ESA - income or contributions based

7062

Currently my husband recevies £190 every 2 weeks in contributions based ESA. From September I will become full time student in university with an income of around £12000. Does this mean we need to inform job center plus and will he be switched to income based?

Many thanks

daska

I think what NASA is getting at is that contribution based ESA carries on until the recipient is deemed well enough to move onto JSA or goes back to work. So it doesn't matter if your income drops or rises.

7062

Thanks for explaining this. I was confused as it was saying that Income based is for households who have les that £16k income which is what we will be from September. Didnt want to be caught out breaking the law and claiming for things we are not entitled to.

seaniboy

Awesome so me being awarded Contribution based is better than Income based ?

It is highly unlikely I will ever work for an employer (putting myself through Open Uni) again due to degenerative illness and auto immunity so I am looking at getting Contribution based at the highest rate plus my ESA Severe Disability Premium of approx £50 a week (& my DLA) and none of this will effect my DWP rates if I have somone living with me ?

Is this correct ?

richard9991

seaniboy wrote: »

Awesome so me being awarded Contribution based is better than Income based ?

It is highly unlikely I will ever work for an employer (putting myself through Open Uni) again due to degenerative illness and auto immunity so I am looking at getting Contribution based at the highest rate plus my ESA Severe Disability Premium of approx £50 a week (& my DLA) and none of this will effect my DWP rates if I have somone living with me ?

Is this correct ?

you will not get severe disability premium if someone lives with you but they could claim cares allowance if you get middle or high care of dla subject to any earnings they may have i belive it is unde £95.00 per week.

seaniboy

Thanks for clarification, if the partner was middle/higher rate personal on DLA....then i keep the rate ?

Google is a friend indeed !

The possible future other half to-be may well soon be on DLA (for severe mental health issues) for life.

So I guess at that stage I qualify for SDP under their DLA ?

How stupid that a DISABILTY premuim can be removed over circumstances nothing to do with your own personal disability ! What do we pay these successive governments for exactly ?

daska

seaniboy wrote: »

Awesome so me being awarded Contribution based is better than Income based ?

Yes and no.

People on Income Related ESA can get more in benefits and money overall than people in exactly the same financial position get on Contribution Based ESA. For some reason the fact we've contributed means we need less money?

seaniboy

^In what sense ? I know in Scotland my prescriptions will soon be free (:D) so thats all good considering I need regular prescriptions for auto immunity/asthma/spinal osteo arthritis.

For me it will work out as I have a Criminal Compensation payment coming up that caused the disability in the first place & my MP is investigating the DWP/ATOS for deliberatly lying about my doctor filling out a form before sending me to PCA on this FORM my doctor denies having completed - where the ATOS rep lied in the forms and wrote A where I told him B, C or D to ensure I was fit for work.

DWP have ignored Data Protection Act on my MP's request for all my DWP files since 2001 over the last 12 months. This includes DLA. This is now heading to the Ombusman/Information Commissioner for finalisation. Frankly the DWP rather than give me evidence of thier wrong doing for a 3rd time last year backdated a £2500 payment to me last Sep WITHOUT being asked too - they send a £2500 payment to my bank account. Trying to buy me off - I'm still waiting for copies of all my paperwork almost 8 months later.

It looks like everything the DWP lied to con me out of is coming around to me, it put not only me but my dad under financial pressure over the last 9 years. Is it my fault my symptoms dont go with what NHS is reporting because the NHS misdiagnosed me 9 years ago ? My dad spent £10,000 on getting me treatment last year for a diagnosis.

E&SA Contribution works for me, giving the 9 years of underpayments and stress, & out of pocket expenses DWP including DLA will be paying me back with Criminal Compensation, I'm quite happy to be Contribution assessed given instead of buying Tesco Value I will after 9 years have a choice in what I can buy off all the interest I will get monthly - better than the nothing I have always had from DSS/DWP.

EDIT:FREE Healthcare on E&SA(CONT)/DLA

On DLA/E&SA (Cont) I can get a HC1 if my doctor agrees to such as I need continued help from family which will be no problem as they have been my GP for 15 years and know everything there is to know so its a matter of getting a form completed NOT trying to convince your GP as many others need to do. for me, for those with GP's whom have as much bedside manner as the leg of a bedside cabinet.

daska

Take two people in exactly the same financial circumstances. One qualifies for ESA(I) the other has contributed enough to claim ESA(C). The person on ESA(I) gets the obvious automatic benefit of free prescriptions which the ESA(C) claimant can also apply for on means tested grounds. In addition the ESA(I) claimant also qualifies for other benefits e.g. Cold Weather Payments, which the ESA(C) claimant is not even allowed to apply for.

It sounds as if in your case you benefit from being on ESA(C), in my case I'd be better off if I'd never worked.

GlasweJen

Doctors have nothing to do with HC1 entitlement, it's purely given on financial grounds. You can get the form from the JCP, most pharmacies and most opticians, you don't even need to have a medical condition to apply for it.

seaniboy

Hc1 can be given for long term disability signed off by your GP if like me need prescription after prescrition for your month to month, never mind the steroids etc when auto immunity flares up, if you income is under £16,000 you qualify even on ESA c based.

I was on income based IB till Dec 08 from 2004 I think(after a year with nothing but dad) then ESA from March 09 till Sep 09 and failed to attend any medical so got cut off (I was going through tests apon tests apon tests outside the NHS) but the IB & ESA gave me NI credits that made me ESA cont on my May 2010 claim!!

Not complaining as I have a few bob coming to me for 9 years in poverty struggling through various channels and ESA income would
have qualified me for £0.

After 9 years of hell I am finally getting somewhere, even my DLA looks to go up to what it should have been since 2003.

All because dad paid £10,000 out his retirement fund as he knew after he goes I would have had no help, financial or personal from DWP apart from the bare minimal even though my illness/es stop me doing daily things.

A disability in your twenties rights you off just because you look healthy !