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New style ESA & UC

jasminegrace

Hi all,

I find this forum incredibly helpful when it comes to benefits and once again I have a question.

So I’ve been claiming esa for a while, like 9 months - I was assessed last week, the assessor said she was sure I wouldn’t have requirement to work. I know this might not happen. But I will say a much nicer process than pip.

My question is my ESA comes off my UC in a rounded form I believe to cover the months with 5 weeks etc.

I currently get the min but if I was to get more, I know it should come off as more.

But would I get a back date and would this full amount come off?

Has it happened to any of you?

I just don’t want to get excited to have extra money if it needs to cover my UC payment.

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Comments

calcotti

Your new style ESA is deducted in full from your monthly UC payments (the total benefit is the same).
If you are put into the Support Group you will be paid arrears of ESA Support Group from the fourteenth ESA week.
In addition if you are put in Support Group you will also be put in the LCWRA and be entitled to the LCWRA element of UC which is payable from the fourth month.
The arrears of ESA will be deducted from UC arrears (although they may pay both lots of arrears and then realise they've overpaid you and then collect it back later by monthly deduction).

Did you claim ESA and UC at the same time?

jasminegrace

Thank you for this. Although I’m slightly confused as I didn’t believe you could claim new style and lwcra together?

I was already on UC while I was working then I left my job due to my illness and claimed esa.

calcotti

jasminegrace said:

Thank you for this. Although I’m slightly confused as I didn’t believe you could claim new style and lwcra together?

I was already on UC while I was working then I left my job due to my illness and claimed esa.

LCWRA is part of UC.
ESA and UC can be claimed at the same time but the ESA is deducted from the UC so the total money is the same.
When you first became ill did you inform UC about your health condition? If you had done that you would have been referred for a Work Capability Assessment by UC and would have been assessed for LCWRA within UC.
Regardless - whatever the outcome of the WCA decision now is it will apply to both ESA and UC.

jasminegrace

I told DWP about my illness and provided a fit note in December 2021.

But they haven’t ever mentioned LWCRA, nor have I recieved anything from them.

calcotti

jasminegrace said:

I told DWP about my illness and provided a fit note in December 2021.

And when did you apply for ESA? Can you remember whether your health form was called a ESA50 or a UC50?

jasminegrace

I cannot remember, I applied for esa in December too.

I did them both at the same time.

jasminegrace

Ie report to UC as I was already claiming and apply for pip and esa.

Pip is done and I’ve been assessed but esa took a while longer.

calcotti

IF you claimed at ESA and UC at the same time i would expect atet the assessment will have been done through UC. The outcome will be applied to both benefits.

jasminegrace

Thank you so much

L_Volunteer

You are welcome @jasminegrace. It is the very least you deserve. If we can do anything else to help you, please don't hesitate to let us know. We are all here for you

jasminegrace

L_Volunteer said:

You are welcome @jasminegrace. It is the very least you deserve. If we can do anything else to help you, please don't hesitate to let us know. We are all here for you

Hi, I’ve just had the letter in my journal to say I have limited capacity for work for universal credit - what happens next as this isn’t esa? I’m so confused

calcotti

To be clear, have you been found to have Limited Capability for Work or to have Limited Capability for Work and Work Related Activity?

poppy123456

If the decision was Limited capability for work then your benefits entitlement stays the same. Your New style ESA will end after 1 year.

Benefits entitlement will still remain the same but there will be no deductions of ESA from UC.

You can challenge the decision by requesting the MR.

jasminegrace

It says limited capacity for work and work related activities. Does that mean the above isn’t correct?

Thank you for the help. I’m honestly quite useless.

poppy123456

That means you will receive extra money from the 4th month after you first reported your health condition, provided you sent a fit note within 7 days of that and continued to send them without any gaps.

When it's paid from exactly will depend on what date exactly you reported the health condition and the dates of your assessment periods (or when you usually receive your UC each month)

jasminegrace

I told them at the start of December, & I get my UC on 20th & esa fortnightly.

Will I be owed money on both do you think? Or will it be going forward you get x amount.

poppy123456

The decision will apply to both ESA (Support Group) and UC (LCWRA) So your AP for UC is 14th to 13th of each month. If you reported your health condition at the start of December, which would be Nov/Dec AP that month doesn't count. Therefore your waiting period will be Dec/Jan, Jan/Feb, Feb/March.. LCWRA starts from 14th March to 13th April and first payment will be 20th April. So they owe you some money.

For ESA there's a waiting period of 13 weeks and the extra money is paid from the 14th week. You will likely receive money owed from both ESA and UC. However, because the ESA is deducted in full from UC you will then owe UC some money. You can either keep the ESA money that is owed to you and pay it straight back to UC or UC will reduce your UC is month to pay back the overpayment.

Going forward your ESA will be £117.60/week. Your UC will include the standard element, LCWRA element and any other elements you're entitled to. The ESA deduction will be £509.60/month.