Confused ESA, PIP, IS, Carers???

shell1965

Hi I am still a little confused & wondered if anyone could clarify things for me?
I’ll start at the beginning, originally my husband claimed IB Cont. Based, I was his dependant partner on the claim, we have a son now aged 13 so get Child Tax Credit.

In May 2011 hubby’s claim was migrated to ESA, he got transitional protection of around £34 a week that meant he never received less, he eventually had his medical & originally was placed in the WRAG, we wrote immediately, asking them to explain their decision & how they’d come to it. We very quickly heard back saying the decision was overturned & he would be placed in the Support Group, all relativly straightforward.

Last year I read that sometimes when you receive contribution based benefits you might also be entitled to a top up off Income based benefit, I checked the entitled to site & it said we could be entitled to an extra £3+ that would then passport us to Prescriptions free etc, we made the application & received it at the rate the calculator said.

Also last year after he’d developed more illness that he’d had coming along for a while we decided to apply for PIP, this also went ok & he had his medical, the decision being Enhanced Daily Living, we were backpaid from July which is when we rang for the PIP claim, our HB has been adjusted as of that date.

I have just applied for Carers Allowance, I already understand I will come off hubby’s claim for ESA, I had thought if I was awarded Carers it would start straight away but this morning I received a letter telling me I have been awarded it without backdating but it won’t begin until March 9th, I will receive a letter then with a detailed explanation & they are awaiting advice from my local benefits office & until then they cannot pay any Carers Allowance awarded between October 2014 /March -09-15 but if we received ant IS or Income Related ESA they may owe us some money? Is this normal?

Also we received a standard letter about benefit rate increases from April 2015 in it’s breakdown it states that hubby receives over £100 weekly in Income based ESA, as I said, originally he was on Conts. Based until last year when we applied for the Income based topup which was just over £3 a wk? I’m confused?
Thanks for reading all this, hopefully somebody might be able to help?

merlin68

You'd be far better coming of esa and claiming income support as a carer as the premium is more. As we get the carers allowance plus £131 income support totalling £191 a week.

shell1965

I assume that is what's going to happen? I don't think hubby's ESA includes a big amount for me as his dependant partner?

I only know, he'll keep so much of his own, though not sure on figures? I don't know if he still keeps his transitional protection?
I know he'll then get the £81 PIP, I'd get the carers at £61 plus our child tax & child benefit, I was told by someone there's an £11 premium but have no idea about the I.S amount.

merlin68

doesnt sound like your on his claim at all as it should have been about £142 a week. on that amount of pip you would get a higher premium on is so £215 including the carers premium weekly. you dont need transitional protection on is. its you that has to do the claim as the carer and would have to be joint.

shell1965

I've always been on his (Originally) IB since 2001, then we migrated to ESA, he is receiving £168 a week & in October last year we started receiving an extra £3.60 IB based ESA too, part of his £168 was for me & his transitional protection, we last got paid ESA this Tuesday gone it was £343

merlin68

My confusion as in your original post you said over £100 weekly not £168 weekly. still better of on is saves all the hassle of medicals etc.

shell1965

It is confusing, we've always received over £160+ weekly on ESA but it was Contribution based, then we started getting the extra little Income based bit but when this benefit rate letter arrived it actually said he was receiving something like £103 Income based, I really don't get it!

nannytone_2

as he is in the support group he should still be getting full costs based ESA, with an income related top up for you.
he would then receive the enhanced disability premium couple rate.
he wouldn't receive the severe disability premium as he doesn't live alone.
put your details into https://www.entitledto.co.uk.
put him as the claimant for ESA and then you as the claimant for income support.
it will show which is better in your circumstances

shell1965

Thanks again, I tried both ways but obviously the calculator doesn't include the transitional protection & also I'm not quite sure now because of all the different letters we've had, exactly how much of his ESA is Income Based & how much is contribution based, I originally thought we only got just over £3 weekly and the rest was Conts based but the benefit rate letter we received suggests he now gets over £100 weekly IB so the rest must be Conts based?

shell1965

Citizens Advice have said not to come off ESA, I came home & rang ESA to inform them about my Carers Allowance award & they said they didn't need to know anything else & I don't need to apply for anything because of it & they inform each other, they know about the Carers Allowance claim.

shell1965

Just had a letter today to attend a work focused interview at my local jobcentre next Tuesday.