Incapacity Benefit migration to ESA

charley11

dmg24 wrote: »

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

Goverment guidlines indicate that the assement that you get for Incapacity benefit will determine when you will get assessed for migration onto ESA as the goverment do not want people getting sent for a medical to close together


Disabiltyalliance

"The date of a customer's re-assessment will be based on the review date of their Personal Capability Assessment. The Regulations provide that a Work Capability Assessment will be completed once a notice has been issued, to determine eligibility for ESA" Now i know it states that you can be called anytime depending on how they get through previous cases but that is not the case at the start.I received a letter at the beginning of april to tell me that i was being assessed for migration onto ESA but i had only recently had a assessment for IB in November.Someone had put into the computer that i was to be assesed in 6 months (which was a mistake).The person i spoke to on Monday looked at my Medical and agreed with me that the date i have is the correct one and was more concerned with why the date was changed.I called today to see if he had come up with anything and i had to go through the same telephone conversation 4 times "everybody on Incapapcity benefit is being migrated onto ESA between 2011 and 2014 and if you have recieved your letter for assement then you are getting assessed".Telling them that someone has put in the wrong date for my assement does not seem to get through to them.They told me that the Gentleman at the IB i has asked the person who changed my date the reason why.I agree with you.The reason i was given a 3 year review date is because of my illnesses and treatments that i have The stress this has caused is unjustified.Just because someone puts in a wrong date does not justify me having to go through the whole process gain.Although.I will update you on the outcome of my telephone conversation, when i get it.If the goverment lay down guidelines why don people follow them.I will contact the person above

nad1611

I agree that it must be incredibly stressful having to go through another assessment. One thing to note though is, that what your Incapacity Benefit decision was, kind of has no bearing on ESA.
For example I was in one of the exempt categories, on Incapacity Benefit, when migrating to ESA that will no longer be the case.
The same can be said of your situation and I think that's the stance they'll take. The Test for Incapacity is not the same as for ESA, so you're not being assessed again as far as they're concerned you're actually being tested anew.

I had my letter today and in a strange way I'm almost relieved. I didn't have a reassessment date, so that probably doesn't help, with trying to ascertain what the sequence of assessment is.

charley11

nad1611 wrote: »

I agree that it must be incredibly stressful having to go through another assessment. One thing to note though is, that what your Incapacity Benefit decision was, kind of has no bearing on ESA.
For example I was in one of the exempt categories, on Incapacity Benefit, when migrating to ESA that will no longer be the case.
The same can be said of your situation and I think that's the stance they'll take. The Test for Incapacity is not the same as for ESA, so you're not being assessed again as far as they're concerned you're actually being tested anew.

I had my letter today and in a strange way I'm almost relieved. I didn't have a reassessment date, so that probably doesn't help, with trying to ascertain what the sequence of assessment is.

Hi,

I know that the IB Assesment is different from the ESA.There has to be some system as to how they are going to Migrate people from IB to ESA.Goverment Guidelines have indicated that those people on IB will be migrated to ESA on or near there review date (in my case NOV 2013) so as people are not having medicals to close together.The only reason i have been contacted just now is because someone has put the wrong date for reassement into my file (6 months)I know they can contact you at any time, but there has to be a reason.If my date had not been changed i would not be getting contacted just now.What i want to know is why my review date has been changed and someone is looking into it for me. I was told that everybody who was in the exempt catergories are being contacted first for migration to ESA If you were contacted today you will be getting a phone call next week to let you about ESA.I know i could be contacted and told that the date should not have been changed on my file but because the transferrence has started i should just fill in the forms anyway, it would'nt surprise me one bit.I dont see why i should have to go through all this again 5 months after doing it because someone does not know how to use a computer.

Scared45

This happened to me today - almost the exact same circumstances as the OP.

In Nov 2010 I got enough points on the IB50 without having to go for a PCA and was informed my review date was Nov 2013.

Then today I got a letter asking me to phone them to confirm identity and that new ESA forms would be sent out.

I'm really worried, I have bi-polar, panic attacks, depression and angina and didn't anticipate more forms or testing this soon.

Is it because I was PCA exempt, perhaps?

I'd really appreciate any answers or comments as I'm not sure what I can do other than follow what the DWP tells me to do.

Thanks in advance.

alluring29

pinklady21 wrote: »

Hi
I have been on Incapacity Benefit for around 8 years.
I was last reviewed with a medical assessment by ATOS in January 2011, and have a letter saying I will next be reviewed in 2014, which after the stress of a review was a big relief.

Now around 10 weeks later, I have just received a letter saying that my benefit is changing and I am to be assessed for ESA.
This is unbelievably stressful - as I am sure anyone who has been through the review will know!

My question is:

Does anyone know how the DWP is selecting claimants for the migration process to ESA?

Can I use the fact that they have just assessed my claim for IB and found me unfit for work and likely to remain so for at least 3 years (per their chosen review date), to ask that the review to ESA is delayed.

It seems very strange to spend lots of time/effort/money assessing someone only to do it again two months later.

Ok - sorry that was 2 questions - but I would be really interested to hear other peoples' experiences.

Many thanks
Pinklady21

Hi, I have not been passed over to ESA yet and still on IB too...had a medical a few months ago but because I'm bed bound it was done at home. Good luck with your ESA assessment, my thoughts are with you.;)

alluring29

alluring29 wrote: »

Hi, I have not been passed over to ESA yet and still on IB too...had a medical a few months ago but because I'm bed bound it was done at home. Good luck with your ESA assessment, my thoughts are with you.;)

I forgot to say that I haven't heard a word from ESA, pretty clueless like you, how they are selecting people.:(

Scared45

Can anyone answer me..?

alluring29

Scared45 wrote: »

This happened to me today - almost the exact same circumstances as the OP.

In Nov 2010 I got enough points on the IB50 without having to go for a PCA and was informed my review date was Nov 2013.

Then today I got a letter asking me to phone them to confirm identity and that new ESA forms would be sent out.

I'm really worried, I have bi-polar, panic attacks, depression and angina and didn't anticipate more forms or testing this soon.

Is it because I was PCA exempt, perhaps?

I'd really appreciate any answers or comments as I'm not sure what I can do other than follow what the DWP tells me to do.

Thanks in advance.

I am unsure as to how they are transferring people to ESA from IB (re PCA exempt) but you will have to fill out the forms and return them.

Scared45

I'm unhappy but don't know what, if anything, else I can do.

Scared45

Can no-one answer this, then?