ESA again!!

happymumto2

Am even more confused now! Have rang them again this morning as still not heard about ESA(IR), apparently it has now been backdated to the 16/2/2010 and a payment of £534 was issued yesterday which should be in my account by Monday to cover the backdated payment.

However I thought ESA (IR) was same rate as ESA (C) £89 odd a week, which I have been receiving since October, or have I got that wrong?
When I asked on telephone how the payment was so large as I am only due £189 odd on Monday, she said it was a back payment for moving on to ESA (IR) from the 16th February. I said had been receiving ESA (C) fortnightly but she said the payment is correct.

I thought ESA (IR) just gave me a passport to other benefits, school meals, SMI, council tax etc, not extra money in my hand. I asked if I would be getting some sort of letter saying I was now on ESA (IR), but she didn't know!

I don't want to end up owing them money as my finances are in a right mess as it is!

missile

happymumto2 wrote: »

IIs this how they always operate?

ESA sounds a bit like CSA, maybe they employ the same muppets who worked there?

I feel for you, don't let them get you down, try to be a happy mum :A

happymumto2

Its a nightmare, especially when your head isn't very good lol

I have never claimed before, but there appear to be more mistakes with ESA than things like JSA (but maybe that is because I only read the ESA ones!)

Have a friend who was turned down for ESA at medical and is awaiting an appeal (though personally I think they possibly made the right decision). She has remained on the £64 whilst waiting, but 2 weeks ago had a £150 payment, she rang to query and was told pretty much what I was "the computer says yes". Am just worried that if I use it towards my mortgage arrears then they will say in a couple of months "sorry the computer was wrong and we want it back".

NASA_2

JSA is a simple benefit to administer whereas ESA is quite complicated in some areas. That is why more mistakes are made with ESA than JSA.

Its no wonder claimants are treated with contempt at times given some of the attitudes that are displayed on here and also on the phone and in person.

The one thing I will say regarding overpayments is that if it wasnt your fault (ie. you declared everything and at the right time) then they are rarely recoverable. There was a report just recently that only £300m out of £2bn was recoverable.

happymumto2

NASA wrote: »

JSA is a simple benefit to administer whereas ESA is quite complicated in some areas. That is why more mistakes are made with ESA than JSA.

Its no wonder claimants are treated with contempt at times given some of the attitudes that are displayed on here and also on the phone and in person.

The one thing I will say regarding overpayments is that if it wasnt your fault (ie. you declared everything and at the right time) then they are rarely recoverable. There was a report just recently that only £300m out of £2bn was recoverable.

Am never rude on the phone or in person, as I appreciate they have a job to do, and a very difficult one at that ,as I can imagine they get a lot of flack on the phone and in person. I just think there must be a better system of administering it and sharing information between departments. As every question I ask I get told I don't know or someone will ring you back because I don't know. Possibly its a training issue with staff not being provided with the relevant information. But as a client I seem to banging my head against a brick wall.

I guess I do vent a bit of frustration here maybe, but thats not against the individual but the system in general, am currently sat here waiting for a phonecall from the mortgage dept, and have been since 9am, as the lady on phone could not give me any information in relation to the SMI, and I only wanted to know if they had been informed, so that I can ring my mortgage provider as they are getting impatient.

I need a letter about the switch to ESA (IR), as I need it to claim other things that I was not entitled to on ESA (C), but when I asked if I would have a letter and explained why I needed it, I got an I don't know again.

In order for me to be able to come up with a payment plan for the mortgage, council tax arrears etc I need to know what I have coming in every month, and right now am still no better off than I was on 22nd Feb apart from they managed to sort out the ESA (IR), after mislaying the initial fax. Am just finding it a bit stressful I guess and stress tends to trigger either bad depressive or manic episodes which I am desperate to avoid.

And this extra money, am I right in assuming that ESA (IR) will be paid at the same rate as ESA (C)? If it is a higher rate on ESA (IR), then that would explain the large payment. I did give her all the info on the phone and that I was only expecting £189 on Monday, and that I have been on ESA (C) up until now and receiving fortnightly payments of £189. All she could tell me was that it was a backdated payment for ESA (IR) from 16/02/2010. Even that, the fax sent through stated I was in paid employment that week, and that I was paid up to and including the 19th February so my ESA (IR) was requested from the following Monday 22nd.

I think the best thing might be for me to give my sister the money for safe keeping as I don't think it is rightfully mine.

NASA_2

happymumto2 - I wasnt aiming that part of my last post to you but the person who said muppets work in ESA (And CSA). I'd like to see some of the 'muppets' who claim benefits try to administer them with a computer system that wasnt designed specifically for the benefit its being used for. That would be fun.

Indie_Kid

happymumto2 wrote: »

I thought ESA (IR) just gave me a passport to other benefits, school meals, SMI, council tax etc, not extra money in my hand. I asked if I would be getting some sort of letter saying I was now on ESA (IR), but she didn't know!

You mean your award notice, ifnorming you of how much you receive and how they worked it out?

happymumto2

sh1305 wrote: »

You mean your award notice, ifnorming you of how much you receive and how they worked it out?

Yes thats the one, didn't know what the proper name was.

happymumto2

NASA wrote: »

happymumto2 - I wasnt aiming that part of my last post to you but the person who said muppets work in ESA (And CSA). I'd like to see some of the 'muppets' who claim benefits try to administer them with a computer system that wasnt designed specifically for the benefit its being used for. That would be fun.

No probs it's easy for me to take the written & spoken word in the wrong context at the moment, I just didn't want you to think I was rude to them.

happymumto2

I rang them again about this money, is £584 not £534 and is the SMI payment and being paid seperately from my ESA which I will get also. I just assumed the mortgage money went straight to the lender. My award statement is also on its way.

At least the lender will be a bit happier now