daughter returned from working in Spain

moneybags_3

My daughter was working in Spain for 16 months. She became ill suffering from stress, exhaustion etc. She resigned from her job and returned to the UK. She did not know whether to apply for JSA or as she had been unwell ESA. She had worked in the UK previously and had paid national insurance contributions. She went to her GP who gave her a sickness certificate for 2 weeks and stated on the certificate 'unfit for work' She contacted the ESA by phone and has since received a questionnaire from them. Has ayone had similar circumstances and if so, what was the outcome or should she have applied for JSA instead.

Horseunderwater

http://pseudo-living.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/esa-descriptors-and-points.html
These are the descriptors for ESA - I think that she is possibly going about this the right way. She will get a minimum of 13 weeks at assessment rate which is either £56.25 or £71 (under or over 25 years old rates). There will not be the pressure to sign on and seek work in the same way as there is with JSA. However she will need to keep on getting fit notes from the GP and to send them in to DWP to continue getting paid. Keep a copy as the DWP have a habit of losing them. She will in time be sent form ESA50 to complete and return to ATOS, who will decide whether she should attend a medical to determine if she will qualify for the main phase of ESA or not. REad the descriptors through and see which ones if any might apply.

shazm.69

moneybags wrote: »

My daughter was working in Spain for 16 months. She became ill suffering from stress, exhaustion etc. She resigned from her job and returned to the UK. She did not know whether to apply for JSA or as she had been unwell ESA. She had worked in the UK previously and had paid national insurance contributions. She went to her GP who gave her a sickness certificate for 2 weeks and stated on the certificate 'unfit for work' She contacted the ESA by phone and has since received a questionnaire from them. Has ayone had similar circumstances and if so, what was the outcome or should she have applied for JSA instead.

Could it be the habitual residency test? Have you read the next thread down from this one?

moneybags_3

Thank you for replying and providing the very useful information as neither I nor my daughter have never had any dealings with JSA or ESA previously and it all seems very confusing. When my daughter goes back to the GP for another sickness certificate we were thinking that it might be better to see a different GP in that surgery. The one who she did see certainly would not have been a first choice. :eek:

ILW

moneybags wrote: »

Thank you for replying and providing the very useful information as neither I nor my daughter have never had any dealings with JSA or ESA previously and it all seems very confusing. When my daughter goes back to the GP for another sickness certificate we were thinking that it might be better to see a different GP in that surgery. The one who she did see certainly would not have been a first choice. :eek:

Why would that make any difference?

sleepless_saver

moneybags wrote: »

She did not know whether to apply for JSA or as she had been unwell ESA.

Put very simply, if she is actively looking for work (whether or not she has a fit note) she can apply for JSA, if she is too ill then she applies for ESA.

(And it's not up to her GP what benefits she gets - it's DWP who decide - so from that point of view it makes no difference which GP she sees.)