Can this possibly be right?

moochie

Hello

my partner had a very interesting conversation with the DWP yesterday -

a bit of background - we were on a joint Income Support claim due to disability, received ESA50 in December, sent back for the January cut off date. I received my letter the week before last informing me I have been placed in the support group without a medical.

So, getting very anxious, my partner rings the number on my award letter, i assume the DWP. He was informed that because we were on a joint IS claim he never should have been sent an ESA50 in the first place because I am the main claimant, he only has his stamp paid. So he doesn't have to worry as I have 'passed' the ESA 'test'. They have received his form, but it is irrelevant. The DWP just 'forgot' to inform us he didn't need to do the form, and when they realised they neglected to sent us any correspondance telling us that we didn't need to stress any more.

Can this possibly be right? It just seems far too easy...


Also, my mum rang on my behalf to request a statement of reasons, however she was told that i didn't need to request it as i am in the SG and it will be sent it automatically, however i am yet to receive anything. Could anyone advise if this is true, and if not, what should I be requesting, given that i am in the SG without a medical?

thankyou in advance for any advice or help offered, it will be received with much gratitude

rogerblack

moochie wrote: »

Could anyone advise if this is true, and if not, what should I be requesting, given that i am in the SG without a medical?

The above can be correct, yes.
The easiest solution is probably to request a copy of the full information on your claim.
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/privacy-policy/data-protection/
Get the whole of your IS and ESA files - for both of you.

moochie

Hi

sorry for the delay in getting back. Thankyou very much Roger for that link, I'll get on it today, very much appreciated


I don't suppose anyone at all has any clue as to the veracity of what my partner was told? He was told a letter confirming it would be sent out but nothing has arrived

thankyou again Roger!

sunnyone

moochie wrote: »

Hello

my partner had a very interesting conversation with the DWP yesterday -

a bit of background - we were on a joint Income Support claim due to disability, received ESA50 in December, sent back for the January cut off date. I received my letter the week before last informing me I have been placed in the support group without a medical.

So, getting very anxious, my partner rings the number on my award letter, i assume the DWP. He was informed that because we were on a joint IS claim he never should have been sent an ESA50 in the first place because I am the main claimant, he only has his stamp paid. So he doesn't have to worry as I have 'passed' the ESA 'test'. They have received his form, but it is irrelevant. The DWP just 'forgot' to inform us he didn't need to do the form, and when they realised they neglected to sent us any correspondance telling us that we didn't need to stress any more.

Can this possibly be right? It just seems far too easy...


Also, my mum rang on my behalf to request a statement of reasons, however she was told that i didn't need to request it as i am in the SG and it will be sent it automatically, however i am yet to receive anything. Could anyone advise if this is true, and if not, what should I be requesting, given that i am in the SG without a medical?

thankyou in advance for any advice or help offered, it will be received with much gratitude

Everyone who was paid IS for the reason of disability is being transfered to income related ESA, the process starts with a phonecall, then the form, the paper assessment, the decsion wether to call for a face to face assessment etc. but the form should go to the sick person and not the person on the joint claim.

Did he fill the form out about you?

Your post isnt really clear, if he filled the form in about you then yes, it could be that simple as you have been placed in the support group so "his" income (the couples rate of ESA/2) is safe until the next form comes which can be as little as 3 months after the first one.

They do not send out a statement of reason automatically, both myself and my husband are in the support group and neither of us go a statement of reasons as standard, we did a roger suggests and we are awaiting the information.

moochie

Hi Sunnyone

thankyou for your reply, I'm sorry my original post wasn't clear, please allow me to clarify;

We were on a joint IS claim, I was the main claimant however we are both disabled

We were sent an ESA50 each, to be returned by January, so a form was filled out about me and one about him

I received my letter telling me I was in the SG (a phonecall clarified I have been put there for 2 years)

My partner was told that because I was the main claimant, he should never have received an ESA50 in the first place and not to worry until my reassessment comes up.


The rest of your post makes sense in terms of what he was told, the thing throwing me is the fact that he too is unfit for work/disabled so we just assumed he too would be reassessed, not just me.

I didn't think a SOR would be automatically sent, so will today be doing as Roger suggested and requesting the whole lot


Thanks very much for your reply, I hope I have clarified things, but your post does seem to make sense in relation to what he was told, so we may be ok yet, so thankyou for that.