Employment & Support Allowance

aloneinthedark

Hi guys,

thanks for reading this & / answering it !

I'd firstly like to start off by apologising for being a leech on the state.

I used to work, but then I had to leave work to look after my disabled mam, in that time I put on around 4-5 stone, so I'm now about 26.5 stone. As my mam couldn't & woudln't leave the house I didn't either (obviously through choice and I'd say due to not wanting to leave her in the house alone)

Now since I've gained the 4-5 stone, It's been I'd say I haven't been past the door in 5 month (december 13th to be exact), I tried to go out and I got to the bus stop (about 100 meters away) and I started to get sweaty and anxious and I had to come home.

So to the point.. I need money to live and I'm starting excercise referral soon to start loosing weight.. I was going to apply for job seekers, but I can't pull myself around to getting to the local job center, too many people (which is really where my anxiety has come from) so I applied for ESA.

I'm just wondering what the whole process is as I haven't been diagnosed with Anxiety, but I have got an issue with my breathing and my back (which kind of messes me up when standing for longer then 10-15 minutes and walking too), Monday im ringing the doctor to see about the anxiety and see what the next step is.

cheers & again I'm sorry for being a leech (I've been working since I was 16 and I'm 20 now so yeah not that much of a leech)

Torry_Quine

aloneinthedark wrote: »

Hi guys,

thanks for reading this & / answering it !

I'd firstly like to start off by apologising for being a leech on the state.

I used to work, but then I had to leave work to look after my disabled mam, in that time I put on around 4-5 stone, so I'm now about 26.5 stone. As my mam couldn't & woudln't leave the house I didn't either (obviously through choice and I'd say due to not wanting to leave her in the house alone)

Now since I've gained the 4-5 stone, It's been I'd say I haven't been past the door in 5 month (december 13th to be exact), I tried to go out and I got to the bus stop (about 100 meters away) and I started to get sweaty and anxious and I had to come home.

So to the point.. I need money to live and I'm starting excercise referral soon to start loosing weight.. I was going to apply for job seekers, but I can't pull myself around to getting to the local job center, too many people (which is really where my anxiety has come from) so I applied for ESA.

I'm just wondering what the whole process is as I haven't been diagnosed with Anxiety, but I have got an issue with my breathing and my back (which kind of messes me up when standing for longer then 10-15 minutes and walking too), Monday im ringing the doctor to see about the anxiety and see what the next step is.

cheers & again I'm sorry for being a leech (I've been working since I was 16 and I'm 20 now so yeah not that much of a leech)

Sounds like you've had a hard time recently.

You would need a fit-note from your GP to claim ESA and you will get an ESA 50 form after approx 13 weeks to see whether you are deemed to fit the criteria to continue.

If you have NI contributions then it would be contribution based but if not then income based only

paulineb_2

I was on ESA last year when I was off work with work related stress. If you have a sick note (fit note) from a GP you should be able to claim and get ESA for a period of 13 weeks I think it is and then you have to go for a medical. Depending on how many points you get will determine whether you stay on ESA or not.

How are you going to be able to exercise if going outside is an issue for you (I know you could exercise at home), but if you havent been outside in 5 months without having an anxiety attack, how do you think you are going to be able to get to a gym?

Im not criticising you, Im just asking how you think you will cope?

Dogger69

Have you submitted a note from your doctor?

At some point in the first thirteen weeks of claiming ESA, you will go through a work capability assessment. This is a stringent test, and you may well fail it.

How can you help yourself in the meantime? What is causing your anxiety, and how can you overcome that? What changes have you made to your diet? The exercise referral is a good start, but that alone is not enough.

Good luck with getting your health back - it would be a terrible shame to write yourself off at such a young age.

aloneinthedark

thank you to everyone that has replied so quickly!

To one question, how is going to the gym going to help. Honestly I have no idea. I've not tried it so I think its going to be one of those things where I go and I just hide in a corner .

I think with it being a fairly empty place I would (hopefully) be able to handle it. Like public transport and going to the shops at the minute is a no go because theres so many people and I think I get it in my head they're all looking at me which just starts off the panicing.

All of you also have mentioned I can get it for a period of 13 weeks before the assessment, so I applied last week? will I start getting the payments or would I need to get a fit note from the doctor first before I would get any payments, It's all confusing if you ask me..

I told the guy on the phone that I'd apply for job seekers but I don't think I could get to the job center without being ILL, and that if I was to get a job interview I couldn't attend it due to being so big (ie; the thought of working whilst being so big, being judged by others and the constant sweating due to being anxious).

I just hope when I speak to the doctor tomorrow that he understands that I'm not just trying to pull the wool.

Torry_Quine

aloneinthedark wrote: »

thank you to everyone that has replied so quickly!

To one question, how is going to the gym going to help. Honestly I have no idea. I've not tried it so I think its going to be one of those things where I go and I just hide in a corner .

I think with it being a fairly empty place I would (hopefully) be able to handle it. Like public transport and going to the shops at the minute is a no go because theres so many people and I think I get it in my head they're all looking at me which just starts off the panicing.

All of you also have mentioned I can get it for a period of 13 weeks before the assessment, so I applied last week? will I start getting the payments or would I need to get a fit note from the doctor first before I would get any payments, It's all confusing if you ask me..

I told the guy on the phone that I'd apply for job seekers but I don't think I could get to the job center without being ILL, and that if I was to get a job interview I couldn't attend it due to being so big (ie; the thought of working whilst being so big, being judged by others and the constant sweating due to being anxious).

I just hope when I speak to the doctor tomorrow that he understands that I'm not just trying to pull the wool.

You can claim for a week before needing a fit-note, just as you self-certify when working so will need a fit-note from a week after the claim starts.

aloneinthedark

Torry_Quine wrote: »

You can claim for a week before needing a fit-note, just as you self-certify when working so will need a fit-note from a week after the claim starts.

thanks for the speedy reply!


so once I get the fit-note from the doc, 13 weeks after that I have to get assessed? Also, does the ESA50 form effect my claim? or is that just for after the 13 weeks?

Torry_Quine

aloneinthedark wrote: »

thanks for the speedy reply!


so once I get the fit-note from the doc, 13 weeks after that I have to get assessed? Also, does the ESA50 form effect my claim? or is that just for after the 13 weeks?

The ESA 50 form is the assesement after approx 13 weeks and if not enough for a decision to be made then you would be sent to attend a 'medical' to help with the decision process.

aloneinthedark

Torry_Quine wrote: »

The ESA 50 form is the assesement after approx 13 weeks and if not enough for a decision to be made then you would be sent to attend a 'medical' to help with the decision process.

thank you very much.

It's all so confusing but you just cleared up every question I had.

thank you very much. everyone !

epitome

You will need a sicknote from the start date of your claim, You are automatically self certified for the first 7 days. But if you do not get a sick note from the doctor from day 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,or 8 then you will not be paid anything. Until you either get a sick note (as above)

or you have to make a new claim from 7 days before the date the doctor has given you a sicknote from.

HB58

The assessment period can sometimes take much longer than 13 weeks - the ESA50 will probably arrive quite quickly though. If you get into the main phase of ESA you would get backpayment of the extra going back to the beginning of week 14 of your claim (the assessment rate is lower than the main rate).