Choosing a sanction over participating in wrag

I have just been put on wrag after being in the support group once. I did not use this site for my first two assessments but I will use it for the next one. I am on esa for severe depression and as I hardly ever leave the house, I hardly need any money. I can easily live on the reduced rates.

I just wanted to ask if there are any pitfalls to look out for. I plan to get a friend to call them with me to move the first wrag appointment back as far as possible so a friend can get time of work to come with me. Then I was thinking of just getting the sanction when I miss the appointment and staying sanctioned until I get assessed again.

Maybe I could go to the first appointment to delay the sanction but I neither have the will to attend their appointments all the time or to appeal. I worry that appealing could result in not getting esa at all plus the tribunal sounds scary. I can very easily survive on my housing benefit plus the £73 a week that my esa will be reduced to. So I will just focus on getting the willpower to register at a new gp. (I cant go to my old one as I am out of the area now)

Would I be right in assuming that they will reassess in about a year and I have another shot at the support group or I could just stay on the wrag sanctioned rates forever for all I care.

Hi Jim,

If you do get sanctioned for any reason check to see if you qualify for hardship payments (they are usually not payable for the first two weeks). Also consider appealing the decision if you feel the demands placed upon you are unreasonable.

Regards,

Derek

Just to clarify, do you mean that if I get sanctioned I only get £29.05 a week plus my housing benefit? I could in theory just barely break even with that amount as I only rent a cheap room which my housing benefit completely pays. I also have some savings.

You are probably right, I could at least go to the first appointment, maybe I will just try to go along with these meetings for a while at least to build more savings on the full rate.

I just got a letter today saying that I only scored 21 points. A few days after the letter telling me of my first wrag appointment. I would prefer to just enter financial purgatory until my decision is looked at again. But I am going to try to keep a level head, read all the guides and reconsider my options. I know I have to challenge within a month so I will not leave it too long.