Change from ESA and pip to uc...

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Bearheart
Bearheart Online Community Member Posts: 9 Listener
in Universal Credit (UC)
As I'm already on enhanced ESA and high rate pip and my mental health condition is ongoing will I have to start a new claim and will my present circumstances be taken into consideration? I have severe mental health issues with anxiety etc cant leave the house! I live on a boat and need to go into a marina in order to get more help with my condition so need to get housing benefit to pay for mooring hens the change to UC. I'm so stressed as I wont be able to go to interviews as my social anxiety is so bad. Will they come to me? High street not coping very well at the moment. 

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  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    HI and welcome,

    More information is needed to be able to help you further.

    There's no such thing as Enhanced rate ESA. Please may i ask which group you're in, is it WRAG or Support Group?

    Are you claiming New style ESA or the old legacy ESA? If it's the old legacy ESA are you claiming Income Related or Contributions based?

    I also see that you're claiming PIP but state high rate? What award do you have exactly? is it daily living or mobility or both?

    Do you live alone or with a partner? I'll happily help you further but you'll need to answer all those questions before i can do that.


  • Bearheart
    Bearheart Online Community Member Posts: 9 Listener
    Support group
  • Bearheart
    Bearheart Online Community Member Posts: 9 Listener
    Been on ESA for about 6 years income related I think.
    Pip daily living couldn't get mobility as I have mental health condition..
    Live alone but need a carer really.
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    Thanks for answering those questions. As you live alone and claim Income Related ESA and daily living PIP then are you claiming the severe disability premium in with your ESA?

    If no one claims carers allowance for looking after you then you should be claiming the extra premium in with your ESA. (£65.85 extra per week) If you are claiming this then you won't be able to claim Universal Credit, instead you'll be able to make a new claiming for housing benefit, which won't affect your PIP or ESA.

    Hope this helps.


  • Bearheart
    Bearheart Online Community Member Posts: 9 Listener
    Didn't know about severe disability premiums, what should I do to claim it please?
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    edited December 2019
    It's not paid separately it's in with your ESA. If you are claiming this then you should be receiving £194.30 per week ESA, which is £388.60 every fortnight.

    If you're not receiving this amount and you live alone, no one claims carers allowance  or the carers element  for looking after you then you'll need to ring ESA to ask to fill out the IS10 form over the phone so that you can claim the SDP. You'll need to wait until Monday to ring them because they are closed until then. You also need to ask for it to be backdated to the date you qualified. Once you're claiming this then you'll be able to claim housing benefit.


  • Bearheart
    Bearheart Online Community Member Posts: 9 Listener
    Thank you so much for this info I will give it a try on Monday.  Happy new year!
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    You're welcome. Thank you and Happy New Year to you too :)
  • thespiceman
    thespiceman Online Community Member Posts: 6,283 Championing
    Hello @Bearheart   pleased to meet you.

    I am one of the team of community champions.

    Happy to see my friend given you a lot of advice  @poppy123456

    Please may I suggest the following:

    Mental Health Charities used the following.

    https://www.richmondfellowship.org.uk

    Telephone 020 7697 3300

    https://www.mind.org.uk

    Telephone 0300 123 3393

    http://www.rethink.org.

    Telephone 0121 522 7007.

    All charities offer floating support, help with Benefits Well being Health.

    Might not be in all areas.

    One other Organisation.

    https://www.carenearme.co.uk.

    Please if I can help with any thing further.

    Please get in touch.

    Please take care

    @thespiceman



  • Bearheart
    Bearheart Online Community Member Posts: 9 Listener
    I'm having my three year pip review aswell is there any advice on filling the new form please?
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    Bearheart said:
    I'm having my three year pip review aswell is there any advice on filling the new form please?
    Have you received the forms yet or waiting for them? Reviews are now taking place 6 months before the award is due to end and not 12 months before.

    The best advice i can give is treat it as a new claim and not a review. Fill out that form with as much information about how your conditions affect you as possible. Adding a couple of real life examples of what happened the last time you attempted that activity for each descriptor that applies to you.

    There's never enough of space on the form to add everything you need to so use extra sheets of paper but make sure you add your name and NI number to everything you send.

    Send relevant evidence with the form to support your claim because they rarely contact anyone for any evidence. Don't send huge amounts of evidence if it's not relevant because they won't read it. Go through all of it and choose what's relevant.

    Expect another face to face assessment because most people have them. There's no timescales for the waiting process, it depends on backlog in your area.

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