Showing results for tags 'esa'.
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Hi, my advisor says I can not have telephone interviews anymore, which has really distressed me. I can not make physical appointments at all. I find it hard enough to even make it to my doctors (the only time I do out, with someone with me) Maybe 3 times a year or less. So I was just asking for help if this is true or not? Because If I can't make appointments.... then I will lose my benefits? Thank you.
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Hi, I'm posting for SWIM but I hope you can offer advice. My friend's been on JSA for nearly 12 months, but the truth of it is she doesn't really want a job. She's in one of those benefit trap positions where she lives in London and gets so much housing benefit that if she were to work then she'd have to move out of her flat, because work wouldn't pay. Yep, crazy I know, but that's the reality. However, now she's coming up to a year of signing on, her adviser has referred her to Work Program and is also threatening some sort of Community Payback gig where she'll have to remove graffiti like some sort of common criminal, or volunteer for some immigrant charity which she disagrees with out of principle. So, she was told that if she went to the doctor and said she felt A&D (which apparently is the buzzword for anxious and depressed) then the GP would give her a sick note she could take to her adviser and claim ESA instead which would get her out of any of the nastiness which is being threatened. Is it really that simple? Just because apparently everyone's doing it, I'm not sure it's right. What about the people who are really depressed?
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Hi all, I am posting on behalf of my brother who has learning difficulties. He has been receiving ESA and DLA over the last 4 years. The benefit is automatically paid into his bank account. My brother is 30 years old however his learning difficulty is such that his mental age is probably 7/8. He cannot read or write, or understand danger, signs etc. My parents or I do everything for him. He does not manage his own bank accounts, we do this all for him. His money has only even been used when I cannot afford to pay for anything for him, my mother always thought that because he does not work, he will need something when they cannot support him anymore, both my parents are at pension age. I would ask for his money to be paid into a savings account. This has now built up to £25,000, bearing in mind that he does not have funds leaving his account and my parents and I pay for everything that he needs. I also was not aware that you were not allowed to receive ESA once the savings reach £16000. This has been the case for the last three years. I cannot continue to support him and neither can my parents as I now have my own dependents. He is currently sleeping in my 3 year old daughters room, or room sharing. I understand that we will need to pay back the last three years of overpayment. What will happen to his ESA? Can I spend the money on converting the loft area as his bedroom? He cannot bath or shave on his own and my father does this, can I spend some on a shower room? We need to present our statements to the job centre next week. I am extremely stressed thinking about what may happen. I have personally never claimed benefits and I had no idea regarding the rules. I understand that we should have spent his money on him and not used ours. I do not have any savings. What are our options and what can happen? We do not have anything to hide and just made a mistake which he will be penalised for. Would it be beneficial exhaling this to the job centre? Will they ask for the overpayment as one lump sum? Will my brother still receive his ESA once this has been resolved? That is my main worry, if he stops receiving his benefits, I cannot continue to support him. Paying back the overpayment will bring him back down to around £5000. Any advice would be recommended?
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Hello all, Hopefully there's someone out there that can help me make sense of my situation. I suffer from severe anxiety and depression which prevents me, almost completely, from going out or having any social interaction (the last time I left the house was 3 months ago to attend my WCA). I had to move back in with my parents last August because I couldn't manage on my own. I applied for ESA in August 2015 and subsequently scored 6 points at the WCA in October. I applied for mandatory reconsideration which resulted in an additional 6 points (total 12) being awarded. I applied for appeal in Dec 2015 and my ESA payments were reinstated 3 days ago. However, today I received another ESA50. The timing of this seems more than a coincidence and I am unsure of the process that follows. Since I am pending an appeal hearing (I don't have a date yet), what happens if/when I fail the medical again? I can understand the DWP reassessing people who have been accepted for ESA (after a reasonable period of time), but I can't find any instance of a reassessment being carried out prior to an appeal, particularly since it has only been 3 months since my last one. I, like most, have had a pretty rotten experience of the DWP and I can't help but suspect that this reassessment is some backhand tactic. I also find them extremely distressing since being interrogated by someone I don't know in a place outside of my home is an almost guaranteed panic attack. Can anyone tell me if i am just being paranoid, or is there something more sinister at foot. Are they trying to trip me up? If I fail the reassessment, will I still receive ESA payments until my appeal? Many thanks for your time.
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my son recently made an ESA about 4 weeks ago only to find out that his claim was refused because he apparently claimed for a similar problem before and was signed off by ATOS so had to claim JSA. He has been without any income since the 18th August no letter was sent and now he has to wait until JSA is accepted. What I would like to know is there any financial help he can get to tie him over until his claim has been sorted out as I cannot help him because I have a very limited amount myself. Please can anyone advise what he can do for now and also will they or can they backdate his claim? Many thanks Mashmallow
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First post. Hope I have done everything right. My situation: Working for a company but end up ill due to stress Have autism and drepression Got signed off sick and applied for esa About to send off second 4 week sick note but the thought of returning to work is causing stress as it is a customer facing role which I struggle with. Would I be allowed to resign from work or will I be sanctioned?
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I am hoping someone can give me some advice. My partner has been signed off work since September and has all his sick lines etc from doctor. His boss has point blank refused to pay SSP, has threatened us and has said he doesn't want him back but not given him a p45 or SSP1 form. We are dealing with a lawyer with regards to the refusal to pay SSP and unfair dismissal and the cases are progressing. However we have just been told that he cannot get ESA because he should be getting SSP and we have no way of proving that he is not getting it. His ex employers are not nice people, I don't need to go into the details but they will not give us anything believe me and after spending at least half an hour on the phone to ESA helpline they will not change their decision without either form SSP1 or a letter headed letter from his old employer - neither of which I can get. I don't even have anything to prove when his employment ended. They advised claiming jobseekers which shows how much they know about their own system since you cannot get jobseekers if you are not fit to work. We don't expect him to be fit for work in the near future. Surely there must be something we can do?
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Hello I lost my job last week, I hated it so it wasn't a big deal. I'd been there for 15 months but truth be told it felt like 15 years. I was almost glad when they told me I wasn't needed anymore. But it's left me in financially troubling times. I kind of walked out due to anxiety issues rather than being sacked. I wanted some advice before I go to the job centre tomorrow please - I've been told that if I walked out I can't claim Job Seekers, but if I can claim mental illness it's like a kind of catch all that can never be proved and they have to give me benefit. It's the truth that I get panic attacks when I get stressed or am forced to do jobs I don't want to. I'm very sensitive and don't appreciate working in environments that don't respect my individuality. Reading some of the threads here it means I've got anxiety and that's something I can get ESA for. So, truth be told. my anxiety is pretty crippling at times, not like a real disease like cancer, but is it bad enough to get ESA? I don't think I can get JSA but how am I suppossed to live? You all seem good at loopholes, so any advice would REALLLY be appreciated right about now! thanks
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Hello. I am currently getting income based JSA for about 1 year now. I stay with my mum, But all of a sudden my mum is saying i need to pay £27 towards to rent as the council will only pay £109. So why now do i need to pay. I have a brother who gets ESA, and my mum gets income support. What are causing the housing benefit deduction, My brother only started claiming ESA this year in march, And all of a sudden the housing benefit is cut. So could someone help me because i am getting the impression the cut is because of me but i have been getting jsa for around a year and my mum has been getting full housing benefit since untill now.
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Hi, I'm new here. I'm currently on ESA in the support group. I received a letter a few weeks ago saying that as I'm now approaching state pension age ( 6th January 2016) I was going to be paid £111.28p a week as off 25th January. I don't qualify for the full amount of £115 as I don't have enough stamps. My question is...will I be eligible for pension credit on top of my state pension as this amount is a lot less than I was getting on ESA. I live alone. Thanks in advance for any replies. -
Hello and Happy new year everyone! After struggling financially with my benefits over the christmas period was saying how great it would be to have some money saved up from over the year to buy a few gifts and extra's at christmas. At the moment I have one account and no credit cards. Looking at my bank I might be able to open an online savings account where I could put £10 here and there away for christmas and emergencies. I am worried about applying for one though in case it triggers anything in regards to my benefits as I am currently on ESA in the support group. Can anyone advise me in this matter?
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I'm on ESA and PIP due to severe mental health problems. I live in England and am single. A friend typed this up for me as I'm unable to manage this type of thing usually, but I'm really worried and desparate for some advice. A week ago I had to attend a Compliance Interview at the Job Centre. When I got there it turned out they thought I'd had too much savings in the past, and they wanted to see bank statements. Turns out it was their mistake and the bank statements show I'm in the clear. However, during the interview the Officer became extremely unpleasant and aggressive, questioning me about my living situation. They then insisted that I'd have to come back for another interview. I'm presently homeless, only just got a raise in benefit which will enable me to sort out a place, so they are having a go at me for having too much savings to be homeless- even though I haven't had a chance to sort anything out. They then started to rant about how a friend who I stay with occasionally and am very close to must be my partner (even though we're a male and female and both gay), and then insisted I must return for another interview. The whole process took a big toll on my mental health and has set me back majorly both in terms of my recovery and sorting my living situation. My main question is, do I have the right to bring a friend into the interview with me? Just to provide emotional support. Do they have the right to refuse that? I am trying to get an 'advocate' from Mind sorted, but it might be too short notice. Also, although I've got nothing to hide (as the evidence in my bank accounts shows), I'm very worried about how confused I get about details and keeping track of things- in my last interview it seemed that they were trying to trip me up constantly. I don't want to be in trouble for fraud because I get confused! Can they take my benefits away? Any advice at all would be so helpful. Thankyou very much bones
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hello, my husband is currently receiving contribution based esa £73.10 pw, and his company is to finish him on ill health with 3 months pay for termination of contract will this affect his esa payments.
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received a letter on thursday saying they had gotten my appeal and to wait for an appointment at tribunal. now ive been told different things about claiming ESA while waiting on the tribunal. ive been currently made to sign on,i sign the first day and within 2 days i was sent to some silly course. im not exactly fit for work but had to agree to that or i'd have no money apart from cb and ctc. i just dont think its plausable that i keep claiming this as my 1 of my conditions get worse with the cold weather which makes it hard for me to use my hands and my legs go as well. so long story short can i claim esa assesment rate while waiting for this and if so who do i contact about it. thanks
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I was one of the first people to go through the ESA nightmare. Failed then appealed, placed in WRAG, appealed again finally placed in support group. On DLA awaiting PIP assessment. My wife as two types of Arthritis which over the last two years as forced her to give up nearly all her work. We manage at present but I believe that shortly my wife will need more help than I can give her due to my own physical limitations. Both my wife and I found my experience of the ESA/DLA very stressful. I ended up in hospital with severe mental health problems and my wife is very reluctant to but herself through this herself. As anyone on CAG made a Joint Claims and if they have what are the pitfalls or benefits of doing so?
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After many cancellations and a strongly worded letter from my GP and support worker instead of putting me in a group I've got a home visit on thursday and my anxiety and anger is flowing like mad! I don't know how to deal with this interigation in my own home. I have a feeling I'll be that scared of them I will rage as soon as I open the door to them I really don't know how to cope with this on thursday. I've read so many horror stories all over the Internet and I'm frightened that I will be the next person to write the next horror story! I'm just so terrified. I can't face the interigation! What happens if they hit my last nerve and I snap? I can't cope with all this! Please help me, give me advice. I'm generally so scared and so angry about all this! I just wish I didn't have to deal with this crap. I've already got other worries on top of this rubbish PS I have BPD, depression anxiety and other things to be diagnosed by psych
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Was just wondering if you've been on ESA for a few years and close your claim to move to a job you've been offered as it would pay more than the Permitted Work rules allow but then find you can't cope as the pressure of the job quickly starts to exacerbate your medical condition are you able to do a rapid reclaim and go back to where you were or would you be looking at going through the ESA system from day 1 again?
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Just looking for a bit of advice. I received a letter on Saturday saying my health questionnaire needed to be completed by December 2nd. I didn't know what they were talking about as I hadn't received any questionnaire from them. I have spoken to someone today who said a questionnaire had been sent but they put a new one in the post and I am to return it as soon as possible. They did say that I would miss the deadline for Decemeber 2nd and that a decision maker would decide on whether not receiving the original form would be a good enough reason for submitting the replacement late. The person I spoke to on the phone said it probably wouldn't be as post would be assumed as recevied as its been posted. It was then stated that if it goes against me I would receive no money until I pass a medical assessment that could be a good 6 months away or more. Even if they agree to accept my reason why it was late then I would not receive any money before Christmas. I am due to be paid next Tuesday and now I have to face the prospect of no money coming in to pay bills. As I have been signed off with anxiety then this situation is not helping matters. Is there anything I can do or just accept my fate when I return the new form? Thanks
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Hi all Thanks for taking the time to read this.. I have been on ESA Contribution based since 13th October last year...seen their Doctor in January of this year and was placed in WRAG in March of this year.... At the time of applying for ESA I received a reply stating that I was entitled to both Contribution based and Income based but as I have always worked I was entitled to the Contribution based... I know you can only receive this for a year and my question is will I automatically transfer over to income based or should I ring them on Monday? I hate the thoughts of ringing them as I always feel like a beggar when I am having to deal with them and really only want to ring if I really really have to lol (honest to god, I go from a 46 year old fully competent person to a nervous wreck when I have to deal with them) As my contribution based is due to run out next week, if there is something to be reapplied for should they have not sent me a something in the post before this? I have tried googling this but cant seem to find the answer anywhere... I live in Northern Ireland just incase that makes a difference.. Thanks for reading this far.. Cheers Trinity....
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Hello everybody, I was awarded Support Group ESA in May 2014 until December 2015 which is when my SG WCA is due for renewal. I have recently just been awarded PIP from the 22nd of December 2014 until December 2018. I know my reassessment for ESA is quite far away but is there anything I can gather to help my review later this year? Reports from the decisions of my awards? I suffer from mental health problems I did see a Psychiatrist earlier this year but she was not very helpful and I am not very keen on seeing another :/ Any advice is helpful. I currently have my decision letter from my current ESA decision and my PIP decision. Just stressing and worrying about this renewal for ESA at the end of 2015.
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I need some advice. I have just been informed today by HRMC via a P800 in the post that I am due a tax refund from 2007 for £2,570. It seems a former employer screwed up and it taken this long for it to be discovered. Anyhow a nice early xmas present once the cheque arrives from the tax man. I am pretty sure I have to inform the DWP of this and it will not put me over the £6,000 limit that for sure.However, as I am on esa in the support group, how will this refund affect that if at all? I am also on housing and council tax benefit.
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Hi Guys I need help for my relative, she is on ESA WRAG income related , shes claiming over a year now and have not received reassessment letter yet. She has some savings around £15000, can anybody confirm if she is ok and her ESA payments will not effect if she let the relevant authorities know about her savings. Thanks
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Hello, 9 I have recently failed my ESA medical after scoring less than the required amount of points needed. I have appealed the decision made by the DWP. I am in receipt of housing benefit at the moment as well. I have claimed ESA a few years ago for a different health condition and once again I failed the medical. At this time I was also in receipt of Housing Benefit and Child Tax Credit and Child Benefit for my daughter, who no longer receives these benefit's but still lives with me. When I appealed the ESA decision a few years ago, I was able to keep my HB claim ongoing as I still had an income from my daughter's CB and CTC. This time however, I don't have this as an income. I am currently meeting my day to day living needs from a small amount of money given to me each week by my other daughter. My concern is will I still receive HB whilst I'm appealing the decision made by the DWP this time around as I have no income of my own? Will Housing Benefit allow me to receive my weekly award if I have no income of my own? I know I will get the basic assessment rate of ESA whilst my appeal is being looked at but whilst I am waiting for my appeal to go through (which I hear takes around a fortnight) I will have no income so I am unsure as to whether I will be still awarded any HB. I hope this makes some sense and I thank you for any help or advice.
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hi forum for now got few quick queries I m appealing a ESA not found unfit for work after an ATOS assessment in the letter says to send the form to and address which for the HMCTS is a PO Box I understand you can send special delivery post (next day guaranteed) to a PO box right and this should be fine sending my appeal form to the tribunal service this way? also the PDF form is editable ie can type in it on the computer and fill it in that way so I could do it that way then just print out and sign/date it... beats my handwriting anyway but it says on the form to write in black and in BLOCK capitals is this significant don't want em sending it back. thanks for any info thanks PS - also no phone number to contact them or an email contact on the HMCTS website ???
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Dear All, I was on ESA after running out of SSP with the company I still work for. The reason I was on ESA/SSP is that I had two workplace accidents that damaged my knees which meant I could not stand or sit for any length of time and also, as it got worse, the painkillers I was on made concentration difficult. Anyway, long story short, I was put on ESA once I had run out of SSP (my company paid me for a few months as an act of 'Goodwill' but their goodwill ran out). I put in a claim in October 2014 which was successful and as part of the telephone claim process they obviously asked me why I was off work, so I told them. The benefits people said as it was a workplace/industrial accident they would also refer me to ATOS as they could help with lodging an Industrial Accident sickness claim. Yeah, right. Fast forward to March 2015 and I got an appointment to see ATOS. One and a bit hours later I emerged from the assessment and a week or so later I was informed that I was fit to work and my claim was being stopped. I scored zero points throughout and to read the report you would think I was an Olympic athlete. With the help of the local CAB I appealed and my ESA was reinstated. I had a knee replacement at the end of May this year (which I told the assessor I was waiting to hear about) and in September I went back to work. At no point was I ever unemployed, I just wasn't being paid by my employer, hence my ESA claim. I now have a tribunal date regarding my suspended ESA claim, its 7th January 2016. From the paperwork I keep getting from the Tribunals Service, it looks like they have already found against me. I'm hoping the case details will speak for themselves, but given past experience I am not hopeful. If I am found against, can anyone tell me what the likely consequences are for me? Will I have to pay them back what I claimed? I received £114 a week for a joint ESA claim (my wife is poorly and cannot work) and we also got £100 a month help with the mortgage. To read all the paperwork you would think I was living high on the hog on £114, not getting into debt and in constant danger of losing the house. Luckily there were a couple of family members we could turn to for help when things got really desperate but they aren't Rockefellers either and of course they will need paying back. I have had very little to do with the benefits system over the years, its like playing a game the rules of which are constantly changing and which only the other side knows. I'm not trying to pull the wool over anyone's eyes, we aren't dishonest (indeed when the first lot of benefit payments arrived I knew they had overpaid us so told them straight away and paid it back so we wouldn't get into trouble further down the line). I have returned to the CAB who initially helped with the appeal but they are not getting back to me for some reason (I know they are constantly short staffed), hence my question here. Apologies if I have been a bit long winded. Thank you.
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