and sorry i couldn't give you any better news.

Adrian_Scope

Hi @MoochingMinnie. I've sent you an email regarding this to try and see if there are other ways Scope can support you. I'm aware UC isn't an option due to savings that you can't access and I'm concerned you're going to be left without an income. 

MoochingMinnie

Adrian_Scope said:

Hi @MoochingMinnie. I've sent you an email regarding this to try and see if there are other ways Scope can support you. I'm aware UC isn't an option due to savings that you can't access and I'm concerned you're going to be left without an income. 

Hello Adrian,

Many thanks for your email, just a quick note to let you know I've replied with the information you requested.

Best wishes,

Milly

MoochingMinnie

poppy123456 said:

HI,

Your ESA will not close completely. Payments will end on the date stated in the letter because New style ESA is only paid for 365 days unless placed into the Support Group. Your NI credits will continue to paid until they assess your capability for work. Once this has been done if you're placed into the Support Group you'll receive backdated money to the 14th week of your claim.

Unfortuntately, requesting the Mandatory Reconsideration will not help you here.

You won't be able to claim for income related ESA because this no longer exists for new claims. The only other benefit is Universal Credit.

Hope this helps and sorry i couldn't give you any better news.

Many thanks for all your replies Poppy, they're greatly appreciated, even if they're not always good news 

MoochingMinnie

Hello Everyone,

Quick update:

Was informed last week by the DWP that an ESA Health Assessor has written to my GP for additional evidence of my health conditions, but they can't tell me what they've asked (?!).  Should I call my GP surgery and find out?  How much time do they give your GP to respond?

Then I received a letter today to tell me that they have closed my claim, and that if I disagree with the decision to make a mandatory reconsideration within a month.

Don't know what's going on at all, and no idea what to do next.  All I know for sure is that ESA payments stopped on 21.01.2021.  What a mess...

Best wishes,

Milly