New Style ESA

Thank you BIS,

To be truthful,

I'm scared of doing anything just in case the DWP decides to cancel what they have already awarded me.

Me and my husband are now just about coping with our finances. My husband does the finances and tells me that we are now 'keeping our head above water.

It's better to have less than perhaps you should have, than to risk having what you have taken away from you.

Now that on the sick, with multiple health problems, scared to death of catching Covid, and with no realistic chance of working again, I'm in a very delicate and isolated position.

To go from earning your own living, and feeling reasonably well, to just the opposite, within a three-year period, is a BIG change. My basic salary as an HCA in our Local Hospital was not much but at least it was regular and predictable, and I could contribute to our financial situation. We could carefully save and get a chance to have one decent holiday a year. Now, that has all gone.

I count my blessing and say, well we could be worse.

I will sign off now.

Take care everyone.

You only have one life to live.

Kind regards, LH

Hi Mrs.H. Have just seen this. I first claimed ESA over 11 years ago, so am not uptodate with things regarding UC. I would wait and see. Just carry on sending in your sick notes. It may be worth getting a ‘diagnosis and prognosis’ letter from your GP and any Specialists you are seeing. That will help with future claims.

The DWP are a law unto themselves. Just get as much evidence as is practicable. Collect your GP notes and any hospital letters you get. Also any kind of support letters which back up what you say. Best of luck.

... and the other really useful evidence you can compile yourself Mrs H, is a diary. In this you can 'check yourself off' against the descriptors you have problems achieving, showing how and why and how often, and the very helpful whether you can do the activity to a reasonable standard, in a normal time [ie not more than double what a 'normal person would take], safely, and as often as necessary. [That's for PIP, handy if you decide to claim or when you get reviewed, the different ESA criteria are described in the guides] . There's also a diary template though I made my own to suit doing it about our daughter, successfully.
best wishes, Denby

Hi there..

Many thanks for your ongoing support and advice.

I've very recently got a letter from the Jobcentre plus in which they refer to my claim for Employment And Support Allowance. They tell me that I will no longer get ESA from 20th July 2022 because I will have reached the maximum 365 days that I can get contribution-based ESA.

They say that if I think that this decision is wrong I need to phone or write, within one month, to the address at the top of their letter (ESA Preston, Wolverhampton), and tell them why I think that this decision is wrong.

I'm just about to receive another 3-month sick note from my GP, as well as a supporting letter outlining my ongoing health condition, and the need for me to continue to self-isolate because of this. My GP is keeping me in the Clinically Extremely Vulnerable Group and advises me of continued minimal outside contact.

I have not as yet received a TXT message or email from the DWP reminding me that my sick note is soon to run out and that I will need to send in a new sick note to continue receiving my ESA. They usually send this just before it is due to be needed.

Anyone who can advise what I need to do now, your help would be much appreciated.

Kind regards

LH