How many have migrated

kkkklinky

I'm asking on behalf of my neighbour who gets IRESA/Housing benefit as I'm on UC. She's panicking that she hasn't received a migration notice due to all them stupid newspaper articles stating money will stop in December. Just wondering how many people on the site are still getting ESA? I'm assuming it is still most people although i want to put her mind at ease. I would also assume they send reminder letters or a reminder text(if they have number).

Thanks

HillStreetBlues

Not that many have migrated from IR ESA to UC, they will start to ramp up the migration from Feb 25 when the plan to do over 2000 a day, so that all notice to migrate are sent by Dec 25

gbhxu

I only get IR ESA and have not had my letter yet.

TBH, if the letter is that important, the DWP should at least send the letter "Signed For."

kkkklinky

gbhxu said:

I only get IR ESA and have not had my letter yet.

TBH, if the letter is that important, the DWP should at least send the letter "Signed For."

I completely agree, my neighbour isn't the only one worried about a missing letter, in fact I know of one person that never received it due to having a communal mailbox and only found out when phoning ESA for an unrelated reason. These letters are important as they can severely impact someone's benefits and rent so they should have to be signed for or/and at least notified through a phonecall, text or email(if they have them). I've advised my neighbour to voluntarily migrate (which she wasn't aware she could do)since she would be better off on UC as she doesn't get the SDP, at least then she won't have to worry so much about letters due to the online journal. 

huckster

Several are sent including reminder letters.

If they were sent as signed for, no doubt the huge costs of this would result in reduced benefit rates.

TimeLord1

If they're getting local housing allowance the council would also know.  I think personally when UC started they kept sending out get ready Universal Credit leaflets is coming to Incapacity claimants only to move them to ESA now classed as legacy. So leaving people over a decade not really knowing when and if they would be moving. But they probably will never put people's minds at rest. Part's of UC will probably be replaced soon also. 

kaMelo

They only started to migrate legacy ESA only claimant's in September this year so I suspect not that many will have receiced a migration notice yet, especially as the aim is only to complete the notification process by the end of 2025.

I imagine DWP are focusing more on any remaining tax credits claimants as by my calculations they should all have received them by the end of this month to still allow the 3 + 1 month time frame to migrate before they close.

TimeLord1

I wonder if they will make any effort to look at why so many failed to claim after being sent migration notices. And what are the circumstances of those people now. Left the UK or returned home. Seems rather a lot that it needs looking into.

HillStreetBlues

TimeLord1 said:

I wonder if they will make any effort to look at why so many failed to claim after being sent migration notices. And what are the circumstances of those people now. Left the UK or returned home. Seems rather a lot that it needs looking into.

The failing to migrate is the reason the IR ESA migration was brought forward.

Newcad

A lot of the cases of failure to migrate from WTC are because of a non-working partner in a couple - who would be expected to jobseek 35 hours a week under UC.

We have seen a few threads here where someone has migrated and then closed their UC because the non-working partner was required to jobseek under UC.

Cries of "it's not worth it for a few quid a month" and I for one can't blame them.

(I'm also sure that the government/DWP knew well that it would happen and they are not too concerened at all).

Of course that won't be the same with ESA, any failures to migrate from ESA will be for very different reasons.

TimeLord1

Yes I suppose the lack of people claiming gave the system more space to add other claimants. Yes ESA failure should have a safety net implemented especially as I can remember disabled people in care homes struggling to switch from Incapacity benefit the hospitals had to deal with them. And Atos eventually had to do site assessments but originally treated people like they was capable to attend appointments. I think it will get messy for people like that.