ESA not paid

Willow1962

Hi, my ESA was due on Thursday 8th July 21 but I’ve not received it, anyone else had similar problems?  I’m in a constant state of panic at the moment and have no idea what to do.

MarkM88

Lots of stories on here about system errors so it could be something like that? I would ring them up first thing tomorrow morning and ask for a faster payment. 

janer1967

Hi and welcome to the community 

We often hear of members not getting paid 

All you can do is give them a call to see what is happening 

Ross_Alumni

Hello @Willow1962

Sorry to hear that your ESA wasn't paid, as above it would probably be best to give them a call tomorrow. I'm sure it will be nothing to worry about though and hopefully just a resolvable system error.

Do you have techniques or support in place to manage your feelings of panic?

Willow1962

Hi Ross

Thank you for you reply.  I have no support due to the coronavirus pandemic, but I’m trying to control my anxiety and panic at the moment with distraction but it’s not working too well.  I’m hoping it’s something that can be rectified easily as my mental health cannot cope with anything else at the moment, I’m at breaking point as it is.  I have not been out of the house since March 2020 due to the pandemic, I can’t have the jab due to my severe allergies and my agoraphobia has become extremely difficult to deal with.  I’ve not seen my family since March 2020 as I’m clinically extremely vulnerable I have no immune system due to the medication i take for rheumatoid arthritis.

sorry I sound like a right moaner don’t I ?

Willow1962

Hi Ross

Thank you for you reply.  I have no support due to the coronavirus pandemic, but I’m trying to control my anxiety and panic at the moment with distraction but it’s not working too well.  I’m hoping it’s something that can be rectified easily as my mental health cannot cope with anything else at the moment, I’m at breaking point as it is.  I have not been out of the house since March 2020 due to the pandemic, I can’t have the jab due to my severe allergies and my agoraphobia has become extremely difficult to deal with.  I’ve not seen my family since March 2020 as I’m clinically extremely vulnerable I have no immune system due to the medication i take for rheumatoid arthritis.

sorry I sound like a right moaner don’t I ?

Ross_Alumni

Hello @Willow1962

I've seen your comment here and your one over on this thread, thank you for being so honest about how you feel and what you're going through. 

Can I ask, do you receive any support from your GP to manage your mental health? You seem to be in quite a low place at the minute and I hope you are in contact with them, or another health professional, about how you feel.

I think this page from Mind is quite useful, as it offers numerous coping techniques for the moments when you are struggling. Do you have any hobbies or interests that you can indulge in to take your mind off of things and enjoy yourself?

I'm sorry to read of your isolation, that's a very long time not to have seen anybody and I'm not surprised that it has impacted you. Is there anybody that sees you regularly to help you with daily tasks and mobility? Are those things something you need support with? Do you mind me asking if you've ever had a needs assessment from your local authority to try and get some support in place?

I can assure you that you are amongst friends on this online community and while it may not be as comforting as seeing somebody in person, everybody here is very supportive and will always try and make you feel better. You likely aren't alone in how you feel, so I hope it brings you some comfort that others on the community will have shared experiences of the past 18 months.

Furthermore, , you are always welcome to give our helpline a call if you want to have a chat with a friendly voice. And befriending schemes might be something to look into, the popularity of those has grown over the past 18 months for sure.

janer1967

Hi and welcome to the community 
Sorry for how you are feeling we are here to help you in any way we can 

Willow1962

Hi,
After a very long night, and a 20 minute wait on hold, my ESA will be paid into my account tomorrow! Thank you for all your kind comments and help.

Apparently my claim for EESA was stopped because of PIP changing the date of my review, due to the pandemic and myself returning the PIP paperwork, (which I don’t understand as I had until July 26th to return it and I sent it back almost 2 weeks ago).  So it would seem your PIP review date is used for your ESA claim as well, which I think is connected to anyone who receives the severely disabled  premium from ESA.  

So fingers crossed I get my payment tomorrow.

Tori_Scope

Hi @Willow1962 I'm glad that your ESA got sorted! 

I was just wondering whether you'd had a look at Ross' comment on this thread? How have things been recently? 

Willow1962

Hi Tori

Thank you for asking how I am.  I’m doing a little better after finally seeing my GP face to face on Friday (16/07) only because I needed my blood tests re-done, and as it has to be taken from the back of my hand which only a doctor can do, i got to see her, I wouldn’t have been seen otherwise.  So I finally got to talk to someone about how I’m feeling which helped some what, even though she was the on ‘duty doctor’  I got about 15 mins of her time, which was better than nothing!  It really should not be this difficult to get a face to face appointment with a GP, or an appointment for our usual check ups in hospital should it? 

I am sure there are lots of people who are in the same boat as I am, I feel disabled people have become forgotten, treated as the silent minority, especially during this pandemic.  Even with ‘Freedom Day’ tomorrow (19/07) the clinically vulnerable have been advised to avoid going out unnecessarily, and to avoid places with high people volume, and meet outside not inside, etc Well I’m sorry but I do not call that Freedom for the majority of disabled people!! 

Tori_Scope

I'm really glad that you managed to get some time with a GP @Willow1962, and that that's made you feel a little better Were they able to make any suggestions?

Yes, you're not alone in feeling that way at all. I've seen a couple of articles about this, here are two examples:

• The Mirror: Freedom Day leaves disabled people scared and isolated as 'just 2%' feel safe
• The Huffington Post: ‘It Feels Like The Hunger Games’ – The Big Problem With Lifting Lockdown

Scope have also made some statements on this, in line with our #WeWontBeForgotten campaign, which you can read on our Twitter account. 

Willow1962

It was just the usual lip service but I was grateful just to talk to someone about it to be honest, which when you think about it is really very sad!

Thanks for the article links I’ll have a read of them later ?