ESA50 form again?!?

I'm currently in receipt of ESA (support group) on mental health grounds, though I was only finally awarded this (after an appeal) in March of this year.

I've just received yet another ESA50 form through my door to complete.

Is this right? I thought that if I'd been placed in the support group that they'd leave me alone for a while now. I had a terrible time with the last application and I'm dreading this.

Reassessments can vary from 3 months to 3 years - and this time is taken from the date of the first decision, not the appeal.

Right, thanks. Oh well. At least the form hasn't changed and I've still got all the answers and supporting medical evidence from the last one...

Hopefully, I'll be able to cut+paste most of it, because my condition is unchanged.

Sorry - just to clarify...

I was under the impression that if one was placed in the Support Group for ESA, that the award was for at least two years. Is this incorrect? Or did it change recently?

Also - when filling in the latest ESA50 form, will I be penalized or looked on less favourably at all if I cut+paste most of the same answers from the previous form, just updating and expanding a bit where required? My condition is virtually unchanged, to be honest - but I don't want them thinking that I'm not taking the form seriously...

Phil D wrote:

Sorry - just to clarify...

I was under the impression that if one was placed in the Support Group for ESA, that the award was for at least two years. Is this incorrect? Or did it change recently?

Also - when filling in the latest ESA50 form, will I be penalized or looked on less favourably at all if I cut+paste most of the same answers from the previous form, just updating and expanding a bit where required? My condition is virtually unchanged, to be honest - but I don't want them thinking that I'm not taking the form seriously...

Hi PD,

Awards of ESA in either group, WRAG or SG, can range from a minimum period of 3 months to the maximum that we have encountered, of 3 years.

This has always been the case, only it would be expected that the length of an award in the SG would be on the longer side.

You can use information previously used, but should always give information that is current to your limited capabilities at the time of your assessment.

In other words, it would not suffice to simply state that your conditions and limitations have not changed since your last ESA WCA.

bro58