Work capability assessment, I scored 0 points.

Iwanttobefree

Well that went well

When I was taken off ESA last Friday, I was put through to someone who asked if I wanted to claim Universal credit or JSA.

I picked JSA.

They gave me the website link.

On that link it said if you have received ESA in the last two weeks you cant do an online application.

So I phoned the number.

A lady talked me through everything and made an hour long appointment at my local Job Centre for 9:15 today

So my wife takes time off work to take me, we get there, no sign of my appointment anywhere.

They gave me access to a phone and a number to ring. They were Universal credit so gave me another number to ring.

The guy was most apologetic, apparently I'm in a Universal Credit only area, and there's a note on my file that I need to claim that instead.

A phone call would have been nice.

I am now about to fill out the online application for Universal credit.

Alice_Holt

Personally I would be very wary of claiming UC (which is a means tested benefit) until you have more info.

Your claim will be a joint claim with your wife. So her earnings will be taken into account.
If working part time she may be expected to increase her hours. If full time, it is likely no UC (without housing costs) will be payable . There is a lot of official confusion and mis-advice about UC (as you have discovered).

Were you claiming contribution-based ESA?
Are you paid Housing Benefit?
Are you in receipt of PIP, do you intend to claim PIP in the future?

I would suggest you get some advice from your local CAB / advice centre before going ahead with this UC claim.

You also need first to decide if you are actually going to appeal the ESA decision, if so then I would suggest not applying for UC.

If you are struggling to understand and process the advice you have been given on this thread, please discuss it with a family member; or go to your local CAB for face-to-face advice with your wife.
Benefits are complicated - there are:
- income based benefits (such as UC & HB);
- benefits based on past NI contributions (such as CB based ESA);
- benefits paid for a particular set of circumstances (such as PIP which is neither taxed nor means-tested).
You may not be able to simply substitute one benefit (i.e. contribution based ESA) for another (i.e.means-tested UC).

Get some accredited advice on your situation (including your debts), please don't just embark down a particular avenue without sensible guidance.

Iwanttobefree

I have no choice.

My job centre only does Universal Credit, they no longer deal with JSA at all. Apparently this is slowly being rolled out and mines one of the ones to go completely to UC

Otherwise I'm not going to receive a penny.

All I know is I was on incapacity benefit, that changed to ESA, they phoned me up and said I no longer qualify, and I now have to apply for UC (no other options).

Wasn't claiming any other benefits.

Hehe, just got a letter through the post dated 16th June saying my ESA is rising to £109.65

Muttleythefrog

Iwanttobefree wrote: »

Hehe, just got a letter through the post dated 16th June saying my ESA is rising to £109.65

Dear me... they can't get anything right. Would advise following Alice's advice above... and definitely determine very very soon if you are going to challenge the ESA decision.

Alice_Holt

Iwanttobefree wrote: »

I have no choice.
My job centre only does Universal Credit.
Otherwise I'm not going to receive a penny.

It may well be that after claiming UC, you will still not receive a penny.
UC is a means tested benefit to support individual or couples who are working on a low income (i.e. below the equivalent of working full time at minimum wage), or who are out of work.

Your claim will be a joint claim with your wife. So her earnings will be taken into account.
If working part time she may be expected to increase her hours. If full time, it is likely no UC (without housing costs) will be payable .

I would strongly suggest you get some advice from your local CAB / advice centre before going ahead with this UC claim.
The fact that your wife works, and you were given details of the single persons WRAG amount of £109.65pw ESA - suggests to me that this was contribution-based. Had you been assigned to the ESA Support Group previously?

Iwanttobefree

Hmm, now you have me worried.

On the phone to JSA at the job centre they told me I needed to go home and apply for UC online which is what I did, and yes my wife had to and we both have appointments for Wednesday next week.

I just looked up JSA and on https://www.gov.uk/jobseekers-allowance/how-to-claim

it says I can claim new style JSA if my area is Universal credit (my area is a full service area). I phoned the number and the person hadn't a clue. He said it was only for people who had made NI contributions in the last two years, I said I had been on ESA, would that count? He didn't know.

He gave me a number for their benefit helpline and their automated answering system ended up telling me to look online and hanging up my call.

I have just spoken to CAB, (was on hold for more than 30 mins), finally got through to a nice lady who took all my details, then said I will receive a call back from Yarmouth CAB to make an appointment sometime between Friday and Tuesday, so I am unlikely to get an appointment before my Wednesday job centre appointment.

Yes I was in the support group

Iwanttobefree

Medical report came today, too stressed to look at it today.

Having a day off from this

Torry_Quine

Unless you were in the support group then your contributions based ESA would only last a year. After that it would have to be an income based.

Although you were in the support group before that's no real indicator of the future.

Iwanttobefree

Spoke to Citizens advice today.

They said unfortunately in my area I have no choice but have universal credit as we are in a test area and JSA is not available.

I also sent my 17 page letter asking for a mandatory reconsideration of my ESA.

Iwanttobefree

Universal Credit is driving me nuts, the whole system is so stupid.

I had an appointment today, as did my wife. We both went prepared, with her self employment details, tax etc.

Only to get told that todays appointments are just to check ID.

I now have an appointment Friday to discuss working, my wife has one Monday. She also has to have one about her self employment. Thankfully she has it straight after her other appointment.

Each of these appointments means my wife moving clients around and working late to fit them in.

And she also had to do the same for my wasted appointment that didn't exist last week.

Even the guy at the Job centre said its stupid as she's been self employed 12 years, works at least 40 hrs a week on average, so isn't going to be told she needs to work more hrs etc.

Why they couldn't simply check ID at the same time as seeing what work I'm capable of doing, I don't know.

Speaking to him today, he said even if I fail my ESA appeal, due to my health issues, the chances are I'll be told I don't have to look for a job anyway, I told him I wanted to work, its just I'm very limited in what I can do. He said that would be fine, but they wouldn't expect me to go for interviews and apply for jobs every week

I wonder if the guy I see Friday says the same.

And of course it gets worse as nothings simple and straightforward.

To recap, I received a phone call on 16th saying my ESA had stopped. They transferred me to someone who said I had the choice of claiming Universal Credit or JSA.

I picked JSA, they gave me a number to ring, and they arranged an appointment on the 22nd at my Job Center.


I go to that appointment only to find I don't exist. After numerous phone calls while there, when put through to the JSA, it turns out there's a note put on my file saying that only Universal credit is available in my area. Of course no one phoned me to tell me this, and I was advised to go home and apply for Universal Credit online, which I did, and we had our ID appointments today.

BUT, it transpired today that my Universal Credit will only be paid from the 22nd, the day I claimed it, and in order to get it backdated to the 16th, I have to appeal.

Also my first Universal Credit payment will be on the 8th August, my ESA stopped on the 16th June.

They really really make it easy for people don't they