ESA Help needed

mikey_bach

Atos were on strike yesterday and a work to rule will be held from November 6.
There is a massive back log due to the audit
More strike action is expected over pay

epitome

If you get into Support Group = no need to make new claim
If you get into WRAG = your payments will stop in Feb '14 and you can claim again for another 365 days
If you fail the assessment you can appeal and payments will stop in Feb '14 = you can claim again but see below*


When you applied in Feb of 2013 they used tax years 10/11 and 11/12 to assess you on.

If you reapply after more than 12 weeks from your end date in Feb 2014 they will use tax years 11/12 & 12/13
If you earned £5,350 or more in 12/13 then you will qualify again for a new 365 days.

If you claim within 12 weeks of the end date in Feb 2014 they will use the same tax years that you have already exhausted (this is called "linking the claims") If its more than 12 weeks the claim won't link..

As I said don't ask DWP about this as they will probably mislead you. Just do it on an ESA1 form which you can either get from a jobcentre or you can get by phoning new claims 08000 556688 without going into any detail about why you want to claim again, just insist, that they send you a new claim form ESA1.....

*HOWEVER, if you fail the assessment (now) and you are appealing...you will have to wait 6 months from the date of your failure letter before re-applying (unless your condition is significantly worse or a different condition in which case you can claim again after 12 weeks) otherwise you won't be paid and/or the new claim could be thrown out.

poppet17

Thank you everyone for all your help I am very grateful...it is such a minefield these days.

Morglin

All ESA claims and reviews seem to be getting bogged down at the moment, because of the audit going on, and the double checking that has to done, to try and cut the enormous number of appeals and decision overturns.

A lot of people are due reviews, and ATOS and the DWP are not getting the paperwork through to actually do them.

As with most benefits now, the system seems to be sinking lower and lower into the mire.

Lin

poppet17

That is ludicrous because the only way they are going to cut appeals and decision overturns is to allow the original claim, but they are not going to do that because the government have told the DWP to cut down on benefit claims...so clearly this is a delaying tactic in the hope people will give up on their claim...that is not going to happen!!! :mad: