ESA and Mental Health

supportneeded

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice / reassurance. I didn't know i was entitled to claim ESA until recently for my mental health. 
I have a few mental health problems one being Agoraphobia so i am mostly stuck at home and can't go anywhere even with help it is almost impossible. 
I want to apply for the ESA but I'm worried I'd be made to go to the job centres or to face to face assessments, when i can't. Do they take the health conditions into account if you cant go to the centres?
Also has anyone else claimed for the same thing? What was your experience?
I am worried because i dont anticipate to be better for a long time will i have to go to the work groups and meetings when i phycially can't due to my mental illness? 

Thank you i really hope you can give me some advice i am so lost

poppy123456

To be entitled to New style ESA you wi have needed to have worked and paid the correct amount of NI contributions in tax years April 2019 to March 2021.
Yes you will need to attend your local job centre for your first appointment. 

If you haven’t worked in those tax years you can look at claiming Universal Credit. It’s a means tested benefit so entitlement will depend on your circumstances. If you live with a partner you’ll need to claim as a couple and your joint circumstances will be taken into consideration. You can use a benefits calculator to check entitlement. 

If you claim UC you will be classed as a job seeker until a decision is made on your work capability assessment. It’s a work coaches discretion to turn off or reduce work commitments.

Alex_Alumni

Hi there @supportneeded and well done for reaching out today, I hope we can help support you  

As mentioned above, you may well need to attend the job centre for your first appointment, and you can bring someone with you for support if that's helpful.

It's important to remember that the job centre has a duty under the equality act to provide reasonable adjustments for disabled people, as Citizens Advice explains on their website. 

This means they may have to change the way they do things or provide you with extra help and assistance - for example, to use a computer or do a job application. If they know about your disability and they don’t comply with their duty, it’s unlawful discrimination.

Mencap also has a PDF document which has some examples of the changes the job centre can make to provide appropriate reasonable adjustments, which I hope will help answer your queries and reassure you.

If you feel like talking through how you're feeling with someone on the phone or by email you're welcome to contact the Scope Helpline, who can also offer advice and support.

Let us know if anything isn't making sense, and we'll do what we can to help.

Alex