IR ESA & PIP to UC & PIP Confusion about new style ESA

If the letters mentioned the £10 Christmas Bonus then you were receiving conts based ESA as well as income related ESA. The Christmas Bonus isn't payable to people receiving only income related ESA (the qualifying benefit for the Christmas Bonus is conts based ESA).

ESA letters have always been something of a mess and have always been less than informative.

Thank you for the input. Sorry, rant incoming!

I'm surprised that DWP think it's acceptable to be so unclear about everything. How can people check their benefits are as they should be, and know the rules they must follow - if they don't know what benefits they are on.
I have no paperwork saying that I have a mixed award. Until the letter came (after the forced UC claim), I had no idea that mixed awards existed.

Many years ago, I was working and had a school aged child. When I first became unwell, I tried to carry on working, and received some support, and tax credits.
I thought that when I was first awarded ESA, it was CB (WRAG).
Then, after a while it became IR (WRAG), until at a JC interview, a lovely job coach (who saw how I was struggling)said I should ask to be put into the support group, and helped me.
Later PIP followed.
I recall I was getting a higher rate of disability top-up, until my son left school, and then it had to be withdrawn.

I have no idea, now, if I was in receipt of the right benefits, or paid at the correct rates - I feel stupid that I assumed everything was just as it should be, and that I didn't know about the mixed award they say I was in receipt of. But that's not my fault if they don't say so.

This is not me missing the small print - EVERY annual letter I have mentions:

Money I need to live on (with an amount)
Disability income guarantee (with an amount)
Money for support group (amount)

Which gives I-R amount = £149 (approx figure, 2023 example)

Then the PIP awards are mentioned,
with a statement about 'no deductions' being made.

Finally, the letters say, "no income will be taken off your ESA"
Your income-related amount is £149 less total income £0.00

SO your income-related amount is £159

The words "contribution-based- ESA' (followed by an amount) simply do not appear, anywhere.

Did I know I was claiming CB ESA - NO!

So, was I getting the right amount each year? I don't know - because I didn't think I needed to know what those rates were.
Was the Christmas bonus PIP related, or not?

What I do know is, though, the information I was given, about what would happen in managed migration, no longer applies.
Plus, this surprise (C-B ESA & NS ESA) news, means the amount of money I thought was coming has changed - right?

I am confused, upset and worried - I don't know who to trust, or what is going to happen - which is really awful for autistic people.
I feel like I've been kept in the dark and misled.

DWP letters give a time-limit for appealing, but to appeal an award you need to know what it is - because otherwise how can you know if the award is as it should be?

The UC migration notice only mentions HB and IR-ESA stopping, and the need to switch.
Why doesn't it say anything about C-B ESA switching to NS ESA?

If the DWP say this is because the letter is from UC, and ESA is a different department, why didn't ESA write to say what would happen, and that C-B ESA would need to change to NS ESA (in addition to claiming UC)?)

For transparency, and so people had tome to get advice, this information should have been sent out before the UC deadline, and before - what we were told would be - the final payment of ESA was made.

Am I right in saying people claiming mixed awards of ESA - whether they knew it, or not - will lose some of the money they were expecting?

I don't understand why, if an ESA department still exists, I had to switch to UC?

The premise for the switch was framed as - "ESA will no longer exist as a benefit - it will be UC, only, for everyone".
Also, I was told I would be no worse off on UC.

However, as soon as I'd claimed UC - the last two statements, above, became untrue, apparently.

This whole situation makes people like me feel more unwell.
I have no idea what to do, which means booking appointments, gathering paperwork, meeting strangers, talking about stressful, historic 'stuff' - and sitting in chairs for ages.
I'm not well enough for this - but I've got no money, no one to do it for me, and no choice. This is a horrible way to treat sick/neurodivergent people

While my son is at home I wanted to ask all the questions, so sorry for the long messages. It's a shock to discover that nothing is what I was told, and vital information was left out, before the UC claim went in.

I still can't understand how it can be that so many people were unaware of their mixed award, and therefore it's unclear what this might mean going forwards.

Answering your question: There's articles about a difference in the way mixed award ESA to UC (compared to IR ESA to UC) claims are being processed, which is copied here:

"An example:
Alice is a mixed ESA award claimant in the support group who claims UC on 15 January. In the assessment period 15 January to 14 February, Alice actually gets:
•run-on of ESA for 14 days: £318.10 (all of that is actually cESA, except £83.40 representing two weeks of the enhanced disability premium);
•17 days’ worth of new-style ESA that is actually paid: £334.71;
•UC calculated with a maximum amount of £809.64 (standard allowance and limited capability for work and work-related activity (LCWRA) element) but then reduced by one month’s worth of new-style ESA (£598.87) to give an award of just £210.77.
So Alice’s total ESA/UC in the first assessment period is £863.58.
Bob, on the other hand, is an irESA-only claimant. In his first assessment period, he gets:
•run-on of ESA for 14 days of £318.10;
•UC of £809.64.
So Bob’s total ESA/UC is £1,127.74 – ie, £264.16 more than Alice gets."

Is this right?

I don't feel well, and I am very anxious. Information and requirements keep changing.

The letter about CB ESA to NS ESA says:

"At an appointment you must attend.....make a claimant commitment ....AND..... explain how your disabilities affect your ability to work...... If you don't, your claim may be closed"

But I was told, by DWP staff, that I would transfer straight to UC and LCWRA group, without any need to do anything, other than apply for UC, which I did. This wasn't true.

Is it right that this New Style ESA is going to change again:

"In 2028/29, the government plans to merge ESA with Job Seekers Allowance into one benefit. This will be called Unemployment Insurance."

I do have P60 U documents, but was told these are sent to all people on ESA, not just CB claimants. Plus, there is a question about what benefits I have been on, whether they are right - or not - I don't know how to telll, as letters don't mention CB ESA.

There is either a lack of information, incorrect information, changing information, or conflicting, confusing information - and it's making me feel worse and worried.

I appreciate your input and that I have "failed to say that I will be worse off", but that's because I have only just found out about mixed awards, I have not had any news on my claim yet, because it is being assessed, and so I have no money, and nothing is clear. I don't like to borrow money, and now I don't know what to expect when the claim is processed.

sorry, I'm asking lots of things because my son is at home with me during the day, and so this is the time to do it.