My overall Benefits journey from 2013 to date - and on going still!!

[Guest]

Hi everyone. Am sorry if this should be in with my other post, if so please move.

 

My question is that I am on esa support group where I live now. The area I wish to move to is a full UC area. Obviously I will have to change benefits etc. But do I move first then advise dwp I have changed area then close down ESA and apply for UC?..

 

 

I am just trying to work out the way that will give me less time in between one claim closing off and the new one beginning. I will need to apply asap for the housing element which will be important for new landlord. My brain is pretty scrambled at the best of times but I am just trying to get a timeline or some sort of order of events.

[unclebulgaria67]

You need to start a UC claim online on the day of your move, when you are due to move into your new address. You cannot register a new claim online with a date in the future.

 

If you are busy on the day of your move, do the claim online as soon as possible afterwards.

 

Part of the UC online claim process is trying to confirm your identity online. This does not work for many people. Make sure you have ID documents available and you phone 0800 328 5644 to book the first job centre appointment. It is very important to go to the first appointment available and to have your ID documents, plus Bank details available, so you get the claim sorted out as early as possible. If you are renting privately make sure you provide the Job Centre with the tenancy document and any other documents you have confirming your move to the address,

 

Once you have attended the Job Centre to confirm the basic information, you can request a new claim advance through your online claim or at the Job Centre or by calling UC.

 

It is advisable to notify UC of the ESA support group at the Job Centre or by calling UC. Make sure they transfer the support group entitlement to UC.

 

Once your UC claim is set up and you have been to the Job Centre, call ESA to close your ESA claim.

 

It is not uncommon for people to have an overlap of UC and ESA for a week or two, because they want to ensure their UC claim is set up, before closing ESA. This overlap in benefit would be deducted from your UC claim at some point, either first UC month or second UC month.

[Guest]

I don't think they will transfer esa entitlement to uc as its a different area and a new claim for uc so I wont have the transition guarantee. But I have noted down everything you have said and I will keep it safe. I don't have a passport or a driving license as for health reasons I neither travel nor drive. I will however have paperwork to do with the home swap from the council I am leaving and the council that I am moving to, plus bank details and other important letters. When I signed my new council tenancy I had no passport or driving license but they took bank details bank letter and other paperwork.

 

I have everything crossed as someone is interested in my home and if they want it I will start the exchange procedure straight away, I think its usually done within 6 weeks as that's the amount of time the councils have to complete it.

 

Thanks again unclebulgaria67 I think there may be light at the end of this dark tunnel after all.

[unclebulgaria67]

They will transfer support group to any new UC claim, provided that you are still within the prognosis review period. Under UC support group equivalent is limited capability for work and work related activity (LCWRA).

 

Don't worry about the prognosis review period, as you may not know. As long as you are in support group at the time you move to UC, they will apply the LCWRA to your UC claim. But do bring this to the attention of UC, by either talking to the Job Centre or UC helpline.

 

Make sure you have something to confirm your ID, e.g. Birth certificate, bank cards, to show the Job Centre.

[Guest]

Ahh right. My last assessment was just a few months ago, I was fortunate it was done by a disability assessor who saw how I struggled physically and didn't even bother with the bipolar at all, she said she had seen enough to end the assessment and I kept support group status. She wrote reassess in the medium term, the previous one before that said no improvement likely in the longer term. I have all the paperwork. So I will do as you say and thank you so much as I would not have been aware to make sure of that info being given.

 

I am already breathing more easily, and think I will actually sleep a bit tonight. Three weeks of stress tears no appetite and hardly sleeping, balancing mood swings and pain I felt totally at a loss. So thank you again for your help.

[Guest]

Hi...i was hoping that my home move would coincide with a esa payment day, so i would at least have that while waiting for the UC claim to kick in. But its looking like it is going to be the week after my last esa payment day, so will they just pay me 1 week of esa and from that date take my UC claim. I don't want to get even more muddled than I already am. I think esa is paid 2 weekly in arrears?

[tomtom256]

Are you getting DLA/PIP as well? If you do, are getting the SDP on ESA?

[Guest]

No I am only on esa support group

[Guest]

Am so sorry guys....ive just read back the earlier post which actually answers my new question....brainfog.

[Guest]

Right so the home swap has been agreed by landlord, and is set to happen early next week.

 

So I will be in my second week of the two week esa payment schedule. I will need to apply for UC in order to sort out rent, and as I can get an early payment (to be paid back) I could use this for rent and just use any other cash I have to get me through until proper payments start.

 

There are two things I have read from different people, one says I have to close my esa claim as I apply for UC, others say its a separate thing. Also some say as esa is paid in arrears by 2 weeks I will also get a two week run on with rent, but as I am moving well away from this area I don't think that applies?....am trying to get hold of my new landlord today to see if they have come across this situation before.

Edited February 20, 2019 by honeybee13
Paras

[Guest]

Hi guys please forgive me if I have already asked this, I cant find it anywhere if I have, but I am in a bipolar/fibromyalgia mess right now.

Home move done, new claim for UC made and ID appointment attended, which was made on the telephone help line for UC. I told them I was in esa support but they spoke over me and told me who to ask for a jobcentre appointment.  So they guy there who had read the journal comments my daughter kindly wrote for me telling them she is my carer and does almost everything like this for me, she sat with the laptop beside me explaining what was being said etc.  She explained the esa support group statue and last assessment.  So at the ID appointment we are told I need a fit note to take to my first commitments appointment.  The guy himself said I shouldn't even have to do this but they need a note.  I can only hope my new GP is ok with this as I have to ask him preferably for a 2 month note, as if I have 2 weeks or a month I will be hauled in by jobcentre again.  They aren't making me jobsearch 35 hrs but said that's where I am without a fit note.  The jobcentre guy even said looking at my records I shouldn't even be in there.  

[Guest]

I have gone from esa support group to a new claim for UC, triggered by a home move.  Jobcentre telling me my esa support group is not an automatic thing and that I need a fit note from my new GP to cover me for 2 months while its being sorted out....?  baffled

[tomtom256]

Yeah that's technically right, as the two systems cannot communicate with each other.

 

They will have to manually transfer the WCA result over, however they should be able to look at opstrat (ESA), pin a note to UC and then send a handover to get it sorted.

[Guest]

Thank you tomtom256.  At least I know where we are at.

[unclebulgaria67]

Phone UC helpline before end of assessment period, to make sure it has been dealt with. Otherwise you risk delay in receiving correct payment.

 

ESA support group equivalent under UC is Limited Capability for Work and Work Related Activity. Current rate is £328.32. 

 

Until this is added to your claim, you are under intensive work search group of UC. The fit note does not switch this off, but Job Centre may have placed a note on your record, not to require work search.  But not all Job Centre Work Coaches will do this,  therefore making sure it is dealt with, might also avoid hassle of Job Centre appointments for work search and related commitments.

 

 

[Guest]

Thank you unclebulgaria67   I will do that today.

[Guest]

So now they have got me a commitments meeting in just over a weeks time and have put a commitments entry on the account for me to agree to, but nothing as to what I am supposed to agree to apart from it will be in line with my situation/health etc. I have not agreed to it and I wont, even though it stays no agree = no benefit.  We have asked them to do the switchover but that message wasn't replied to as yet. If no reply today I will sit on the phone all day if necessary and get the helpline, I had a horrible panic attack in the night it was so scary I have never had one as bad as that and I have had some bad ones before.  Anyhow my daughter/carer will sit with me if I have to ring which I probably will.  I am glad now that the esa wasn't closed off as they would just say its a new UC claim.  The esa have only made one payment that shouldn't be but its safe in savings account to be repaid back asap.  

I am blessed however that my new GP knows a lot about Bipolar and the practice is very up on Fibromyalgia and he didn't think twice about giving me a fit note for 2 months.  He actually said its beyond words why they cant just do the swapover.  He was fine with me but not with them as the stress of this is really bad for me.  My daughter is typing this for me, I don't have the words right now but she can understand me and what I mean.  

[tomtom256]

Everyone claiming UC has to have and agree to some commitments or the benefit gets closed.

 

If you are working they are generic, if you have limited capability or a job seeker they will be tailored to you.

 

A fit note or an existing WCA will not prevent this form happening as until commitments are agreed the claim is not technically live. If you fail to attend the appointment its an automatic claim closure and  and if refuse to accept them it's an automatic claim closure.

[Guest]

Hi ...thanks for that. We have decided now that I will have to agree to the commitments thing, it also asks me to put in ideas for work or what I can do etc..which again with support group status I shouldn't be made to do..i don't know if its a tick box thing or a just a space I can fill in, if its a space I can type the limited capacity element.  Thank you for your reply, I am beside myself here but hopefully it should end up ok.

[tomtom256]

They should switch off the work side of the commitments and just do the work preparation bit until the WCA is pulled across from ESA at which point you will have generic commitments auto created as you will fall in the no work requirements catagory.

 

In my jobcentre it's just a box ticking exercise until the information is transferred and we don't normally book any further appointments after that. But most jobcentres do it there own way as there is no official guidance on this and insufficient staff to run it smoothly.

[Guest]

Thank you tomtom256 its just all so stressful for me but I get where your coming from.  I feel more at ease with it now.

 

[unclebulgaria67]

Universal Credit has had large number of applications in the last month or so. The reason being is that people have finished off seasonal Christmas/new year sales work and are now needing to claim. Also in the new year, you tend to get a lot of people going through change in circumstances.

 

Why this affects you ? Because the admin staff processing UC will be dealing with the extra work load, it causes a delay in the current ESA Support group being transfered across to UC claims.

 

 The UC system flags up any claims where there has been another benefit claim that might affect UC. Teams then look into these and transfer across any existing entitlements. Because the teams will be dealing with higher volumes of work, it causes a delay in your claim being updated.

 

If you get to the end of the assessment period, with continued Job Centre work search requirements and no sign that the ESA support has been transfered, then call the UC helpline. They can call ESA for information, so they can update your UC claim.

[Guest]

Thank you again unclebulgaria67, with my mind in a muddle naturally, this is all so complicated for me to get, my daughter is good but the workings of all this is beyond us.  What you have said as usual makes perfect sense, notes taken for the reminder board in my kitchen.

[speedfreek]

Read this https://www.rightsnet.org.uk/forums/viewthread/11307/P|

 

They can look at CIS to find out your status and they know they can!

 

An over 8 weeks fit note auto triggers a new WCA under UC so......

 

Either way your tailored UC claimant commitment .........

 

Equality act - local law centre/cmpg/etc bang 

 

 

[tomtom256]

CIS doesn't show WCA though only what amount is being paid. "where ESA is in payment staff manually check whether a component was in place and, if so, put the corresponding element on the UC award"

 

So they still have to check OPSTRAT.