Please help!

SunshineD
SunshineD Online Community Member Posts: 8 Listener
in Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
ive received a letter saying my ESA will stop in July.  I rang them and i think i spoke to the grumpiest woman ever!!!  i wasnt sure what she said to me, she said something about a support group?  how do i find out if in that?  There is a line in the letter that says this assessment is based on your natonal insurance contribution record.  im paid £74 per two weeks.  im not sure about this support group thing??

Comments

  • calcotti
    calcotti Online Community Member Posts: 10,001 Championing
    edited March 2021
    Is this new style ESA that you claimed in July last year. If so it is only paid for 365 days unless you are putin the Support Group following your Work Capability Assessment. Have you had an assessment?

    Have you checked whether you might be entitled to any other benefits?
  • SunshineD
    SunshineD Online Community Member Posts: 8 Listener
    Hiya thank you for your reply xx I'm so confused by all this, yes I've found my letter and it's only for 365 days x I was on long term sick when I applied u see, I'm now retired. I dont know what's meant by put in a support group?? I get UC and pip. It's just worrying that I'm gonna lose 300 pounds in July but I've gotta be in a support group how do I do that?
  • calcotti
    calcotti Online Community Member Posts: 10,001 Championing
    edited March 2021
    When you applied for ESA and UC you told them you were sick. Have you provided continuous Fit Notes since then? Have you received a Work Capability Questionnaire that asks about how your health affects your ability to work (either an ESA50 or UC50 form)? Have you completed and returned that form? If so, when? Have you then had an assessment or are you still waiting for it? It is the outcome of that assessment that determines whether or not you are put in the Support Group. If you returned the form a while ago but still have not had an assessment you may want to contact DWP to see if they can give you any information on when assessment may take place.

    Note however that, as you get UC as well as ESA, if your ESA stops it will make no difference to your overall income. The ESA currently reduces the amount of UC you get. When the ESA stops your UC will go up.


  • wilko
    wilko Online Community Member Posts: 2,438 Championing
    hello hello just to add to the confusion, I was in the ESA support group since 2016, just before I retired my wife was told by the council that our rent and council tax is stopping as I am retiring and claiming state pension so the ESA stops. I rang CAB universal credit line and was advised to claim UC before I retired. I lodged a claim for my wife and I , I had a phone interview the day before I retired,I had to agree to spend 35 hrs looking on line for work, and agree to be paid the minimum wage and travel 90 minutes to a work place. There is no provision for people who are disabled or medically retired when applying for UC. I informed them of my disability,MS, and received a request for fit notes to be supplied. Even thou I’ve been in the ESA support group for 4 years.I am now concerned about my rent and council tax to pay. 
  • calcotti
    calcotti Online Community Member Posts: 10,001 Championing
    edited March 2021
    wilko said: I was in I had a phone interview the day before I retired,I had to agree to spend 35 hrs looking on line for work, and agree to be paid the minimum wage and travel 90 minutes to a work place. There is no provision for people who are disabled or medically retired when applying for UC. I informed them of my disability,MS, and received a request for fit notes to be supplied. Even thou I’ve been in the ESA support group for 4 years.I am now concerned about my rent and council tax to pay. 
    That is incorrect and you should not have been told that. If you are pension age there are no work requirements. Moreover as you were in the ESA Support Group you should have been treated as having LCWRA from the start of your claim and therefore no work requirements. 

    Why are you concerned about paying your rent and CT? UC calculation will include help for rent in place of Housing Benefit and you may still be entitled to CTR.

    Previously you probably had automatic entitlement to CTR because you got income based ESA. Now entitlement will be subject to means testing based on the information used to work out yourUC entitlement. You should tell the Council benefits team that you have claimed UC.

    If you have Daily Living PIP and your wife cares for you she is entitled to have the carer element included in the UC amount.

    The UC that is actually payable will be reduced by whatever State Pension you receive.
  • SunshineD
    SunshineD Online Community Member Posts: 8 Listener
    calcotti said:
    When you applied for ESA and UC you told them you were sick. Have you provided continuous Fit Notes since then? Have you received a Work Capability Questionnaire that asks about how your health affects your ability to work (either an ESA50 or UC50 form)? Have you completed and returned that form? If so, when? Have you then had an assessment or are you still waiting for it? It is the outcome of that assessment that determines whether or not you are put in the Support Group. If you returned the form a while ago but still have not had an assessment you may want to contact DWP to see if they can give you any information on when assessment may take place.

    Note however that, as you get UC as well as ESA, if your ESA stops it will make no difference to your overall income. The ESA currently reduces the amount of UC you get. When the ESA stops your UC will go up.


    yes ive supplied continuous sick notes.  i havent had any UC as im with my partner and he works.  thank you so much for that info.  i need to look into that. 

  • SunshineD
    SunshineD Online Community Member Posts: 8 Listener
    calcotti said:
    When you applied for ESA and UC you told them you were sick. Have you provided continuous Fit Notes since then? Have you received a Work Capability Questionnaire that asks about how your health affects your ability to work (either an ESA50 or UC50 form)? Have you completed and returned that form? If so, when? Have you then had an assessment or are you still waiting for it? It is the outcome of that assessment that determines whether or not you are put in the Support Group. If you returned the form a while ago but still have not had an assessment you may want to contact DWP to see if they can give you any information on when assessment may take place.

    Note however that, as you get UC as well as ESA, if your ESA stops it will make no difference to your overall income. The ESA currently reduces the amount of UC you get. When the ESA stops your UC will go up.


    im getting  mixed up with pip, i had an assessment with them and they agreed  i needed pip.  so i need an assessment. i get confused so easily.  ill contact DWP and sort this out.  i truly appreciate your help so much xxxx


  • calcotti
    calcotti Online Community Member Posts: 10,001 Championing
    edited March 2021
    SunshineD said:.. i havent had any UC as im with my partner and he works.  
    I took it that you did from your earlier post 
    SunshineD said:..  I get UC and pip. 
    So the questions remain
    Have you received a Work Capability Questionnaire that asks about how your health affects your ability to work (either an ESA50 or UC50 form)? Have you completed and returned that form? If so, when? 
    It sounds as if you are either waiting for the form (although you should have had that months ago) or waiting for an assessment. Ring ESA, if it is the assessment you are waiting for DWP may advise you to ring the health assessor.
  • SunshineD
    SunshineD Online Community Member Posts: 8 Listener
    Hiya yes I did send off a capability for work questionnaire. In fact I sent it 14th aug last year but I still haven't heard anything!! Its 6 months ago x I'm really worried xx I really appreciate yr help so much x
  • SunshineD
    SunshineD Online Community Member Posts: 8 Listener
    I did ring esa this morning and she said theres a backlog. But 6 months I sent it x please help. I'm so worried xx
  • calcotti
    calcotti Online Community Member Posts: 10,001 Championing
    There's nothing anyone here can do to help. There is a backlog.
  • SunshineD
    SunshineD Online Community Member Posts: 8 Listener
    calcotti said:
    There's nothing anyone here can do to help. There is a backlog.

    Thank you so much for your help x I've just gotta be patient xx
  • Adrian_Scope
    Adrian_Scope Posts: 11,750 Online Community Programme Lead
    wilko said:
    hello hello just to add to the confusion, I was in the ESA support group since 2016, just before I retired my wife was told by the council that our rent and council tax is stopping as I am retiring and claiming state pension so the ESA stops. I rang CAB universal credit line and was advised to claim UC before I retired. I lodged a claim for my wife and I , I had a phone interview the day before I retired,I had to agree to spend 35 hrs looking on line for work, and agree to be paid the minimum wage and travel 90 minutes to a work place. There is no provision for people who are disabled or medically retired when applying for UC. I informed them of my disability,MS, and received a request for fit notes to be supplied. Even thou I’ve been in the ESA support group for 4 years.I am now concerned about my rent and council tax to pay. 
    Hello @wilko. Can I ask how long ago you claim UC and if your commitments have been sorted now?
    As Caclottie mentioned, your ESA support group status should have transferred to UC (which is why they recommended claiming UC before your ESA ends). You also shouldn't be handing in fit notes as this can trigger a reassessment. When do you reach state pension age? You also shouldn't have work commitments. 
    If you need any further help with this please let us know. 
  • wilko
    wilko Online Community Member Posts: 2,438 Championing
    @Adrian_Scope,thanks for the information, I contacted the CAB dedicated UC help line took all my details and told me to claim UC before my official retirement day. So I applied on the Tuesday, received a text of a telephone interview on Thursday which the lovely lady informed me to enable my claim to move forward I would need to agree to the looking for work ect. There is nothing in the application form to lodge that you are disabled, medically retired. So I agreed while having a laugh with the agent then put on my journal that I have MS and medically retired , then a message asked for fit notes to be sent.,I asked if they had read my journal information that I was placed in the ESA support group in 2016 and medically retired. Next s message to say they where checking my ESA status. They wanted to know why we had two bedrooms. The house is a former tied house that went with my employment so as I was medically retired and living in the house before 1989 we have protected tenancy and had the rent set by a rent officer lower than the market value. We have more rights than a normal tenancy.

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