Esa & means testing

Digital_Dan

Hi


I’ve been on Incapacity Benefit for many years now.


Whilst employed and during a period of long term sickness, after my Statutory Sick Pay expired, my previous employer completed an application form for Incapacity Benefit for me and gave it to me to sign. I have received Incapacity Benefit ever since.


I am soon to undergo my reassessment and – hopefully – be put onto Employment Support Allowance.


I was just wondering; if ESA is means tested? I am concerned that even though I may pass my assessment that I may not receive ESA because of means testing.


If it’s relevant; my wife works and earns £15K per annum, I receive an ill health pension from my previous employers and we have saving of approx. £15k.


Many Thanks

nannytone_2

if placed in the work related activity group, you would receive payment for 1 year, and then your wifes income will be taken into account.
if you are placed in ESA support group, yjrn payment will continue for as long as you remain eligable

Digital_Dan

nannytone wrote: »

if placed in the work related activity group, you would receive payment for 1 year, and then your wifes income will be taken into account.
if you are placed in ESA support group, yjrn payment will continue for as long as you remain eligable

Thank you; I appreciate your answer.

I'm afraid I don't know much about ESA at all; I didn't realise that there were two types of ESA.

I'm presuming that if my assement says I can do certain types of work; then I go into the work related activity group and if I cannot work at all; then I go into the support group - is that correct?

I guess if I am not happy with the decision as to which group I am placed in; I can appeal this?

Also presumably, if I am declared fully work capable my benefit will cease and I will have to appeal the decision?

Thanks.

Horseunderwater

Digital_Dan wrote: »

Thank you; I appreciate your answer.

I'm afraid I don't know much about ESA at all; I didn't realise that there were two types of ESA.

I'm presuming that if my assement says I can do certain types of work; then I go into the work related activity group and if I cannot work at all; then I go into the support group - is that correct?

I guess if I am not happy with the decision as to which group I am placed in; I can appeal this?

Also presumably, if I am declared fully work capable my benefit will cease and I will have to appeal the decision?

Thanks.

ESA is not about your illness/condition as such, but about whether you can do certain things per the legal requirements that DWP determine makes you fit for work or not.
Link lists the descriptors: http://pseudo-living.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/esa-descriptors-and-points.html
Read these and see if you meet any of the descriptors and if you do then you should get ESA.

Digital_Dan

Horseunderwater wrote: »

ESA is not about your illness/condition as such, but about whether you can do certain things per the legal requirements that DWP determine makes you fit for work or not.
Link lists the descriptors: http://pseudo-living.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/esa-descriptors-and-points.html
Read these and see if you meet any of the descriptors and if you do then you should get ESA.

Thank you very much; that link is invaluable.

Reading through it; I believe that I would score sufficient points for ESA and would qualify for the support allowance.


However the difficulty is that my condition fluctuates significantly from day to day. Is any allowance made for this at all? Or does it all depend on how you are when the assessment happens?


I would also appreciate clarification of the questions I asked earlier:


I'm presuming that if my assessment says I can do certain types of work; then I go into the work related activity group and if I cannot work at all; then I go into the support group - is that correct?

I guess if I am not happy with the decision as to which group I am placed in; I can appeal this?

Also presumably, if I am declared fully work capable my benefit will cease and I will have to appeal the decision?


nannytone said:

if placed in the work related activity group, you would receive payment for 1 year, and then your wifes income will be taken into account.

Does this mean if I went into the WRAG; that after one year my benefit would cease altogether because of my wifes income/our savings?


Or does it mean that my benefit would be reduced in some way, and if so, how is the reduction calculated?

Once again; many thanks.

nannytone_2

very few people get into the support group, and what points you consider you should get and the points awarded are two very different things.

if you were placed in the WRAG, benefit is only payable for one year. after that you would need to apply for income related ESA and your wifes income would mean that even if you meet the critera for ESA, your wifes income would mean that no benegit is payable, but you would still receive NI credits

Digital_Dan

nannytone wrote: »

very few people get into the support group, and what points you consider you should get and the points awarded are two very different things.

if you were placed in the WRAG, benefit is only payable for one year. after that you would need to apply for income related ESA and your wifes income would mean that even if you meet the critera for ESA, your wifes income would mean that no benegit is payable, but you would still receive NI credits

Thank you.

That is really rather depressing

So the likelyhood of getting into the support group is slim and if I'm placed in the WRAG; then my benefit will cease after one year?

Presumably if I'm deemed capable of some restricted/limited type of work I will in one years time lose my benefit even if such work cannot be found either by myself or the DWP?

Thanks for everyones contributions.

nannytone_2

no one can comment on your chances of getting into the support group.
if you meet the support group descriptors then you will definately get in, but just looking at posts on here, the number of people that are certain they meet the support group criteria, only to be failed for ESA totally are many.
i am in the WRAG, and thats where i consider i should be. i am blind, and the chances of me finding any suitable work, especially as i live in a rural area. are negligable. but theres always hope

Digital_Dan

nannytone wrote: »

no one can comment on your chances of getting into the support group.
if you meet the support group descriptors then you will definately get in, but just looking at posts on here, the number of people that are certain they meet the support group criteria, only to be failed for ESA totally are many.
i am in the WRAG, and thats where i consider i should be. i am blind, and the chances of me finding any suitable work, especially as i live in a rural area. are negligable. but theres always hope

Thank you; I shall try to be optmistic.

I just hope I get a fair and objective assesment that takes into account the changes from day to day in my condition.

I'm sure I will have more questions about ESA the more I read about it; but thank you for your replies.