ESA, UC & LCRWA

Lexicon5

poppy12345 said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Good news, congratulations!

If you ask for a copy of your assessment report (I can't remember the code for the form though, sorry) the HCP will likely have put a recommended time at the end. 

For ESA the assessment report is called ESA85. The only indication of a timescales in the report will be something along the lines of " in the medium term... or in the short term" it doesn't give a more clear timescale like the PIP assessment report does.

Although I am on ESA (which finishes at the end of June} I also claim UC.

The the form I filled in was the UC50 so do I request UC85?

poppy12345

Your ESA will not end in June because you'll be placed into the Support Group for this, which isn't time limited to 1 year. It's paid for as long as you remain in that group. It will continue to be deducted in full from your UC.

Yes UC85, you can request it by putting a message onto your journal.

Lexicon5

Thanks Poppy,  

It seems no one reads my journal.as in the last 2 weeks I have left 4 messages and no one has got back to me so I think I will ring and ask for the UC85 or I could be waiting forever!

Why do you think that they haven't mentioned that I have been placed in the ESA support group? They have just said that they have decided that I have limited capablility for work and work related activity with no mention of ESA or support group

calcotti

Lexicon5 said:

Why do you think that they haven't mentioned that I have been placed in the ESA support group? They have just said that they have decided that I have limited capablility for work and work related activity with no mention of ESA or support group

They don't need to. All that matters is that they have determined you have LCWRA. When a WCA decision is made the claimant only gets told the outcome, not the reason.

Lexicon5

Thanks Calcotti. 

I hope I don't have to go through the stress of a WCA too often as it really isn't doing my mental health any good.

Spoonie_Turtle

Lexicon5 said:

Why do you think that they haven't mentioned that I have been placed in the ESA support group? They have just said that they have decided that I have limited capablility for work and work related activity with no mention of ESA or support group

I would think as the WCA was carried out under UC they've only told you the UC-relevant bit.  It might be advisable to ring ESA to make sure they know the outcome and put you in the right group - UC and ESA don't always talk to each other even when they need to.

Lexicon5

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Lexicon5 said:

Why do you think that they haven't mentioned that I have been placed in the ESA support group? They have just said that they have decided that I have limited capablility for work and work related activity with no mention of ESA or support group

I would think as the WCA was carried out under UC they've only told you the UC-relevant bit.  It might be advisable to ring ESA to make sure they know the outcome and put you in the right group - UC and ESA don't always talk to each other even when they need to.

Thanks, I have done that just now.

The lady i spoke too advised they had recieved the decision today so I no longer need to send in fit notes. She also said that as I am already claiming UC for my rent the ESA will stop at the end of June and instead of getting both ESA & UC, that I will just get UC for the same amount as the ESA & UC together.

poppy12345

Lexicon5 said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Lexicon5 said:

Why do you think that they haven't mentioned that I have been placed in the ESA support group? They have just said that they have decided that I have limited capablility for work and work related activity with no mention of ESA or support group

I would think as the WCA was carried out under UC they've only told you the UC-relevant bit.  It might be advisable to ring ESA to make sure they know the outcome and put you in the right group - UC and ESA don't always talk to each other even when they need to.

 She also said that as I am already claiming UC for my rent the ESA will stop at the end of June and instead of getting both ESA & UC, that I will just get UC for the same amount as the ESA & UC together.

That's not correct. Your New style ESA will continue, at the rate i advised above, you don't want it to stop. New style ESA is not time limited when in the Support Group.

Financially you won't be better off but in the future it could come in useful because NsESA is not means tested like UC is. It also pays class 1 NI credits, where as UC pays only class 3.

Remember that when you ring ESA you're speaking to someone from a call centre and they usually have very little benefits knowledge.

calcotti

Lexicon5 said: She also said that as I am already claiming UC for my rent the ESA will stop at the end of June and instead of getting both ESA & UC, that I will just get UC for the same amount as the ESA & UC together.

It really is depressing that DWP call handlers give out such totally incorrect information.

Lexicon5

calcotti said:

Lexicon5 said: She also said that as I am already claiming UC for my rent the ESA will stop at the end of June and instead of getting both ESA & UC, that I will just get UC for the same amount as the ESA & UC together.

It really is depressing that DWP call handlers give out such totally incorrect information.

It is.

Thank goodness for this forum and thank you everyone for all your advice.