Claiming ESA after redundancy

Riverstone58

Hello!

I am about to be made redundant and I will finish work anytime between the next two weeks to two months. The actual date is yet to be decided but for my particular role I am expecting this to be sooner rather than later but I have no idea at present.

I have a serious heart complaint and due to this and other issues I am intending to claim ESA once my employment ends due to restrictions in the type of work I can do due the fatigue and weakness I experience due to my health. If relevant, I am almost 65 and currently work full time at around 37 hours per week.

I appreciate the amount is a pittance to live on but what are the expectations of having to look for work during the assessment period?

Apart from a UC low income top up, I have had nothing to do with unemployment benefits for the best part of 40 years so I'm totally lost with all of this new stuff if anyone can help?

Thanks in advance.

HillStreetBlues

if your Dr issues you with a fit (sick) note while waiting for the ESA decision then you can not be made to apply for a job.
But anything up to that can vary greatly depending on your work coach.

Without a fit (sick) note, I believe you would be treated as a job seeker so would be JSA.

poppy12345

HillStreetBlues said:

Without a fit (sick) note, I believe you would be treated as a job seeker.

That makes no sense. You need a fit note to be able to claim ESA anyway, otherwise your claim won’t proceed. 

Riverstone58

Thanks for the quick replies.

That's what I was wondering and which is what I'm totally lost about.

I've been with my current employer for 30 years, apart from a 6 month break,  and I wouldn't have a clue how to apply for a job let alone write a CV or attend an interview.

Basically I work in a callcentre doing mainly back office work such as emails and web chat. The campaign I have been working on for the past 11 years is being outsourced to a different provider and as there are no other openings for me (and roughly a hundred others) is the reason for the redundancy.

Due to my health I wouldn't be able to take any roles involving standing, lifting, walking (normal walking around the office is fine but the vast majority of my time is spent sitting), etc etc so I don't know what to do.

There are no similar roles to what I do in my area so I guess when I'm made redundant I have to go to discuss this with my doctor?

Really worried now.

HillStreetBlues

poppy12345 said:

HillStreetBlues said:

Without a fit (sick) note, I believe you would be treated as a job seeker.

That makes no sense. You need a fit note to be able to claim ESA anyway, otherwise your claim won’t proceed. 

Whoops, got interrupted, now corrected.

poppy12345

Riverstone58 said:

There are no similar roles to what I do in my area so I guess when I'm made redundant I have to go to discuss this with my doctor?

Really worried now.

Just ask them for a fit note and tell them why.

Spoonie_Turtle

A fit note doesn't have to say you're not fit for work, it can say you have X condition and are therefore only fit for work that meets certain restrictions.

Realistically thougn many GPs simply issue ones saying you're not fit for work by default.