More info on benefits ESA + UC (newbi sorry)

MMD89

Hello and good evening. 

Thanks for clicking on.  
I am hoping for more information on the duel benefit ESA + UC. I am new here so please be aware. 
The benefit information is for my friend. She has severe medical conditions nerve pains and lumps on her spine as well as a brain condition. Her condition is progressively getting worse. 

Basically the question is what's the likelihood of getting the duel benefit and how much for an under 25. I seen online it says 341 a month it would better than the 140 she gets currently on UC ( Universal credit) her job seekers advisor said it would affect her benefit but didn't explain exactly how.  
Thanks in advance 

Best regards

Mark 

calcotti

To be able to claim new style ESA she will need to have paid or been credited with NI for both the tax years 2017-18 and 2018-19. She will need to have worked for at least 26 weeks in one of these years earning over £118/week. If ESA is awarded it is deducted in full from UC.

The monthly amount of UC for someone under 25 is £342 (plus help with rent if applicable). Why is she only getting £140?

For ESA the monthly equivalent is £255/month for someone under 25.

To claim ESA she needs a Fit Note ESA and will have to have a Work Capability Assessment. If found to have Limited Capability for Work and Work Related Activity the ESA will increase. However she can also report a health condition, with a Fit Note, to UC and if the WCA results in LCWRA the UC will increase. The increase for UC will be more than the increase for ESA.

it is difficult to advise without knowing why her UC is being reduced.

Alan15

Hello Mark, try the following:   www.gov.UK/universal-credit 
Not sure if you can claim both as UC is replacing lot of benefits including ESA.  If your friends' condition is terminal (hope for her sake it isn't) she may be able to get PIPs under the terminal illness scheme. As for amount of money, it might not be much. 
Wish you both well and success with sorting this as it isn't easy for you or your friend. 

Spoonie_Turtle

Has she worked and paid national insurance at all in the last two years? New-style ESA is dependent on NI contributions. Otherwise she'll have to apply for Limited Capacity for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCW or LCWRA). The only one that means any more money is payable is LCWRA, which is the equivalent of the Support Group in ESA. The assessment is based on how conditions affect one's ability to work, not based on diagnosis. The assessment criteria are the same for both UC and ESA.
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/employment-and-support-allowance/before-you-apply-for-esa/check-if-you-can-claim-esa/

To meet the National Insurance conditions, you’ll need to have a full year of contributions for both tax years. You must have either:

• both full years from employment or self-employment

• 1 full year from employment or self-employment and the other full year from National Insurance credits

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/employment-and-support-allowance/help-with-your-esa-claim/fill-in-form/

Info about the what's actually assessed (the descriptors):
https://www.entitledto.co.uk/help/ESA_criteria
https://wcainfo.net/

If she applied for and was awarded ESA it would be deducted £1 for £1 from her UC anyway. (I suppose if she claimed ESA and it reduced her UC to 0 she could come off UC if she wanted to - but then she'd lose any income-based entitlement to things like free NHS treatment, any concessions for entry to places, that kind of thing.)

Does she currently claim PIP? If so then the assessment is a similar kind of process. Different criteria but broadly similar ways of assessing.

EDIT: Just realised I cross-posted with calcotti due to taking so long to type! The page didn't tell me there were any other replies when I checked after posting *facepalm*

Alan15

Mark, this is the link for claiming PIP with terminal illness. Apologies in advanced if this does not apply to your friend:  www.gov.uk/pip/claiming-pip-if-youre-terminally-ill

MMD89

Thank you guys for the responses didn't expect that at all. 

She had been working in Londonderry for years before her conditions made her unable to work. 
I have passed the information to her so hopefully she will do something for more money living on UC Is very tough. 

On the PIP she wants to try that but articulating her conditions to paper is what we are finding the hard bit. 

Best regards 

Mark 

calcotti

Spoonie_Turtle said:

EDIT: Just realised I cross-posted with calcotti due to taking so long to type! The page didn't tell me there were any other replies when I checked after posting *facepalm*

That happens to me quite often too.