Incapacity Benefit migration to ESA

charley11

MimiJane wrote: »

According to the Benefits and Work website, it looks as if people may well be migrated when their next review is to take place. I've also read on there that PCA exempt people could well be migrated first. I don't think that anything is "set in stone" though and there seems to be a lot of mystery surrounding the whole process.

I think that is where the problem is.I did not have a medical for ten years because i was exempt.Had a medical in November of last year and given a 3 year review date 2013.I think i must still be in the exempt cabinet and they have just taken my file out and given it to the ESA to be assessed again.I do think it is a clerical error but it wont stop you from being assessed.They wont admit they have got it wrong so soon

Invalidation

My last medical (at home) was in or around 1994. Since then Ive heard nothing other than being switched over from IS to Pension credit.
I dont have any renewal date etc, never have, never been renewed.
Its all a joke

charley11

pinklady21 wrote: »

Apparently according to someone from the DWP today - "I have been selected for reassessment of my IB to ESA".
Lucky me.

If I do not participate, ie fill in huge forms, go along for a medical if requested etc, my benefit will be withdrawn.

I did make the point that having been assessed 10 weeks ago as unfit for work and not likely to become fit for at least three years, there is really not a lot I could add that the DWP do not already know!

I found this wee interesting nugget too today in guidance published by the DWP designed to go out to Medical Practitioners:

When will someone be reassessed?
[FONT=Arial,Arial]National Reassessment of incapacity benefits claimants is due to take place between Spring 2011 and 2014. There will be a phased start from October 2010 in two sites, Aberdeen and Burnley. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Arial]Most customers already in receipt of incapacity benefits are periodically reassessed. The timing of most claimants’ reassessment will be based as near as possible on the date that their Personal Capability Assessment (PCA) review would have been due. This is to ensure that customers are not called for two medical assessments within quick succession. [/FONT]

So their own guidance recognises the nonsense of doing this, yet their systems don't appear to be in synch.

Interestingly, the DWP employee who I spoke to said that I was not the first person she had encountered with this same issue.

What hope is there if they can't get a simple thing right like calling someone for review on the correct date???

The only reason you are being singled out for reassement is because they have not updated your records.I am waiting for a phone call from the IB tomorrow.You are not getting assesed just now because they are running through forms quickly.There are people from last year still waiting to be contacted and have not received their letter yet.Contact them again and let them know you are not happy.You have been deemed unfit for work for 3 years because there is a reason for it and you dont think it is right you are getting contacted again because of their mistake.....and it is their mistake.

Charles


Please excuse the overuse of the word assesed

dmg24

charley11 wrote: »

The only reason you are being singled out for reassement is because they have not updated your records.I am waiting for a phone call from the IB tomorrow.You are not getting assesed just now because they are running through forms quickly.There are people from last year still waiting to be contacted and have not received their letter yet.Contact them again and let them know you are not happy.You have been deemed unfit for work for 3 years because there is a reason for it and you dont think it is right you are getting contacted again because of their mistake.....and it is their mistake.

Charles


Please excuse the overuse of the word assesed

The assessment criteria for ESA is different to that used for IB, and hence the length that the IB was awarded for is irrelevant.

~Chameleon~

Has anyone on Income Support been called in for assessment yet or are they only doing IB claimants at the moment?

dmg24

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

Has anyone on Income Support been called in for assessment yet or are they only doing IB claimants at the moment?

Some on IS have been called. Most people will be called at their next renewal date irrespective of whether they are on IB or IS, although this thread demonstrates there are random exceptions.

de1amo

i was thinking about people in the position of having a pension from an old employer-if you go from İB that allowed them before 1998 if you get transfered over to esa how would this change to what is effectively a new system affect matters?(i remember a subscriber being in that position from here-and my sister is!)--even if put on esa which seems the norm any money would be cut drastically-and jsa wouldnt be allowable?

NEH

de1amo wrote: »

i was thinking about people in the position of having a pension from an old employer-if you go from İB that allowed them before 1998 if you get transfered over to esa how would this change to what is effectively a new system affect matters?(i remember a subscriber being in that position from here-and my sister is!)--even if put on esa which seems the norm any money would be cut drastically-and jsa wouldnt be allowable?

As far as i am aware ESA takes into account all income....Even if it's only a very small pension it takes that into account....There are two kinds of ESA though, income related which you get if your income is below a certain threshold and contributory ESA which you can get if you have enough NI contributions....

As i said it really penalises those that got sick when they were young and have only managed some kind of work in bouts so therefore they don't have enough contributions to get that part of ESA and if goodness forbid they found a partner that income is now taken into account too and it puts pressure on those people who already struggle on very low incomes....

de1amo

But aren't NI contributions made as part of the deal with İB- and with contributions type dont they just penalise for the personal pension anyway?

pinklady21

Charley
Thanks for that - sounds like the system really is not working the way the politicians and the DWP's own published guidance are telling us it should.....

I agree with you, when the Job Centre call you as the first stage after receipt of the initial letter, they are reading from a scipt. Frankly they do not tell you anything that is not already in the letter sent, and if you ask them any questions the response is
"well this is very new to us too..."

Doesn't inspire confidence!!

I saw a post on this board from someone in the BBC who is investigating the ESA process - might be worth contacting her with our stories:

[EMAIL="rachel.davies@bbc.co.uk"]rachel.davies@bbc.co.uk[/EMAIL]
tel 0161 244 3076

It is quite scandalous to expect people who have just gone through the stress of a review (and I don't care what anyone says, they are EXTREMELY stressful and difficult as there is always the threat of your income being taken away) to go through another one soon afterwards. How much is this costing the tax payer? Wasn't part of the point of this entire exercise to save money?

I know the ESA test is different and harder to get through, but I have a condition for which there is no cure, and in setting a review date so far into the future, the DWP clearly concurs with this, so quite how I am supposed to suddenly recover enough to be fit for work is quite beyond me!!

I am going to request the details of my last review - how many points I got etc etc. and then advise the IB office that I think they have made an error in calling me back so soon.
How hard is it going to be to get them to accept that though?

BTW to the person who posted and said they were on pension credit - I don't think people above pension age are being called for the ESA reassessment test they are one of the few groups that are exempt.

pinklady21