Contribution based ESA - unfair!!

DanielleNic87

why don't you just claim Income Related ESA then? If thats the only income you have coming in!

Danielle

Tehya

jules22214 wrote: »

I have chronic arthritis and had to leave work after 15 yrs due to ill health. I'm only 38!



ok so my prob is, I am on same income as income based esa, but, not entitiled to cold weather payment!!!!.its freezing in my house and i really cant afford the heating bill, where as others are recieving an extra £25 a week, and as far as i can see it is because they have never worked and recieve income based (SAME RATE) but as i have worked full time for yrs, im now totally penalised and skint!

Ummm how come everyone thinks you're a lazy, scummy, scrounger when claiming IR anything?

Me and my hubby get income related ESA and both of us have always worked until he became seriously ill so it is quite possible to have worked and be receiving IR ESA. We get income related as a couple because he had a long period off work without claiming or earning much as we were kept waiting to find out what was wrong with him so he could get back to work. Unfortunately I had to give up work to care for him so we're now classed as having a low income.


There are some advantages to CB ESA i.e. if I started work my hubby would lose his ESA whereas if it was CB ESA he'd be able to still receive it irrelevant of other income, it seems to me there are pros and cons to both versions of ESA.

jules22214

I asked the dwp a while ago if i could go onto income related and they said that I couldn't. As i am entilted to contribution based, that is awarded first. No other savings, income just the same as income based!

Two4Tuesday

jules22214 wrote: »

I asked the dwp a while ago if i could go onto income related and they said that I couldn't. As i am entilted to contribution based, that is awarded first. No other savings, income just the same as income based!

From what you have written, it would seem that you were badly advised. You CAN get IR ESA even if you have paid enough contributions so long as you pass the means-test. I am on IR ESA and I would also be entitled to contributions based ESA. In fact when I started claiming I had a tariff income reduction made on my IR ESA due to saving but cancelled out by my contributions based entitlement. After bankruptcy I got the full IR ESA amount including premiums.

When you make a telephone claim the advisor should ask you if you want to claim Income Related ESA. I presume you said no during your initial claim.