Esa reassessment support group to wrag question

fedupfreddie

Does anyone know what happens if a person is taken out of the support group and put into the wrag.


Do payments continue as normal but at the reduced rate?


If one then asks for a mandatory reconsideration do payments stop until a decision is reached?


Thanks for any help.

sportsarb

Depends very much on whether it is Contribution based or Income Related. For ESA(C) the answer I imagine will be it stops but for the latter it continues at a reduced rate.

For this kind of decision I imagine the WRAC is paid during the MR and subsequent appeal should it come to that. The last decision remains in place.

fedupfreddie

Support group is contribution based.

sportsarb

fedupfreddie wrote: »

Support group is contribution based.

Then as far as I am aware it will stop from the date you moved into the WRAG. Is there any reason you may not be entitled to Income Related? Partner working, savings, pensions etc?

fedupfreddie

Asking for my son, he would be able to claim income related if need be. Have you any idea what the process would be?

sportsarb

fedupfreddie wrote: »

Asking for my son, he would be able to claim income related if need be. Have you any idea what the process would be?

Not the exact process as I don't work for the DWP itself but in a similar role elsewhere but it should just be a matter of requesting an ESA3 claim form and returning it to them once completed.

Diary

You cannot claim solely income based ESA if you're also entitled to contribution based ESA. It isn't a choice. Contribution based is always paid first. You might get an income based 'top up' but never solely income based if also eligible for contribution based.

fedupfreddie

He has received contribution based for 5 years, The last year he worked was 2011, that would be too long ago for a new contribution based claim I think.

sportsarb

Diary wrote: »

You cannot claim solely income based ESA if you're also entitled to contribution based ESA. It isn't a choice. Contribution based is always paid first. You might get an income based 'top up' but never solely income based if also eligible for contribution based.

In the scenario we are talking about the DWP telling OP's son that he won't get ESA(C) due to time limiting which doesn't affect Support Group but does WRAG. As OP son has been on more than 12 months WRAG essentially means no more ESA(C) unless Support Group awarded again at some point in this claim.

fedupfreddie

Some confusion here, he is receiving Support C, not WRAG. We are worried that his upcoming assessment will place him in WRAG.

sportsarb

fedupfreddie wrote: »

Some confusion here, he is receiving Support C, not WRAG. We are worried that his upcoming assessment will place him in WRAG.

Yep.

If your son is on 5 years then essentially ESA(C) no longer applies if he is in WRAG. Incidentally, he should probably claim income related regardless, if entitled to income related when in the support group there is entitlement to enhanced disability premium which brings the award to £125.05.