Esa Support group.Income and contributions based

Shellyj13

Some of you might remember that I've recently sent off a form to see if I'm entitled to a top up as I'm on contributions based Esa.I have just gone over some old letters from the Dwp and for some strange reason it seems I was on income based Esa till 2019.It actually says "included in your E.s.a is a top up payment which ensures you won't see a reduction in the level of your benefit".But the amount was 10pence and it went on to say I was entitled to contributions based ( which is what I'm on now).So I'm now getting letters saying I'm on contributions based but entitled to income based.In 2017 I was recieving an enhanced disability premium of £15.75 maybe because I was getting Dla then?.I don't know how it all works.But it all seems very odd that I get changed from income based to contributions based.I haven't worked since 2004 so if anyone can shed any light on this would be great

calcotti

The 'top up payment' is more likely to be a transitional element added to your contribution based ESA when you were transferred from IB. This was added to make sure that at the point of transfer you did not get less on contribution based ESA than on IB. Each year, as other parts of the contribution based ESA entitlement increased, the transitional top up was reduced until such time as it will have become nil leaving you with just the standard contribution based amount.

It still seems likely, based on your other thread, that you have never been assessed for income based ESA.

Shellyj13

I think there has been an error somewhere in the process.As someone has pointed out previously.It is sometimes unclear whether a person is on contributions based or income based Esa and now having checked my old letters it does seem I was definitely on Income based in 2017.I don't know why I am now in contributions based or why they would state in both that they are basically paying me the same amount or taking £0 off my Esa because I'm entitled to either income based or contributions based.The thing that confuses me also is havebI lost the disability premium because I no longer get Dla or pip? Or could/am I still entitled 

calcotti

When you were transferred from IB you will have been put on contribution based ESA. You should have been assessed for income based ESA also.

The fact that you had an enhanced disability premium included does indicate that you were getting some income based ESA. I overlooked that when I replied earlier. You would have been getting both contribution based and income based, not just income based.

If you are in the ESA Support Group you are still eligible for the Enhanced Disability Premium even if you no longer get DLA or PIP.

Shellyj13 said:..I don't know why I am now in contributions based or why they would state in both that they are basically paying me the same amount or taking £0 off my Esa because I'm entitled to either income based or contributions based.

Can you post details of the ESA calculation/statement?

Shellyj13

Thank you so much for this reply.It sounds from what you have said ( which Don't worry I won't take as gospel).That somewhere along the lines I should be owed something whether it be the enhanced disability premium or top up to my contributions based Esa that I'm currently on.I am still in the support group and have been since transferred over from Incapacity benefit so now it's just a case of the Dwp going over the information they have and trying to make some kind of sense of it

ShirleyW

Several years ago my husband was transferred from Incapacity Benefit to ESA.  After two or three years, could have been longer, we received a letter and it asked for all our income details for a number of years.

We duly got all this information together and sent it off to them.  Imagine our surprise when we received approximately £3,000 in unpaid ESA.  It seems my husband had never been assessed for Income Based ESA when he should have been.  

We were not entitled to the additional amount for the whole of the time period in question because towards the end of it I had been working longer hours in a better paid job.  But the backpay was a great help to us.

I would definitely ask to be assessed for Income Based ESA from when you were transferred over.  I'm not saying you will be due a back payment but you never know.

Shellyj13

I am so pleased for you both and you obviously were owed this.I am into the 3rd week now waiting for a response.I am trying not to think positively but its hard not to.Then my mind wanders into negative.I have provided the dwp with my bank details on the form I sent in and hopefully they can access my account. To see that I Have absolutely no other income or savings other than the benefit they pay which they can go back many years.

poppy123456

DWP would have no access to your bank account in this way. If there was any question about savings they would request bank statements.

Shellyj13

So it's probably going to take even longer if they think I am eligible because they will need to see I have no other income

poppy123456

It's only been 3 weeks so that's really not that long. Try and think about something else while you wait. There's nothing more you can do until a decision's made and there's no timescales for that.

Shellyj13

Yes I will have to

Shellyj13

Yes I will have to.Thanks again

Shellyj13

It will be six weeks this Friday since I sent the form off to the Dwp.In the text that they sent weeks ago they said that a decision would be made within 6 weeks.Im just keeping anyone who is interested posted as its unlikely I will have a reply anytime soon.

Ross_Alumni

Thanks for updating the thread @Shellyj13,  sorry to hear that your wait is going on. Fingers crossed you do hear back sooner than you are expecting.

Shellyj13

Yes well they do say no news is good news!.I have found my gp incredibly helpful actually so for anyone else who struggles with waiting on decisions being made.I totally recommend speaking with your g.p.Generally I've always been a very optimistic person but I've found that the one experience I had many years ago having an assessment literally scarred me for life.Interestingly there was a documentary quite recently which was not dissimilar on the subject of PIP and how awlful the assessments are and indeed the whole process.A woman who spoke about her disabilities was turned down and the programme highlighted the failings of the system and how stressful it is for people whom have a disability.I will never put myself through that again and even sending this simple form off and agonising over the wait has made me feel a way thatI havnt felt in over 10 years.It is impossible for anyone to predict what the DWP will say because everyone's circumstances are completely different and each assessor may look at things with a different eye.All I can say with certainly is things do happen for a reason and sometimes we have to accept things and make the best of it.

poppy123456

I wish DWP wouldn't give timescales like this because it just frustrates people because if a decision isn't made within that time they start to panic. I would say the timescale they told you would be 6 weeks from the date of the text message and not 6 weeks from when you returned the form.

However, realistically, there's never any timescales. It's really like saying how long is a piece of string.

Shellyj13

I totally agree.It was a company called Income Max who prompted me to send off this form.They were incredibly helpful and infact have even offered to call the DWP on my behalf to see what the situation is.They do this day I day out and were on the call when the dwp took my details in the first instance 

Shellyj13

It has now been 9 weeks from when I recieved a text message from the Dwp to say they would basically have dealt with my request within 6 weeks.Today I recieved a voicemail to say that it has gone to a 'decision maker'.I have no idea what this means and would've thought that a decision would've/could've been made during thus 9 week period surely?

ShirleyW

Shellyj13 said:

It has now been 9 weeks from when I recieved a text message from the Dwp to say they would basically have dealt with my request within 6 weeks.Today I recieved a voicemail to say that it has gone to a 'decision maker'.I have no idea what this means and would've thought that a decision would've/could've been made during thus 9 week period surely?

The Decision Maker is the DWP officer who makes the decision on whether or not you are awarded a benefit and at what level. 

There are long backlogs all over the country because of Covid and staff working from home. 

Shellyj13

That makes no sense at all then as I've already been on Esa since we'll before 2013 so I don't understand why a decision maker would be looking at my request to add a top up

Shellyj13

Having gone over some old paper work I've found some which says I was on income related esa then contributions based then back to income for a year then last 3 years income based.This is probably why they themselves are so confused by it all.I never took much notice of it before and its only this year that I've known fir sure when filling out my child tax credits form exactly which element of esa I'm receiving.The officers at Incomax told me it is quite difficult to decipher sometimes exactly what element you get.It does appear I'm definitely entitled to the top up and back dated but how they are going to work it out I'm not sure or if they will even bother