ESA permitted work question

Bpositive91

L_Volunteer said:

Hi @Bpositive91

Thanks for continuing to reach out for support. It is always wonderful to see the support you provide to one another. It seems like it has been a few days since you last posted. I just wanted to ask, do you feel that all your questions have been answered? Please don't hesitate to say if you feel you need further clarification or further support with anything. We are here for you and you don't have to go through this or anything else alone if you don't want to 

L_Volunteer said:

Hi @Bpositive91

Thanks for continuing to reach out for support. It is always wonderful to see the support you provide to one another. It seems like it has been a few days since you last posted. I just wanted to ask, do you feel that all your questions have been answered? Please don't hesitate to say if you feel you need further clarification or further support with anything. We are here for you and you don't have to go through this or anything else alone if you don't want to 

Thank you all for the support. I take the information on board as best as I can understand though it can sometimes take a while due to my disability  .

Now you mention I do have some further questions if you guy's wouldn't mind helping further ,

I really, really want a part time job. I am 30 years old and have never had a paid job in my life. I lay awake most nights thinking about my life and how I have not achieve anything of significance. I have always lived with my mum, never had a job and never had a girlfriend. 

during high school years 10 & 11 aged 14-16, I did do a 3 day in school and 2 day in a workplace ( Wilkinson's store in shopping centre ) which was available as an option in our high school for anyone who wanted to do this. |( At a permitted place of work of their choice )
 
I enjoyed it sometimes but my anxiety was terrible, it was mainly the build up to going into the work place, once I arrived I was a nervous wreck because of the anxiety leading up to going in. Once I entered the shop  I felt calmer but took a long time every day calming myself down after spending all morning each day worrying about going in . 
I was as anxious going in every day of the 2 years as I was day 1 .  When I left high school the work experience ended .

I remember 10 years ago at 20 years old thinking things would not change when I reach 30 and I would search 10 years in advance, 30 and never had a job, 30 still live with mum, 30 and never had
a girlfriend .
And here I am as I thought I would be, at 30 and as I predicted my life would be at this age when I was 20. 
I now find myself writing the same on google search  about never had a job, girlfriend and still live with mum at 40, because I feel 10 years from now will be another repeat of the last 10 years. 

I get extreme anxiety which I do not talk to anybody about ( never been doctors to have it diagnosed and although I would describe my anxiety as crippling I do well to hide it and try to  stay as composed as I can )
Some days I wake my body is shaking as though I am standing in a street during a Blizzard I feel cold even though it may be a warm day. 
If I go the toilet I often have to composer myself before I come out again, I feel my whole body shaking while trying to compose myself to walk out past everyone to the exit. 
this has been  going on for years at least 15. 


I really feel a part time job will help me, I feel once I finish work for the day I will be much more confident for rest of the day and will feel much better in myself for accomplishing it . ( as I did when I did work experience )

I get extremely  anxious around managers and my self esteem is terrible. Every time I walk into a store I get anxious always trying to make a best impression as a customer in case I every ask for a job there. I get so anxious around managers because I feel they would be taking a chance on me and that they are always watching me and thinking they could of hired someone better. 
A few times I have asked a store manager for a job, as soon as I finish speaking to the manager of a store  I want to get out of the store because of awkward eye contact as I am walking around the shop and feeling very jumpy in case I come across the manager again as I am doing my shopping. 



QUESTION PART 



despite all this, I really want a part time job. I really,  really appreciate the ESA and PIP that I receive. I receive enhanced Dily living and lower mobility pip a 5 year award of which 4 remain until reassessment.
I am so thankful for this and that my needs are met , 
Due to my PIP I get extra ESA  severe disability premium and the disability premium. 

I am worried of the prospect that something could be affected from either or both my ESA award /and /or my PIP award if I get a part time job.
If for example I had my enhanced Daily living changed to standard rate, would I still get severe disability premium automatically because I get the daily living PIP ?  ( I understand the other ''disability premium '' is only available for those on enhanced rate )

I am also worried they may put me to support group or transfer me to universal credit . I do not know how likely this could be ?

I just know Being in full time work would be too stressful for me , mainly due to my mental health.   With a part time job I know I would  Have my ESA/PIP to fall back on   and I could quit the job if I feel overwhelmed,    whereas if I was in full time work and had no security of ESA  I would be feeling very overwhelmed by it and don't think I would cope.

I do feel I might be going into this knowing I probably have more to lose financially than to gain but I am really hoping not. 

Please guy's , advise. 


Many , many thanks everyone 

poppy123456

If you work you must make sure it’s less than 16 hours per week and earn no more than £143 per week ( the earnings will increase slightly from April)
The SDP will continue providing you have a daily living award. 

The disability premium is not paid when claiming ESA. It’s only paid when claiming Income Support or JSA.
You will not automatically be put onto UC because no one is automatically put on it. 

You just need to make sure that the work you do doesn’t contradict the reasons why you’re in the Support Group, if it does then it could go against you when you’re next reassessed.
People do work and claim PIP but again if the work you do contradicts the reasons you’re claiming it then it could go against you when you’re next reviewed. 

Bpositive91

poppy123456 said:

If you work you must make sure it’s less than 16 hours per week and earn no more than £143 per week ( the earnings will increase slightly from April)
The SDP will continue providing you have a daily living award. 

The disability premium is not paid when claiming ESA. It’s only paid when claiming Income Support or JSA.
You will not automatically be put onto UC because no one is automatically put on it. 

You just need to make sure that the work you do doesn’t contradict the reasons why you’re in the Support Group, if it does then it could go against you when you’re next reassessed.
People do work and claim PIP but again if the work you do contradicts the reasons you’re claiming it then it could go against you when you’re next reviewed. 

Hey Poppy, thank you sincerely for the above information. 

I am relieved to know that I would still receive SDP  if I was given a reduced rate of pip from enhanced to standard. 
Do you know how likely it is for someone who is in the support group of ESA who does do  permitted work to be placed into the work related group ? I am  very worried about that too.  Also in the work related group am I right to think it is the basic allowance only on that ? 

Do you know what the permitted work rate for ESA weekly amounts will be from April please ?
 
2 of the reason's I worry about being affected are

Planning and following a journey .  

 A -   Can plan and follow the route of a journey unaided.     0 points

I cannot plan or follow the route of an unfamiliar journey unaided 

B -   Needs prompting to be able to undertake any journey to avoid overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant. (4 points)

I occasionally need support about not to worry and reassurance everything will be ok for the journey 

 C-    Cannot follow the route of an unfamiliar journey without another person, assistance dog or orientation aid. (10 points)

I  panic about travelling alone to unfamiliar places alone, because I get easily disoriented and lose  my sense of direction and would feel to anxious to ask people for help and guidance further increasing my distress which also puts me in danger. 

-----------------------------

I received points already for B or C.    B & C are still as relevant now . 

If I get a part time job ( which will be fairly local and a familiar journey unaided ) which option A,B,C,  would the assessor likely put me under ?  using the examples and descriptions below above.  

Also I worry this may be affected 

 

9. Engaging with other people face to face*

9A -       Can engage with other people unaided. (0 points)

I need support of someone with me, to approach another person in order to interact. I am very anxious during the interaction. 

9B. Needs prompting to be able to engage with other people. (2 points)

I need someone with me to prompt me to engage with other people. I am very anxious while engaging 

9C - . Needs social support to be able to engage with other people. (4 points)

I need to be encouraged by another person who is with me to engage with others, I get very anxious

9D. - Cannot engage with other people due to such engagement causing either - (i) overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant; or (ii) the claimant to exhibit behaviour which would result in a substantial risk of harm to the claimant or another person. (8 points)

Depending no the person and /or situation I get extremely anxious distressed and feel in loss of control and unable to function. 

I am awarded 9C / 9D .

Will having a part time job in a store likely affect those points ?

due to my low self esteem and anxiousness I get very anxious to approach people even with support from people I know, it is a little bit easier to interact if people approach me rather than for me to approach them .

these are the 2 that I worry about that they might reassess though I feel nothing has changed in myself but I understand from their perspective these 2 topics might be questioned ? 

Thank you and sorry if I am going on too much about this, it also does not help I have OCD and can be very obsessive which is also exhausting to myself.

I'd like to say Thank you sincerely, I appreciate this  more thank you would know  

poppy123456

Permitted work earnings from April will be £152 per week.

For your mobility award for PIP it's not possible for you to receive points twice for the same activity. No one here can answer your question because we don't know anything about how your conditions affect you, only you know that.

Again for daily living Activity 9, you can't score points twice for the same activity. The answer is the same for this, we don't know anything about how your conditions affect you so we can't answer this question. The only person that can answer that is yourself.

Bpositive91

poppy123456 said:

Permitted work earnings from April will be £152 per week.

For your mobility award for PIP it's not possible for you to receive points twice for the same activity. No one here can answer your question because we don't know anything about how your conditions affect you, only you know that.

Again for daily living Activity 9, you can't score points twice for the same activity. The answer is the same for this, we don't know anything about how your conditions affect you so we can't answer this question. The only person that can answer that is yourself.

Hi Poppy !

that's good news about the increase in permitted work earnings. thanks for the info on that.

Sorry I did not mean to suggest I was scoring points twice, I had meant to say I was scoring either for example , c or d . 
I copied my answer to each A,B,C,D, question under each one.   I wanted to check  how an assessor may evaluate this given my details below each option (abcd) with taking my working into account., if that makes sense ? sorry, it can be very difficult for me to explain / express myself. 

I just hope it doesn't affect anything because if I get a part time job I feel nothing about my condition has changed. 


Thank you for your invaluable advice, always appreciated  

Bpositive91

Hey guy's.

A quick update. I have been looking for a part time job, asked at a few places and going to a few places tomorrow , I am looking for a retail job such as at ASDA, Tesco e.t.c.   no till work though.

Does anyone know if DWP/ESA department are in any contact with the employer of the claimant ? 

I just worry that if I have a good day that the employer might tell dwp that I have been doing well e.t.c. which may give the dwp an idea to re asses me or think I am able to do full time.

thanks

poppy123456

Bpositive91 said:

Does anyone know if DWP/ESA department are in any contact with the employer of the claimant ?

I'm not aware of them ever doing that.

Bpositive91

poppy123456 said:

Bpositive91 said:

Does anyone know if DWP/ESA department are in any contact with the employer of the claimant ?

I'm not aware of them ever doing that.

Hey Poppy, always nice to see you .

I mean, do DWP ever call the employer to ask how the claimant is managing at work ?  
Do DWP need proof of wages from employer ?
Once I get a part time job does dwp have no involvement with the employer ?

thanks

poppy123456

I'm not aware of DWP contacting any employer. You'll have payslips, so if DWP need proof of earnings they will ask for them.