pip

Hi jamie

You might want to re-post your question in the 'Ask a benefits advisor' category,

Hi jamiejaderiley,

It's worth considering whether you can claim ESA (employment and support allowance) instead. However, the criteria for PIP and ESA are different. Just because you get PIP doesn't mean that you are someone with 'limited capability for work' (the condition for getting ESA).

Before you give up your jobseeker's allowance (JSA) claim, I'd check whether you are likely to get ESA. You can find out more about it here. 

For example, to get points for mobility in ESA, if you normally use crutches you'll be assessed on how far you can walk with them without 'significant discomfort or exhaustion'. You can also get points if you can't go up steps without the help of another person. You need 15 points to have 'limited capability for work', but there are other activities where you might score points too.

Another option, if having looked at ESA you don't think it applies to you, is to ask your Jobcentre Plus adviser whether you can alter your signing on frequency, or do it in another way (for example, it is possible to sign on by post). Their services are supposed to be accessible to you, and if it's difficult for you to get there, they should make adjustments. 

Finally, before you stop any claims and start new ones I'd check whether you are in an area where Universal Credit (UC) has started for your circumstances. You can check by putting your postcode in the box on this website. UC replaces income-related Employment and Support Allowance and so if that is the version of the benefit you are trying to claim, you'd have to claim UC instead. If you have paid national insurance contributions recently (you'll know this if you're getting contribution-based JSA), then you'd probably be claiming contribution-based ESA instead, but how you do this will differ depending on whether you're in an area where UC has started for your circumstances. 

Although UC can end up being worth less for disabled people (because it doesn't give you extra for being on PIP), another thing to consider is that there's an extra part of UC and ESA, called the work-related activity component, which is being removed for new claims from April. So if you are going to make the change, doing it before April could mean you end up with more money than doing it on/after 3rd April. 

Will