Illness Benefits Help

fut1a

Hope someone can advise me on this.

I have been employed in the same job for the past 29 years and I am still employed by the company. They have a scheme called UNUM which gives you part of you salary if you are excepted on to this. I currently receive £1151.22 and after nat ins and pension are taken out I get £970.74.

I was accepted onto the ESA support group without a medical a few months ago, but I am assuming this will only last 12 months.

I am married with no children and my wife is self-employed but on a low income. Low enough that she rarely pays tax.

I was just wondering if I was entitled to anything if my ESA stops because we will struggle if it does.

These are my health problems.

I have had problems for the past couple of years which are undiagnosed. I had a nerve conduction study that found abnormal results, and the specialist is waiting for funding to put me on some tablets to see if they help.

Problems I have.

Physically I look fit especially because I was alway very active and a regular gym user.

I sometimes have problems walking where I will have to stop for a few moments before I can carry on, and nearly always have problems climbing stairs when my legs will just stop, and then I struggle to move and then they will start working again.

I can be sitting and my legs will start shaking or some muscles in my legs will just start twitching.

I have pain most of the time from my right hip and can be a lot worse at night. I have been up since 3:30 because of the pain and it's the second time this week. I walk with a slight limp most of the time and I am usually in some pain when walking.

My left knee is also giving me some pain where it can just start and then go away after a few days, this does not help with walking either.

My left side of my jaw where it joins my skull hurts and gives me a lot of pain.

I also have acid reflux which can get me out of bed occasionally in the early hours and have me scouring the net because it's that bad that I think it must be having a heart attack. I take 30b of Lansoprazole a day for this, but sometimes it doesn't help.

prosaver

ill get that acid thing seen too though sounds bad...it could be your food your eating ...why dont you try taking probotic drinks or live yogurt b4 bedtime just saw this
Probiotics

Hundreds of clinical studies have shown that probiotics can prevent and treat hundreds of common ailments, including acid reflux problems. Probiotics are live micro-organisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, provide a health benefit to the host by engaging and neutralizing toxic compounds.
While commercial supplements are the first thought that comes to mind when you mention probiotics, naturally fermented, "live" foods have been around since the beginning of humankind. Fermented vegetables, fermented milk products (clabber, yogurt, cheese, buttermilk), kefir, fermented soy products (natto, miso, tempeh, soy sauce, fermented tofu), and even naturally fermented, unpasteurized beers are some of the most complete probiotics available. I highly recommend you include foods like these regularly in your diet, since they can help correct acid reflux problems.

densol_2

If you are in the ESA support group ( either income related or contribution based ) it does not stop after 12 months. Only the WRAG group stops after 12 months if contribution based.

Have you look at the PIP descriptors to see if you could qualify for that ?

fut1a

densol wrote: »

If you are in the ESA support group ( either income related or contribution based ) it does not stop after 12 months. Only the WRAG group stops after 12 months if contribution based.

Have you look at the PIP descriptors to see if you could qualify for that ?

I did get the forms for PIP, but after going through them and the way the questions are worded I came to the conclusion that you had to be on your death bed to be successful.

alexjonsson

Hi, sorry to be the devil's advocate, but I'm surprised you are receiving any money from your ESA claim given that income from personal health insurance (PHI) is deducted from ESA (both IR and contributions based). Are you getting the full amount of ESA or a reduced amount due to the income?

I also have a an open PHI claim through my employer's policy with UNUM, as well as an accepted contributions based ESA claim, but I don't actually get any hard cash from the ESA - just NI credits (although yes I still pay NI through my income).

Is your situation similar?

pmlindyloo

alexjonsson wrote: »

Hi, sorry to be the devil's advocate, but I'm surprised you are receiving any money from your ESA claim given that income from personal health insurance (PHI) is deducted from ESA (both IR and contributions based). Are you getting the full amount of ESA or a reduced amount due to the income?

I also have a an open PHI claim through my employer's policy with UNUM, as well as an accepted contributions based ESA claim, but I don't actually get any hard cash from the ESA - just NI credits (although yes I still pay NI through my income).

Is your situation similar?

According to this

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/470888/dmgch44.pdf

there are certain circumstances where this is not deducted.

Scroll down to 4470 and 44723

The first has to be when the employment has ended and the second where the employee has contributed at least 50% of the premiums.

Hope I have read it correctly

alexjonsson

pmlindyloo wrote: »

According to this

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/470888/dmgch44.pdf

there are certain circumstances where this is not deducted.

Scroll down to 4470 and 44723

The first has to be when the employment has ended and the second where the employee has contributed at least 50% of the premiums.

Hope I have read it correctly

Hi, thanks for this - I wasn't aware of those terms.

However, reading those sections it states that the PHI amount should be deducted from ESA upon the termination of that person’s employment. Does this imply that if employment has not been terminated that the PHI should not be deducted? The regulations seems either ambiguous or not explicit.

If so I guess the OP could be under that circumstance if his employment has not been terminated. If this is I find it very interesting as I am the same and therefore think I should be receiving the ESA and back payments.

Can anyone advise?

pmlindyloo

Sorry, but can't find anything to help further other than threads on various sites that are asking the same thing.

I would certainly ring DWP and query this.

It might be an idea to ask them to quote the legislation that allows them to deduct this from your ESA. Follow up your telephone call (get name and time of call for future reference) with a letter, perhaps quoting the above decision maker's guide reference.

alexjonsson

Hi pm, thanks. I couldn't find anything other than this thread about someone who has gone through the process of reconsideration/appeal and actually won:

http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/forum?view=topic&catid=10&id=101829#123930

Sounds like they had a bit of a struggle but got there in the end.

I've already phoned DWP. Notes have been added to their system and I am awaiting a call back later today. After that, assuming all is good I will follow up with a letter.

Unfortunately at the time of applying for ESA I did tick the PHI box (as I do have a PHI, just not under the definition of the ESA regulations is seems), so I don't know if that'll be enough for me to get it backdated, but at least I should be able to get the ESA payment going forwards.

Sorry to have hijacked this thread, but this has actually got my nervously excited. We're talking an extra £110 per week, not including any disability premiums which I yet to try and understand.