Support Group without having medical.

[chelsea_clio]

Hi there,

I am currently in receipt of IB and received an ESA50 in February which I completed and sent back. I received a letter today stating that I have been placed in the support group and I didn't have a medical. The letter states that ICB will be paid until 15th June when I will then receive contributions-based ESA. The letter outlines the amounts to be paid and states that the amounts apply from 15th June until 29 November 2012. Does this mean I will have to resubmit another ESA50? I was in an exempt category for incapacity benefits due to having severe heart problems before the migration process started.

[Stepheninleeds]

That is strange, the limit is a year. I am sure someone can explain this.

[davewhit]

That is strange, the limit is a year. I am sure someone can explain this.

no time limit on CB ESA in support group

[gabopentin]

I was assessed by the ESA system and after I challenged what had been 'forgotten' to be put onto the computer I received a letter 2 weeks after saying I was not entitled to any payment, NI contributions would be credited and I was placed in the unable to work group with reviews as necessary. Without a medical. Possibly now they have the system almost polished to refuse practically everyone, when I am 'reviewed' sometime next year I will end up being moved, all for NI credits.

[Stepheninleeds]

OK, Dave, it is the other one then. I am still so confused on ESA. God help me when I am forced onto it. I can see me posting here & rushing to the CAB for help.

I am not even sure what ESA is. I have said this before, it seems like something to stop people getting benefits & support. Yes, something better than JSA is needed for those who either cannot work or need help getting back to work. That was IS, but that never helped people back to work as such. The question I have is does being on ESA give you the support you need to try to get back into work, & does it support those who cannot work?

[Neilfisk]

I am and have been on ESA for about 2 1/2 years now. I had a medical and " passed" and was put into the WRAG. After speaking to GPs and my welfare advisor I was told to appeal their decision due to the severity of my disease. I appealed and about 8 months later was at a tribunal where I was in for not even 5 minutes and the judges said "why do the DWP do this, they are wasting public money". I was put into the support group BUT I have had a medical 3 times now, every year. And every year I have to appeal and also win my appeal at tribunal stage. I believe that when your in the support group you are not forced to find work, but you can if you wanted to. The WRAG, and I believe, you are forced to find work.

[davewhit]

OK, Dave, it is the other one then. I am still so confused on ESA. God help me when I am forced onto it. I can see me posting here & rushing to the CAB for help.

I am not even sure what ESA is. I have said this before, it seems like something to stop people getting benefits & support. Yes, something better than JSA is needed for those who either cannot work or need help getting back to work. That was IS, but that never helped people back to work as such. The question I have is does being on ESA give you the support you need to try to get back into work, & does it support those who cannot work?

ESA replaced IB which is normaly paid to someone who is sick but was working average time line would be ... at work become sick get works sick pay if no better after time on works sick pay moved to ESA at first the ESA would be based on NI paid while working so is called CB or contributaion based which would mean you could have loads of money in the bank and the wife working full time earning lots of money .......... as CB esa is now time limited to 12 months when the time is up they look at savings hours worked by partner and there income rule of thumb and stats released mean many people about 400,000 now getting ESA CB stop from April 2012 onwards so all the people whos esa stopped now living on private pensions partners income or savings

the only people NOT limited to 12 months CB ESA are in the support group

[Stepheninleeds]

This is one of the many reasons it confuses me Neil, & Dave. Everything you say makes sense Dave, but ESA seems to be the most confusing & contrary benefit there has ever been, & I was stuck on JSA while caring for my disabled mother & could not work as I had to take care of her, but still had to sign on to say I was looking for work. OK, yes, that is confusing, but not as bad as ESA is. What confused me about ESA is that no one there applies the rules at all for it, less so than any other benefit. This is why I find it so hard to advise people on it, & really cannot grasp it at all.

[davewhit]

This is one of the many reasons it confuses me Neil, & Dave. Everything you say makes sense Dave, but ESA seems to be the most confusing & contrary benefit there has ever been, & I was stuck on JSA while caring for my disabled mother & could not work as I had to take care of her, but still had to sign on to say I was looking for work. OK, yes, that is confusing, but not as bad as ESA is. What confused me about ESA is that no one there applies the rules at all for it, less so than any other benefit. This is why I find it so hard to advise people on it, & really cannot grasp it at all.

you where left on jsa as in theory had a job come long you could do that fitted in with your caring duties you would have to have taken it ?

did you then become sick too?

[Stepheninleeds]

No. My mother became disabled overnight. She needed full time care. We had no help at all. Nothing from Social Services, no benefits, nothing. I had to fight for a month to get her medical treatment, & to save her from being paralysed from the neck down. Social Services said they could not help until she saw a specialist. Benefits said they could not help until she saw a specialist.

I went on JSA because they said I had to as she was not getting any benefits then, claims were pending. I was nto classed as her carer as she was not officially disabled. So I had to work, I had no reason for giving up my job & no right to benefits. So at first I had to sign on but not get anything. Then I could sign on & get a little. Then I did not sign on & got nothing. Then once we had eaten all the Hundreds & Thousands, the things in the back of the freezer, the rusty tins of food, we had nothing. Then I got something. During all this we could not even get one of those (What do they call it?) loans when you have no money coming in & no benefits. They said no as we were not actually in receipt of benefits, when were were we could apply. I said that when we finally did get benefits we would not need that emergency loan.

I became disabled about 6 months after her. I had some issues, but they were manageable, which I had all my life & had been fighting to prove I had, & failed at that point. I got the flu in later 2003 & never got better.