Why is my ESA award lower than my JSA award?

EltonJohnFan

Hi everyone, hope you're safe and well tonight?

I'm probably becoming TOO well known around these parts (and not for all the right reasons either!) and for that? I apologise. I'm hoping you can help me out just a little bit more though? I've recently had a nightmare time of things and it's proving very difficult trying to get everything sorted out again. I've been having a lot of personal problems as some of you might know from my many postings here and as a result of things that happened, I now have to live with my parents again for my own safety, really enjoying it here though because I'm close to those that I love. I'm very badly disabled and before my latest mental health problems began I was claiming Jobseekers Allowance of £133.50 per week and Disability Living Allowance of £66.75 per week. I was very keen to work but unfortunately, my GP is now refusing to allow me to work (or even search for work) when I want to and they've signed me off initially for two months and I've now been forced to close my claim for Jobseekers Allowance which means I was unable to start my Work Trial today ( ) and instead had to attend hospital with my mum to see the nurse and then go back to my GP who has provided me with new tablets and things and stated I shouldn't expect to return to work for a long time. My GP said I must stop punishing myself and just accept the help I need. I'm still very annoyed by this because I desperately want to work but I do need to get myself right again both psychically and mentally.

I'm due to start an 8-week course of counselling next Monday which means I'll be attending the hospital regularly and I'm also due to start having a nurse/helper and things because they say I'm very vulnerable right now. A local charity has got in contact with me for disabled people and is offering to take me out for days and things to give my mum a rest but because of how I feel I'm not sure I can do this right now. Anyways, sorry for getting too bogged down in things. My ESA award letter came in the post today and it says I'm now in receipt of the assessment allowance and that I will get £105.50 per week. This is a drop of £28 per week, why has this happened? My GP and my nurse both said to my mother that I should put in a change of circumstances with DLA because they feel I'm entitled to more support. I previously received the highest rate for both components but I'm quite happy with my current level of support. I just don't want anymore stress or to cause further problems for myself so this isn't a big priority for me right now. Will I have to have a medical with ESA? my GP said that some people have medicals whilst other people don't. They said not to worry about anything and that I'll have all the support I need. Am I likely to be put in the Support Group seeing as I'm disabled and have very severe mental health problems? I've never claimed ESA before but I've heard a lot of horror stories about it. Thanks a lot for your help, as always

healy

EltonJohnFan wrote: »

Hi everyone, hope you're safe and well tonight?

I'm probably becoming TOO well known around these parts (and not for all the right reasons either!) and for that? I apologise. I'm hoping you can help me out just a little bit more though? I've recently had a nightmare time of things and it's proving very difficult trying to get everything sorted out again. I've been having a lot of personal problems as some of you might know from my many postings here and as a result of things that happened, I now have to live with my parents again for my own safety, really enjoying it here though because I'm close to those that I love. I'm very badly disabled and before my latest mental health problems began I was claiming Jobseekers Allowance of £133.50 per week and Disability Living Allowance of £66.75 per week. I was very keen to work but unfortunately, my GP is now refusing to allow me to work (or even search for work) when I want to and they've signed me off initially for two months and I've now been forced to close my claim for Jobseekers Allowance which means I was unable to start my Work Trial today ( ) and instead had to attend hospital with my mum to see the nurse and then go back to my GP who has provided me with new tablets and things and stated I shouldn't expect to return to work for a long time. My GP said I must stop punishing myself and just accept the help I need. I'm still very annoyed by this because I desperately want to work but I do need to get myself right again both psychically and mentally.

I'm due to start an 8-week course of counselling next Monday which means I'll be attending the hospital regularly and I'm also due to start having a nurse/helper and things because they say I'm very vulnerable right now. A local charity has got in contact with me for disabled people and is offering to take me out for days and things to give my mum a rest but because of how I feel I'm not sure I can do this right now. Anyways, sorry for getting too bogged down in things. My ESA award letter came in the post today and it says I'm now in receipt of the assessment allowance and that I will get £105.50 per week. This is a drop of £28 per week, why has this happened? My GP and my nurse both said to my mother that I should put in a change of circumstances with DLA because they feel I'm entitled to more support. I previously received the highest rate for both components but I'm quite happy with my current level of support. I just don't want anymore stress or to cause further problems for myself so this isn't a big priority for me right now. Will I have to have a medical with ESA? my GP said that some people have medicals whilst other people don't. They said not to worry about anything and that I'll have all the support I need. Am I likely to be put in the Support Group seeing as I'm disabled and have very severe mental health problems? I've never claimed ESA before but I've heard a lot of horror stories about it. Thanks a lot for your help, as always

From what you have said and your posts you would be very unlikely to be put in the Support group for your mental health problems. You could be in the Support Group if you have severe physical problems. I think I have answered a similar question before.

I do not think your GP can refuse to allow you look for work or force you to close your JSA claim. As has recently been said you need to make your own decisions because you seem to changing your mind on a weekly basis when someone else says something.

rinabean

Please, stop trying for now, you are making yourself ill. Giving up is easier said than done, I know, I'm currently really stressing out about coursework for uni courses I shouldn't have signed up for in the first place. It sucks to realise your illness is stopping you from doing things that ought to be easy but you are are just going to get worse and worse until you give yourself time to recover. I also try really hard to achieve everything I can when I have the energy and then people act confused or even like I'm making it up when the low hits. People are more sympathetic if you just relax a bit. It sounds weird but it's true. And it's better for you!

Don't get your hopes up too much about the ESA. I have severe depression and anxiety and I can't even leave the house on my own. I stated this in my medical and was told I'm fit for work. Don't give up on it, and keep taking the advice you're being given, but don't expect what's obvious to you to be obvious to the assessors. It's really good that you've got your GP and your mum on your side. Best of luck!

DX2

EltonJohnFan wrote: »

I was claiming Jobseekers Allowance of £133.50 per week and Disability Living Allowance of £66.75 per week.

My ESA award letter came in the post today and it says I'm now in receipt of the assessment allowance and that I will get £105.50 per week. This is a drop of £28 per week, why has this happened?

I'm guessing it could be that there is no disabled premium with your ESA claim.

Two4Tuesday

Maybe they've made a tariff income reduction because of the savings that you have. The award letter will give a breakdown of how your ESA is awarded, and you can easily compare that with the breakdown on the award letter for JSA.

However I suspect more than ever that you know all this already.

NickyBat

Like the above poster says, check your award letters for the breakdown or ring them and ask.

[Deleted User]

if you want to work NO one can stop you.However remember that your health and well being should be put before conforming to what you think society expects of you.Accept all the help thats offered and concentrate on becoming as well as you can be before worrying about working.

bigbill

DX2 wrote: »

I'm guessing it could be that there is no disabled premium with your ESA claim.

100% correct they will be getting £106 for the first 13 weeks then IF they pass the medical it will go up.

GlasweJen

Yes but the OP also has considerable savings which will chip into his income based benefits (over 6k last time he posted, goodness knows what the story is now).

healy

GlasweJen wrote: »

Yes but the OP also has considerable savings which will chip into his income based benefits (over 6k last time he posted, goodness knows what the story is now).

There is thread from a few months ago and it was over £10,000 then but there have been threads since saying it is all sorted out now - add any icon you want.

GlasweJen

That's why I said over 6k, no idea what the most current story is with that money now though.

OT but 10K is a years wages for me, how lovely must it be to have a years security in the bank?