Mortgage Payments while on ESA appeal

Tangled · 17 April 2012 at 6:31PM

My friend has be found fit for work recently after being re-assessed for ESA. He has appealed the decision and had a letter today saying his SMI ( support for mortgage interest ) payments are stopping. I have scoured the internet and the literature I have but have been unable to find why this is so.

I have come up with 4 possibles :

1. This was sent automatically when he was found capable of work before his appeal request was received. The payments will actually continue,

2. There is a rule that states SMI payments cannot be paid on an ESA appeal

3. Going onto ESA appeal is treated like a whole new benefit claim and he has to wait 13 weeks for the payments to start again. If this is the case, if the appeal is unsuccessful and he claims JSA when he is turned down, will he then have to wait another 13 weeks for the SMI to start?

4. None of the above

Can anyone shed light on this please? I can't find the answer anywhere.

Thanks in advance

Muttleythefrog · 17 April 2012 at 6:51PM

ESA admin is terrible... I wouldn't trust any letter regarding ESA. Hopefully you'll get a technical answer with authority but my understanding is that SMI will continue if getting income related ESA regardless level.. and I assume when appealing he will try to get assessment rate re-instated until appeal is heard.. usually sicknotes are required to get assessment rate while awaiting appeal. I suspect the letter is an automatic one resulting from the .being found fit for work' and he may also find if he gets local authority related benefits like HB or CTB that they too get instructed to stop (and he'll have to get them reinstated. So ultimately I think 1 will be true..lol.. but it could be the usual admin farce with DWP before you get there.