ESA Backdated Payment

JaeyDeane

Hey guys, was wondering if you could advise me on my current situation on arrears etc.

I begun my claim in January 2014,
I was getting 57 a week as i was 23, ( The assessment rate, )
I had my medical at the beggining of year 2015.
(Still recieving assessment rate)
I was denied my medical scoring 0 points,
i appealed as fast as i could, but they had closed and then re-instated my claim. (An advisor telling me on the phone they had closed my claim when they shouldnt have)
I had my ttribunal hearing last week on monday and won my appeal, (Happy days)
And was placed in the WRAG.
My questions is, am i entitled to backpay? If so how much? Ive tried to work it out,
but the number i get seems a bit large and i cant imagine they would pay me over 2k!

If i'm entitled to any backdated payments, then how should i proceed?

Thanks for reading, Hope you guys can advise me.

NathalieNeal

If you were already receiving some ESA, you won't receive backdating for being moved into a higher group. Backdating happens when you submit a claim for the benefit for the first time, and some time elapses between the initial claim and the approval.

JaeyDeane

I was in the understanding that i would be paid the difference from after the 13th week of my claim

pmlindyloo

If this is your first claim for ESA then you will receive the difference between the assessment rate and the WRAG group rate from the 14th week.

Rates

https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/employment-and-support-allowance/esa-glossary/2756-employment-support-allowance-rates

Please note that the rates for the WRAG group are not age related and the amount for 2014/2015 will differ slightly.

The backdating should be automatic. If the sum is large, as far as I know, the back payment could take a little longer than normal as it has to be passed to someone (!) for approval.

JaeyDeane

Thanks for your reply, In 2010 i recieved ESA for a year, then i had quite a bad breakdown and wasnt on any benefit as i was struggling to communicate. I spent a year on no benefit atall, Then after alot of personal improvement i was able to begin my life again. lol

pmlindyloo

JaeyDeane wrote: »

Thanks for your reply, In 2010 i recieved ESA for a year, then i had quite a bad breakdown and wasnt on any benefit as i was struggling to communicate. I spent a year on no benefit atall, Then after alot of personal improvement i was able to begin my life again. lol

Then this latest claim was accepted as a new claim so you should be eligible for your backdating.

You can always give them a call and find out what is happening.

JaeyDeane

Thanks alot!

TELLIT01

You should be entitled to the WRAG premium from about April 2014. That makes around 18 months at about £25 per week. In round numbers it is in the region of £2k.

paragon909

JaeyDeane wrote: »

Hey guys, was wondering if you could advise me on my current situation on arrears etc.

I begun my claim in January 2014,
I was getting 57 a week as i was 23, ( The assessment rate, )
I had my medical at the beggining of year 2015.
(Still recieving assessment rate)
I was denied my medical scoring 0 points,
i appealed as fast as i could, but they had closed and then re-instated my claim. (An advisor telling me on the phone they had closed my claim when they shouldnt have)
I had my ttribunal hearing last week on monday and won my appeal, (Happy days)
And was placed in the WRAG.
My questions is, am i entitled to backpay? If so how much? Ive tried to work it out,
but the number i get seems a bit large and i cant imagine they would pay me over 2k!

If i'm entitled to any backdated payments, then how should i proceed?

Thanks for reading, Hope you guys can advise me.

Well they should close your ESA claim if you scored 0 points as your not entitled to ESA since you didn't meet the requirements.

They only reopen a claim after scoring 0 points when they receive notification of appeal from the court.

So they should backdate from the 14th week of the claim. But they tend to be slow at backdating money after appeals i've heard.

nannytone_2

OP ... do you live with a partner that has an income or savings?

JaeyDeane

This month ive moved in with a partner starting from the 2/10/15
So im assuming it wont change to much.

Previous to this no, i was living with my mother who had 0 savings and is also on a form incapacitry benefit due to an advanced case of diabetes.

Thanks for the replys everyone!