What happens after 1 yr of ESA contrubution based please?

weanie

Hello
I am hoping that someone can help. I am currently receiving regular chemotherapy treatment and therefore unable to seek work.
I have been fortunate enough to receive ESA based upon my contributions for the past 6 months and am not required to seek work for the moement. A new form has gone off for further consideration. I am also lucky to have some DLA assistance which has been granted for one year.
My question is that I understand that ESA can only run for one year on the basis of contributions - what happens after the year if you are not eligible for CB ESA? I am guessing you receive nothing?
Also - if I were to recover sufficiently to seek work at the end of the year or indeed during the year, would it be possible to transfer to JSA and have this support until finding work or is the whole period regarded as one claim and therefore no support more than one year?
I am trying to forward plan for more difficult times ahead.
Many thanks

Muttleythefrog

Actually there's a thread just active regarding this matter. refer https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4198631

Hopefully someone will be able to clarify regarding contributions based JSA testing as compared to ESA contrib based. I would generally advise trying to stay on ESA and if you want to seek work do that... I would only transfer to JSA if you can get monies you otherwise wouldn't on ESA and hopefully someone will confirm if that is technically possible regarding contributions.

cheghead

I think you will go on to income based benefits after the contribution benefit runs out. If you have no other income and not too much savings (6K I think) then you should probably get the same. Better to ask a benefit advisor for more accurate info thou!

Cpt.Scarlet

The time limit only applies to members of the WRAG, if your chemotherapy is intravenous, intraperitoneal or intrathecal or you are recovering from this treatment, you should be eligible for the Support Group under Exemption Grounds.

weanie

Many thanks for the replies - I am not in a work group at the moment and work would be impossible because of the nature of the treatment.
The last poster indicates that I am able to receive current payments for longer than a year, which is welcome. If I were to be moved to a WRAG group though [assuming I am to get better in the months to come], would I have a year after that shift or does the 12 months commence with the initial claim? I think I can guess the answer. Many thanks again

Cpt.Scarlet

Providing you were not previously in the WRAG, then the 365 days starts from the date you are moved to the WRAG.

weanie

Thank you Captain Scarlet - that is an encouraging surprise! I have not been put in the WRAG group and my regular need for chemotherapy top ups will surely prevent this for some time to come.
I am optimistically/tentatively hoping to get through all the treatments and have a positive outcome and would like to go back to some work but this will not be until later next year at the earliest and it will be hard to do without the ESA support in doing so.
It would be an enormous help to carry on in the WRAG group for a while when the treatment is at an end.
Thank you again.

ohdearpuzzle

Hi,

After 1 year WRAG contribution based ESA ends. You could then be assessed to see if you would qualify for income based ESA. You would not be able to claim contribution based JSA after 1 year of WRAG contribution based ESA but again might be ale to claim income related JSA if you would qualify for that. As other posters have said there are different rules for support group.

ohdearpuzzle

Also, on ESA you can be allowed to do 'permitted work' which you might be able to do before make a full return to work.