Transfer to ESA

g0snd

Hi,
Wonder if anyone can help, I am a 60 year old male and am on IB at present, I am also on Pension Credit who top my money up to the applicable amount for a person over 60, am also registered blind.
What I need to know is, when they come to transfer me on to ESA, can I tell them no, I want to claim full pension credit instead. The thing is it would cause me a great deal of trouble messing about with medicals ect, as I live out in the countryside and getting into the city is hard with my sight, or I should say lack of it.
I just want to get out of the system, and mybe if I could get full pension credit, that would be the best way of doing it.
Brian

stazi

You can close your IB claim at any time by contacting your JCP Benefit Centre.

g0snd

Hi,
Yes, I know that I could do that, but if I did would pension credit pay me the full amount, or would they say that becouse I had taken myself off IB they were not going to pay me the full amount, this is the problem, I have phoned pension credit several times and asked that question, I have had mixed answers, some have said they would pay me the full amount, and others have said that they would not, this is the problem I have.
Brian

[Deleted User]

I cant remember the exact timings but those claimants who are close to retirement age wont be transfered to esa,sorry i cant remember the number of year(s)involved but its all in here somewhere
http://www.ssac.org.uk/pdf/employment_and_support_allowance_regs.pdf