Unum PHI and ESA

[rrrachel]

Hi all

I have read quite a lot of posts on this forum but either can't find the answer or don't understand, so I am hoping someone might be able to help or point me in the right direction

 

I have been unable to work for quite some time (due to severe nerve damage caused by spinal cord tumour, extreme back pain , part of my spine was removed during tumour sugery, bladder issues, osteoperosis, pituitary failure, depression and I have to use crutches to walk and require a lot of help to do day to day tasks) and I was approved for PHI starting 24 july through work. I dont pay any premiums for this and my pay slip is still through work, so I guess unum pay them and they pay me.

 

any benefits I may he entitled to are deducted from my phi payment, so I was advised I would have to claim esa seperately.

 

now here is where I struggle, I was advised that I would not be eligible for the income related esa, even though I have no savings, and that I may be eligible for contribution based.

 

I had an interview at the job centre earlier this week to look at steps to get me to return to work (which when I explained my situation he said that I should not have been called in for this interview and thanked me for attending as it was clearly very difficult for me to. He then checked and asked me if I had received any esa payments so far and I said no and he said I should write a letter and call the job centre to speak with people that would deal with my claim.

 

lookihg at the paperwork from when I first applied, I believe that something somewhere along the line was wrong, as when I alled to make the claim initially the person I spoke with didnt know what phi was and I explained it.

 

so on my claim form it says in the following:

 

Personal or occupational pension

received or waiting to receive any income from pension, permanent health insurance or compensation payment - YES

 

Your pension income details

income type - private health insurance

 

then in the next field in permanent health insurance, it says 'contributed more than half the premiums toward any permanent heakth insurance payment' and NO next to that

 

when I received this I called to query it ahd they said it was correct, but then after my meeting at the jobcentre I now believe the paperwork is incorrect and this is why I havent been paid anything so far

 

is there anyone who could give me any advice on this or know what I would need to write in the letter? Just it seems no one can advise when I call the esa people, as they have always not understood what I meant when I said I am on PHI

 

any help would be hugely appreciated

thanks in advance

Rachel

[rrrachel]

Re reading my initial post I can see I was probably rambling a bit. I carried on researching and have spoke to the job centre and sent a letter to explain my phi payment is not a pension, and asked to re look at my claim

thanks

[Surfer01]

Not sure if this will help. My wife gest a UNUM payment every month and it is not taken into consideration as it is not a pension or an income. UNUM and the government walk hand in hand. After all what is the point of employers paying into UNUM if the employee is going to be penalised?

[rrrachel]

Hi Surfer

thAnk you for your reply. Does your wife get income related and contribution based esa or just contribution based? The payment I receive has ESA deducted and I am told to claim this seperateoy. Luckily the man at the job centre I saw said that he will help if I dont get a response from jy letter, not sure what he can do but we will see!!

 

Thanks for your response

Rachel

[Swoosh84]

PHI is also known is Income Protection, they may understand this term better. The scheme you are in is a Group Income Protection scheme and is arranged by your employer. The specific scheme will have been sent up to pay you a fixed percentage of your salary in the event that you are off work after a certain amount of time with an illness or injury.

 

While the benefit on offer can vary from scheme to scheme, the vast majority of income protection schemes are set up to exclude ESA & WRAC payments as its cheaper for your employer, from the sounds of things this is the type you are in so this will be deducted from your insurer payments regardless of the fact that you may not be receiving it. So you should be receiving what ever percentage the scheme is set up minus the ESA & WRAC amount which is £5,624 for the 2014/15 year.

[Surfer01]

Hi Surfer

thAnk you for your reply. Does your wife get income related and contribution based esa or just contribution based? The payment I receive has ESA deducted and I am told to claim this seperateoy. Luckily the man at the job centre I saw said that he will help if I dont get a response from jy letter, not sure what he can do but we will see!!

 

Thanks for your response

Rachel

 

She used to get the contribution ESA plus the UNUM payment. She is now retired but stills receives the UNUM payment which does not affect her pension credit payment.

[rrrachel]

hi swoosh and surfer

thanks so much for your help, I really sppreciate it.

will post an update when I have one!

have a nice weekend

[rrrachel]

Just to give an update, I was due to hear back today but didn't so I phoned, and the lady took my details and arranged a call back.

got the call back from the reconsideration team and was told it had gone through and has been sent for processing.

 

So I wont say it is a success until i get the letter through! Fingers crossed!

[rrrachel]

I also did mean to ask, should I assume this payment will be backdated to July?

[rrrachel]

just another little update, received a call this morning to say the letter I sent went missing (I explained about my contact last week when the lady had received the letter and was being sent for processjng etc...) so they have asked me to send it again....

very frustrating!

[Surfer01]

We had the same happen to us and now again recently.

[rrrachel]

I phoned again today and he said on my recird it shows the letter and iasked him to check previous entries on my record which they did reluctantly, and the previous one said they had received and have passed to be processed. he is now trying ti find out which of these entries is correct, and will call me back today or tomorrow. I have resent the letter after they said they lost it but I just want to ge this resolved asap!

fingers crossed (if I could cross them as the use of my hands is getting worse again!!)

thanks and will krep you updated!