Income Support for carers, but have to see a Health and work adviser?

[Deleted User]

Received my letter saying my ESA has stopped. So I have phoned to ask for a mandatory reconsideration. I was told they will send me out my medical report, and I have to write back saying why I think the decision is wrong. I said ok. I said I read that I can claim Income Support while this happens, as I am also a carer for my mum? He said yes you can, and gave me the phone number for the new claims hotline.

I phoned up and explained my situation. The woman said ok, said call will take around 30 minutes and I said ok. Asked me about my situation, if I am sick, what illnesses I have, the reasons why I cant work etc.

At the end of the call, she said that I will need to go and see a heath and work adviser on Friday, to see what kind of work I can do. I said, oh, I thought I would automatically qualify for Income Support as I am a carer and not have to see a health adviser about work. She said no, only single parents automatically qualify for Income Support, and I will need to see the health and work adviser, to see what kind of work I can do.

She then said if I do qualify for Income Support, my claim will start from the 28th of June.

Really confused here, as I never knew you had to see a health and work adviser to claim Income support. Plus if I am in the process of a mandatory reconsideration for ESA, and if be an appeal for ESA, is this the correct procedure?

Thanks.

Diary

My husband and I decided to claim income support rather than ESA after the appalling way DWP treated me regarding my first PIP claim. Neither of us are well enough to cope with ESA and the DWP.

Unless it has changed in the last week, you should only have one short interview at the job centre within the first week of your claim and then once every 3 years. In our case we are simply left to our own very limited devices but this is offset by absolutely no hassle from the DWP.

pmlindyloo

Deleted_User wrote: »

Received my letter saying my ESA has stopped. So I have phoned to ask for a mandatory reconsideration. I was told they will send me out my medical report, and I have to write back saying why I think the decision is wrong. I said ok. I said I read that I can claim Income Support while this happens, as I am also a carer for my mum? He said yes you can, and gave me the phone number for the new claims hotline.

I phoned up and explained my situation. The woman said ok, said call will take around 30 minutes and I said ok. Asked me about my situation, if I am sick, what illnesses I have, the reasons why I cant work etc.

At the end of the call, she said that I will need to go and see a heath and work adviser on Friday, to see what kind of work I can do. I said, oh, I thought I would automatically qualify for Income Support as I am a carer and not have to see a health adviser about work. She said no, only single parents automatically qualify for Income Support, and I will need to see the health and work adviser, to see what kind of work I can do.

She then said if I do qualify for Income Support, my claim will start from the 28th of June.

Really confused here, as I never knew you had to see a health and work adviser to claim Income support. Plus if I am in the process of a mandatory reconsideration for ESA, and if be an appeal for ESA, is this the correct procedure?

Thanks.

I actually referred to this in your last thread.

If you claim Income Support you may have to go to a work focused interview.

If you are unable to leave your mum and/or cannot provide care cover for her during the interview time or such an interview would be no use to you now or in the future because of your caring duties then the interview can be waived.

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/253529/response/623189/attach/html/2/FoI%20563.pdf.html

Most carers who have attended these interviews say that when they have explained their caring commitments then there is no further interviews for a number of years (if at all).

As regards being in the process of an appeal for ESA then there may be a possibility of their not changing the decision and your remaining on Income support.

The principle behind it is that most people would prefer to work if they can and the work focused interviewed is designed to see how they can help and support you to achieve this. It is not the same as job seeking - more like courses they might be able to offer etc etc

Of course caring duties may prevent this and in your case, your disabilities may also prevent this.

Just saying the principles behind it

TELLIT01

Deleted_User wrote: »

She then said if I do qualify for Income Support, my claim will start from the 28th of June.

Did she explain why your claim will only start from 28th of June? Under normal circumstances the claim will be taken from the date you made it.

pmlindyloo

TELLIT01 wrote: »

Did she explain why your claim will only start from 28th of June? Under normal circumstances the claim will be taken from the date you made it.

I suspect that the ESA claim will not actually stop until that date.

TELLIT01

pmlindyloo wrote: »

I suspect that the ESA claim will not actually stop until that date.

Possible but it seems unlikely. ESA normally ceases from the date of the notification letter. 28th is still a couple of weeks away.

hildosaver

You could apply for carer's allowance if you are eligible

TELLIT01

Deleted_User wrote: »

I said I read that I can claim Income Support while this happens, as I am also a carer for my mum?

I said, oh, I thought I would automatically qualify for Income Support as I am a carer

Having just re-read the OP you state that you care for your mother, you don't say that you are in receipt of Carers Allowance. If you are receiving CA then the interview will be pretty much a formality. The interview is carried out at the Job Centre and the outcome passed to the processing office for the IS claim to be actioned. I don't recall any claim for Income Support being rejected by the Job Centre when CA was in payment.

I must qualify that by saying that other aspects such as level of capital, earnings etc might still make a claimant ineligible for IS despite being in receipt of CA.