ESA Payments

Angela230787

Hi Everyone,
Need some advice, I am currently receieving hardship payments as my job seekers was stopped due to how I left my last job.

I have been back and forth to the doctors since leaving my job for depression, and before that back and forth for back ache due to a operation I had about 5 years ago (I have rods, plates and screws drilled into my spine) I have pain everyday with my back, aswell as a stomach problem which I have had since I was born which is handled with medication at home most of the time but when its bad I do end up in hospital.

My doctor today has given me a sick note for 4 weeks and has said im to go back and see her before this runs out, now I have phoned my local job centre and spoke to my advisor who I was put with last time I went to help with my medical problems, she has told me I have to send my green book back saying I want to close my claim and gave me a number to ring to apply for ESA which I have done, she has also told me im not to sign on next Tuesday now, does anyone know how long this takes to sort out? as I will have no money I am guessing until they sort the ESA claim out.

I also adviced to apply for PIP aswell last time I signed on will this application be effected if I get ESA? I havent been accepted for PIP yet I am still waiting to recieve the forms to fill in.

Thank you for any advice.

epitome

PIP and ESA will not affect each other.

You will shortly get your final payment of JSA. Hopefully you have closed your JSA from xxx day and started your ESA backdated to the same xxx day. Hopefully your sicknote covers you from the xxx day....(but you will be allowed 7 days prior to your sicknote for ESA if day xxx is before the day the sicknote started.)

Your ESA is claimed over the phone hopefully this went well and they did not say "Sorry, I cannot take your claim. I will send you a claim form"....
You will get a statement within 7 - 10 days of the day of your phonecall. You don't have to return the statement, just check it is all correct. there will be an envelope for you to provide your sicknote and any other docs required. If you want to ensure your sicknote does not get lost (thereby delaying payment) you could phone ESA and ask for a jobcentre appointment to get your 1st sicknote emailed over.

Your ESA can take up to 3 weeks from the day of the phonecall to
be processed.

You need to phone JSA a couple of days after you handed in your ES40 to ensure they have closed your claim. because if they don't close it, your ESA will be held up.

We can assume your JSA close date has already passed and your ESA start date has already passed. So if you need money now, you can phone ESA and ask them for a STBA which is a loan of money against your ESA claim, you will have to pay it back over a 3 month period.

Angela230787

Hi, thank you for that reply, I got told I will recieve a form pack and the envelope to send medical note in.

I phoned Job centre today and have to send back my green book and then that will be closed, im guessing from today, and my ESA claim is from today aswell, I do have a couple things for sale on ebay so if they sell I could use that money I guess wont be much but because I live at home will be enough to cope with.

I will phone them aswell to make sure claim is closed.

epitome

You write the date you want JSA to close inside your ES40 (greenbook)

When you phoned new claims did they ask you a 100 questions taking about 30 minutes or did they just say we will send you a claim form?

Have you claimed ESA or IB before?

Angela230787

Hi, ok I will put today's date in book then, they have told me to post it back to them which seems to me a waste of money on posting seeing I live about 20 mins from the centre and can get someone to drop me down there can I hand it in to them, or do I have to see my advisor?

Yeah phonecall lasted about 30-35 mins he did say 45mns to start with but I guess cause I live with family and wasnt claiming housing benefit these questions where just no.

I havent claimed anything before other then JSA sincce June 11 this year, I was hoping my depression and back pain would get better a bit without working full time, which is why I was looking for part time work but in a month and half I have just the same amount of pain and depression isnt any better either.

I have worked since I left school had this full time job for about 7 years was ok for about 6 years as I was on very strong pain killers after my op to help and was on them for ages, but had a seizure on July 9th 2011 and since then all my pain meds have been stopped as they think it is that, which caused the seizure aswell as the fact I have irregular brain waves (not sure what that is but came up on EEG when I had one done) and then I went to derriford hospital for sleep deprevation test and the brain waves where irregular on that one aswell now they are just monitoring it.

epitome

You can hand the ES40 in at your jobcentre.

The rest of that sounds fine, you can phone ESA for an STBA loan when you run out of money.

Angela230787

thank you for your help, I will hand that book in then tomorrow or next Monday