ESA youth or ESA IR & other stuff

Tehya

Hi,

I have a few questions about ESA. What is the difference between ESA Youth and ESA Income Related? Do they have identical rules i.e. both require medicals, Work Related Group, Support Group etc?

My son is on ESA but has no access to his award letter and can't remember which one he was awarded.

He is 18 and was in college doing A Levels until he just upped and left home and left college two months before he was due to finish his courses. So he was in college from Sept 2007 - April 2009. He had a breakdown and attempted suicide several times so is still in no shape to go back to college or find work. He had his medical today as even though he seems to think it went well, I'm worried he'll be deemed fit for work even though his health team say there's no chance of him getting better anytime soon. I've read how many people are being turned down after their medical and now feeling really worried about it for him. What are his chances of passing this medical on mental health grounds and if he fails what can he do about it?

He is going to move back in with us and we're hoping being at home will help his recovery. Will him living here affect our own benefits, I'm a full time carer, receiving CA, for my husband who is also in receipt of ESA (IR) and DLA and we also get HB and CTB. If it does we'll just have to manage as I'd never see my child homeless but I'm just trying to get a heads up first so we know what to expect.

Thanks for any advice though sorry for all the questions,

Tehya

Indie_Kid

He's 18, so your CA & husband's ESA won't be affected. The rules are identical.

Tehya

Thanks for you reply. It's good to know we won't be penalised for trying to help him, it's hard enough coping with my hubby's illness without struggling with benefits.

I was pretty much convinced that it would be the same rules for either types of ESA. It's confusing enough as it is and then I read on here about the youth type we still have no idea which one he's on I thought it would be youth but he's convinced it's IR.

Thanks again,

Tehya

littlerat

I'm in a very similar position as your son is - my ESA is IR not youth, despite me being 18, all I've had different is the lower assessment phase rate than if I were older (over 25 I think), never figured out what the youth bit was, nobody seems to know!

I passed my medical 1st time and was put straight in the support group (the higher of the 2), so it definitely can and does happen. I know someone else in her mid 20s who had the same. Likelihood of him passing is hard to say, it depends on a lot of factors really.

Good luck to you both though, if he fails the next step is appeal.

sunnyone

IB(Y) was given when you couldnt work due to incapacity within complex rules, did it continue if you had a live in partner or was it income related and is it the same for ESA(Y) or is ESA (IR) a disadvantage in comparison?

Im asking if IR is worse than Y if people move on into normal relationships.

healy

sunnyone wrote: »

IB(Y) was given when you couldnt work due to incapacity within complex rules, did it continue if you had a live in partner or was it income related and is it the same for ESA(Y) or is ESA (IR) a disadvantage in comparison?

Im asking if IR is worse than Y if people move on into normal relationships.

Y would be better because it is treated as contribution based.

louiseg0151

We're in a similar position. I have been awarded IR ESA (I think) even though I am 18. This is causing a few issues trying to calculate our entitlements as I am soon to be moving in with my fiance. Youth would have been so much easier because it would make no difference if/how much my fiance earnt.

sunnyone

healy wrote: »

Y would be better because it is treated as contribution based.

Thankyou healy, so anyone within the youth rules needs to fight for ESA(Y) and not be fobbed off with a income related benefit that will stop them form making normal relationships in the future that we see here all the time.

louiseg0151

sunnyone wrote: »

Thankyou healy, so anyone within the youth rules needs to fight for ESA(Y) and not be fobbed off with a income related benefit that will stop them form making normal relationships in the future that we see here all the time.

What do you mean? Do you mean it's possible to get them to change a claim from IR to Youth?