ESA ?? how long

jameskye1983

At the start of the month i was declared unfit to work by my Dr who issued me a 2 week sick line and arranged a follow up appointment the following week. i contacted the benefits and informed them i was unfit for work and what to do, i contacted my job centre and told them filled in the form they sent stating why i was signing off and that went through last week and they paid me up to the day before i was signed off as sick.
i got the paper work for Employment and support allowance ( after doing the application via phone ) and made a quick phone call to them to check what i needed to send. and i sent on my sick line for the 2 weeks and sent it last week but as of yet i have heard nothing back nor have i had a letter as yet either.

when i seen my dr on the 12th she issued me a 2nd sick line this one was for 4 weeks i was not sure what to do with it and waited to ask one of the people i am getting help from , and they told me i send it to the job centre who is dealing with my case ( the address on the paper work i got )
so tomorrow morning i will be contacting the job centre plus and informing them that i am sending a 2nd sick line and asking if they can possibly tell me where my claim is in there system.
but i am just wandering if anyone can tell me roughly how quickly they process claims.
at this time of the year i do accept that post maybe slower than normal , as my mum recently sent a parcel ( Monday 5th ) to my brother in England by 1st class and it finally arrived on the Sunday and they explained to him there having to work extra to keep up with the xmas mail.

nannytone_2

take the sick note to your local job centre and they can fax it over to the relevant department.

jameskye1983

I am not able to do that because what money came in from them went straight back out to bills.
Plus the job centre i would be attending are not that helpful if you walk in without an arranged appointment they just tell you to turn around and leave.

nannytone_2

you can telephone ESA from the job centre, and they will make you an appointment there and then.
i know this is true because i did it!
phoned ESA from the job centre at 10 15, and they made me an appointment for 10 20 to hand in my sick note for it to be faxed over.
they will not pay, if they don't have a sick note that covers the payment period.

rogerblack

Always send everything recorded, and photocopy it.
Both so you have proof of when it arrived, and because the DWP occasionally lose stuff.
The DWP typically take 5-7 days to work out you've sent them a letter, after it actually arrives with them.

I can't comment on new applications now (mine was paid within a couple of weeks last year), but my renewal is closing on 3 months, which seems slow.

welshgirl20_2

I am in exactly the same position as you waiting for ESA to claim my process it is so annoying.

flight747

Sick note is rather daft to post to DWP. What the point ? Cos the jobcentre had enough proof there is a genuine sick note and just enter into their system but they cannot do this, they have to fax it over your local benefit delivery centre and also the jobcentre had to sent it off too. Once they recieved it, they will processing your [payment] and will not process it even it had already fax it to BDC and must wait for sick note to arrive to DWP.

jameskye1983

Flight i am not sure what your getting at , i went purely what i was instructed to do so when on the phone.
i told them i am unfit for work and was issued a sick line from my Dr and the woman said i will pass you onto the right department to deal with ESA i spent the next 35 mins answering all the questions and at the end the woman said she will send out a copy of what we just went through and if they ask for anything else then stick it in the envelope and send it to the free post address which will be to the job centre plus that deals with that area you attend.
in my case i go to Perth and the job centre plus that deals with Perth is Aberdeen and the free address was to Aberdeen so i was told to send my sick line to that address as that is who will be dealing with my ESA.
i called the job centre plus in Perth and the woman i spoke to there said i will send out a form that you just fill in the "" other reason "" for signing off. so i was honest and said i am signing off under medical advice due to depression. so i am only doing as i was told and doing what all paper work has instructed me to do and sent paper work off to where it was addressed to go.

missmontana

You have done all the right things! You really do just have to wait and keep sending the sick notes off, they usually write to say you need another one and provide an envelope for you to send it off in

jameskye1983

Well it seems things are sorted out at least.
I called the number on the paper work and the woman confirmed everything must be sent to the job centre plus that is on the paperwork they sent to me as that is who will be dealing with the ESA. and i asked if it was at all possible for her to tell me where my claim is in there system and she apologised and said they had actually only got it yesterday but they have it on there system to be completed by 21st , and she said chances are it may go through quicker.
and she also put a note on the system that i have sent out a 2nd sick line from my Dr but it may take slightly longer to arrive due to Royal Mail possible Christmas delays.