ESA can't understand it

richoneday

I am trying to understand my husband's attempt to claim for ESA. He has had depression (severe) for years and was finally convinced last month that he should claim ESA as it might help him access back to work training. When he did the initial phone call the chap siad he hadn't got enough contributions and he would't get anything. However last year (May - Sept 08) he was working and earned about £6000. The chap also said that as I'm working he won't get any money yet he didn't take any detaiils about my income at all. We have now been sent the form which doesn't seem to make any sense - all sorts of dates are on it - it says he was getting incapcity benefit when he wasn't etc etc. Hubby has been to Citizen's Advice but they were not helpful. We're both intelligent people (I think!) but we can't work out how to make sure he gets what he is entitled to if anything. Can anyone help?

NASA_2

If £6000 was the total he earned in the last tax year then i am not sure that that would have been enough to qualify for ESA(C). They wont have taken your details because he didnt claim the Income Related part of the benefit and your details arent relevant to the claim.

The dates on the 'Customer Statement' are probably dates that have pulled through from a central system. It sometimes uses dates based on when an 'interest' was held on the system rather than the dates of the actual claim. That might explain why those dates are wrong.

EDIT: Reading your initial post again, you said your husband earned £6000 up to september '08, that is part of the tax year ending '09 which isnt considered until after the first Sunday in January 2010.

richoneday

Thanks for the info on the tax year situation that now makes sense. I'm not sure when you say'he didn't claim for the income related part' what this means - he wasn't asked what part he wanted to claim for he just wanted to put in a claim of some kind and see what he was entitled to.
What should he do about these dates some of them are completely incorrect - should he correct them when he sends it back or just leave it? For example on page one it says 'start date' and they filled in 6 May 1988and then there is another random date in the training section.
I'm just wondering if this is all a complete waste of time and whether it will end up with him getting any help either financial or practical.

NASA_2

richoneday wrote: »

Thanks for the info on the tax year situation that now makes sense. I'm not sure when you say'he didn't claim for the income related part' what this means - he wasn't asked what part he wanted to claim for he just wanted to put in a claim of some kind and see what he was entitled to.
What should he do about these dates some of them are completely incorrect - should he correct them when he sends it back or just leave it? For example on page one it says 'start date' and they filled in 6 May 1988and then there is another random date in the training section.
I'm just wondering if this is all a complete waste of time and whether it will end up with him getting any help either financial or practical.

On ESA there is a part based solely on National Insurance Contributions and then there is the Income Related part of the benefit which takes into account houshold income, savings, property and an assortment of other stuff. When your husband made his claim he would have been asked preliminary questions, if he stated that you worked more than 24 hours then the system directs the telephony operator to advise that ESA(IR) is unlikely to be successful but that it can be applied for if insisted upon, he probably went along with that suggestion.

The start date IS just random but it doesnt mean anything good or bad.

The date in the training section, you can, if you wan, ring them and update it or have it removed if it just isnt relevant.

He will get NIC's while on ESA. This is worth claiming for IMO but he will still need to go through medicals and everything.

richoneday

Thank you so much this has made it all so much clearer.

NASA_2

marc1721 wrote: »

Why does he need back to work training if he has been working, sounds like he just wants to sit on his bum and do !!!! all and bleed the system dry!!!!!

Maybe the work involved in his old job made him depressed, claiming ESA is acceptable for sick people, and it can lead to training in new job areas.

And, in case you didnt read the whole of the OP, its a Credits Only claim. The OP's husband wont actually receive any money.