ESA / UC Managed Migration and New-Style ESA

Robbie64

After receiving a migration notice (ESA / HB) I applied for UC on 21 May 2025. My ESA was made up on both income-related and contributory ESA. In addition I also received Housing Benefit.

My migration went through without a problem, and I now get Universal Credit instead of the income-related part of ESA and Housing Benefit. My contributory ESA is deducted from my UC entitlement (at a rate of £609.05 per month). I receive conts based ESA each fortnight (£281.10).

However, so far I have not had a letter to say that my conts based ESA will be changing to new-style ESA despite my claim for UC being made 2 months ago (on 21 May 2025). In most migration cases I have read about, here at MSE and elsewhere, the person migrating to UC who also has conts based ESA in payment has received a letter regarding new-style ESA stating that conts based ESA will change to new-style ESA and that the person will have to accept a claimant committment to receive new-style ESA. This letter seems to arrive around the time that the UC claim was made. My conts based ESA has continued in payment so possibly there is no problem... but I do wonder why I haven't received a letter. Is this something I should be worried about, or something I should be chasing up? Could it simply be down to backlogs in the system due to the increase in the amount of cases being migrated? I worry that a letter could have been sent but it hasn't arrived.

Newcad

As you correctly guess it's because of backlogs.

When they decided that UC could cope with more migration notices and ramped up how many they are sending out nobody though to ask if ESA could also cope with such increased numbers of migrations. (Left hand, Right hand).

So ESA have got into backlogs with confirming LCW/LCWRA status for migrations, and with changing Legacy CB ESA to New style ESA.

The first one affects UC payments, so they are concentrating on reducing that backlog.

The second one is not as urgent because the CB ESA still in payment is the same amount for both Legacy and New Style, it's basicly just a name change and the need to sign a ESA Claimant Commitment so it doesn't really matter if it's delayed a bit longer.

They will get round to you eventually.

Robbie64

Thanks Newcad.

Other than not (so far) receiving a letter about changing to new-style ESA / agreeing a NS-ESA claimant committment, everything else about the migration process went smoothly, including the LCWRA and Transitional Protection amounts being included in the first payment.

I'll just wait for ESA to get in touch with me.

Newcad

The DWP have said that they have now got on top of the LCW/LCWRA verification backlogs for migrations, not sure if that's actually true or just talk.

I guess time will tell.

Starbright2

@Robbie64 I had my letter on the 7th of July, since then I haven't heard anything no phone call, no more letters, nothing on my U/C journal or my to do list. So there also seems a backlog once you get the letter from when you get an appointment.