WRAG and contribution based ESA question?

justaquestion

Hello folks.

For all the experts on esa on here I would be grateful for some advice.

1 If I am getting contributuion based ESA and placed in WRAG (which I would loose after a year because of the savings I have) Can I contine to be classafied as being entitled to ESA though I would receive no payments?

2 If my condition gets worse after a year can I ask to be placed in the support group rather than the WRAG or does that need to be a new claim for ESA?
If not considered a new claim do I have to fullfill national insurance contributuion criteria to be able to get ESA payments if then placed in the support group?

Thanks a lot for your help

Justin

MrsManda

As far as I understand it, when your contribution based ESA ends you are assessed for ESA IB. If you are eligible for ESA IB then you'll continue to receive money. If you don't qualify but you still are eligible for ESA due to your health you'll continue to get N.I. credits.

As far as I'm aware you can ask to have your health reassessed at any time, which can result in remaining in WRAG, being put in Support or being found fit for work. You cannot ask to be put into the support group.

justaquestion

Thank you very much indeed for your reply. I understand what you are saying that after a year on ESA contribution based in the WRAG you then will receive ESA IB as you have stated.

But, if after a year in WRAG a persons condition becomes worse and they wish to be reassessed and maybe then put into support group (which is not meams tested) if that is successful then will their payments restart again? as support group is not means tested, I am talking here about someone who received ESA contribution based for a year but was then not entitled to ESA IB because of savings, but then their condition becomes worse.

OR

Will their new claim to be reassessed be treated as a NEW or continuing claim and if placed in the support group will only result in ESA payments
being made depending on ni contributions?

In a nutshell can a person on ESA income based (who doesn't receive any income because of this rule) ever be reassessed and placed in support group resulting in ESA payments being made again?

I find the whole thing a bit confusing, that is why I am asking this and thanks to everyone trying to make sense of this question.

justin

Cpt.Scarlet

You can re-assessed before the end of the year on ESA(CB) and if you qualify, be put into the Support Group, however, if it is after the year you will not be eligible for ESA(CB) again until you re-establish your NI record, which basically means working.

Just to be clear, it is not the Support Group that is not means tested, it is the type of ESA you receive and how long that you can receive it as a result of proposed changes by the ConDems.

nad1611

justaquestion wrote: »

Hello folks.

For all the experts on esa on here I would be grateful for some advice.

1 If I am getting contributuion based ESA and placed in WRAG (which I would loose after a year because of the savings I have) Can I contine to be classafied as being entitled to ESA though I would receive no payments?

2 If my condition gets worse after a year can I ask to be placed in the support group rather than the WRAG or does that need to be a new claim for ESA?
If not considered a new claim do I have to fullfill national insurance contributuion criteria to be able to get ESA payments if then placed in the support group?

Thanks a lot for your help

Justin

Just wanted to say what an excellent question. I hadn't even thought of this side of things so thanks:T

nad1611

Cpt.Scarlet wrote: »

You can re-assessed before the end of the year on ESA(CB) and if you qualify, be put into the Support Group, however, if it is after the year you will not be eligible for ESA(CB) again until you re-establish your NI record, which basically means working.

Just to be clear, it is not the Support Group that is not means tested, it is the type of ESA you receive and how long that you can receive it as a result of proposed changes by the ConDems.

Sorry, it's obviously me, but actually that doesn't make it clear at all. So what are you saying the support group is means tested? If he's come from ESA(cb) and gets put into the Support Group then it's irrelevant isn't it, as at the end of the day it won't be means tested, which is what's important here.

Chorlie

Justin,

I'm in the same boat, I finished work 12 months ago, applied for ESA(CB) and was placed in the WRAG, which according to the rules I agreed with; but with the new rules I might be placed in the Support Group.

After the 1yr rule comes into place I'll have to come off ESA, I won't get ESA(IB) due to savings. So I've been wondering the same as you, can I be re-assessed to see if I should be in the Support Group but since I haven't worked in the last 12months will I still be able to apply for ESA(CB) since I'm already on it or will it be ESA(IB) or nothing and since it will be nothing because of my savings will I still get NI Credits but no fortnightly payments.

Or will it just be nothing in any form until my savings have been spent.

Then there is the question of when does the 1yr rule come into place, if you've already been on ESA(CB) for 12months+ come April 2012 will your ESA stop then or is that when your 12months starts (so it ends on April 2013).

bagqueen

Exactly the same situation for me. I phoned and spoke to someone last week at the office that deals with my claim- i was told that the 12 month time frame had not yet come into force and it was all still in the discussion stages!!! I asked about an assessment for support group and was told i would be called in sometime in September. I have been on CB ESA since 2009 and so am more worried about contributions than actually qualifying for support group....

Cpt.Scarlet

nad1611 wrote: »

Sorry, it's obviously me, but actually that doesn't make it clear at all. So what are you saying the support group is means tested? If he's come from ESA(cb) and gets put into the Support Group then it's irrelevant isn't it, as at the end of the day it won't be means tested, which is what's important here.

You are confusing Means testing with the time limiting of ESA(CB) when in the WRAG, they are not the same.

ESA(CB) is a non-means tested benefit whereas ESA(IR) is, you can be receiving ESA(IR) and be in the Support Group providing you satisfy the means test.

The government are proposing to limit the receipt of ESA(CB) to one year for members of the WRAG but not the Support Group. To reclaim ESA(CB) you need to accumulate suffucient qualifying NI credots. typically this takes two years of worklng.

bertiebat

Chorlie wrote: »

Justin,

I'm in the same boat, I finished work 12 months ago, applied for ESA(CB) and was placed in the WRAG, which according to the rules I agreed with; but with the new rules I might be placed in the Support Group.

After the 1yr rule comes into place I'll have to come off ESA, I won't get ESA(IB) due to savings. So I've been wondering the same as you, can I be re-assessed to see if I should be in the Support Group but since I haven't worked in the last 12months will I still be able to apply for ESA(CB) since I'm already on it or will it be ESA(IB) or nothing and since it will be nothing because of my savings will I still get NI Credits but no fortnightly payments.

Or will it just be nothing in any form until my savings have been spent.

Then there is the question of when does the 1yr rule come into place, if you've already been on ESA(CB) for 12months+ come April 2012 will your ESA stop then or is that when your 12months starts (so it ends on April 2013).

I'm in a similar position to those posted (though I'm currently on IB waiting for my reassessment on ESA). I'm a little unsure as to which group I'll be assessed into but I'm presuming it will be the WRAG.

As far I can see, if you are in the WRAG group you have to have enough change of circumstances to request a reassessment for the support group within the year. The year is due to be applied retrospectively so if you have already been in the WRAG for a year in April 2012 then the WRAG ESA(CB) would cease.

If I'm not allocated to the support group, I will be appealing (which is course what a lot of CB based claimants will do). Apparently there was surprise when it was suggested that the appeal rate would increase!

The problems I have will at some point in the next few years qualify me for the support group, but with my luck this will happen just after I'm kicked off, though obviously I'd rather stay as well as I can for as long as possible.

nad1611

Cpt.Scarlet wrote: »

You are confusing Means testing with the time limiting of ESA(CB) when in the WRAG, they are not the same.

ESA(CB) is a non-means tested benefit whereas ESA(IR) is, you can be receiving ESA(IR) and be in the Support Group providing you satisfy the means test.

The government are proposing to limit the receipt of ESA(CB) to one year for members of the WRAG but not the Support Group. To reclaim ESA(CB) you need to accumulate suffucient qualifying NI credots. typically this takes two years of worklng.

Okay I was aware of all of that, I'm obviously not reading you correctly. But basically if for example I go from Inc' Benefit(CB) to the Support Group I'll be on ESA(CB), well according to other threads on here say and what I've read, do you agree with that?

I'm presuming you're talking about reclaims and not one's that don't have a break.?