Nightmare with ESA IB migration to Universal Credit

Gorich

Anybody else having real issues with this. I applied for UC one week prior to the migration deadline. I do not have any photo ID and my health issues meant I could not attend the Job Centre to verify my identity. I also do not have a mobile phone so I was permanently sat by the landline waiting for contact to arrange a home visit for 5 weeks (advised would receive a call in 2-3 days!). Eventually after several calls initiated by me which were extremely difficult as my increasing anxiety as a result of all this meant I was stuttering very badly and on one occasion I had a full blown panic attack whilst on the call. I also made journal messages to them to chase which was a waste of time as all went unanswered.  I got a visit in week 6 after intervention of a regional manager. All now good I thought - wrong. Claim put into payment - award made for standard amount of 400.15 - system also stated that a payment of 400.15 had been made weeks prior to my account being put in payment. No health related element awarded, no transitional payment awarded and impossible that an earlier payment had been made when my identity had not been verified at the date this payment was meant to have been made. Immediately highlighted these errors via a journal message. Due to previous lack of response I then rang and asked for this journal message to be treated as a mandatory reconsideration. The call centre would not accept this as a mandatory reconsideration and stated that the query would be resolved promptly by a case manager. Today, Saturday (?), a new payment schedule has been lodged on my account. Health element now added but still no transitional payment and the supposed earlier payment that was not made has not been corrected. I really cannot take any more of this. I struggle to be understood and explain myself clearly due to my speech/anxiety issues so I cannot verbally engage with them again and  they fail to address the issues outlined within the journal or explain why I might be wrong (although I am not) and it appears they have a right to block me from a mandatory reconsideration so I really do not know what to do next. Anybody else had a mandatory reconsideration request refused ? 

NedS

You can only request a mandatory reconsideration (MR) when a decision has been made with which you do not agree.

In this case, I do not think DWP have made a formal decision not to pay you the health element or the transitional protection element, but rather they have not processed these parts of your claim into payment yet hence you cannot yet request an MR. If DWP were to tell you that you are not entitled to the health element or transitional protection (rather than just being slow to process these elements of your claim) and you do not agree with this, that is the time to request an MR.

For now, all you can do is chivvy them along to get the health element and transitional protection sorted ASAP and make any payment you may now be due.

KxMx

What was your ESA amount before migration to UC?