ESA 0points - what happens now?

Thank you Gordon

I know this lady has had a most distressing time recently, and would like to add my best wishes to her, and thanks to moderators and members for their caring support.

Gordon

As I said my benefit finishes in less than 4 weeks now so they could hardly sanction me unless they take the money back out of my account??

PC

Thank you for your kind comments and concern but as Gordon says even if I thought I would be successful I would not have the energy to go through all of that again and maybe you did not pick up what I said but I will receive Retirement Pension from 6th September. Yes I am going to be £2,000 short between 11th April and 6th September and I could do with it but have known this would be the case for nearly a year now.

After 17 years unable to work it is absolutely incredible that now the Job Centre write and offer help - me thinks they are just ticking boxes and I am trying to sum up the emotional energy to phone them and try to get them to see sense.

Well here I am again - just thought I would report back. I attended the interview at Jobcentre on 26th March - they paid for a taxi for me. The lady who "interviewed" me said she would phone me on Friday 11th April or Monday 14th April to see if I wished to withdraw my claim for ESA as I will no longer get it and do not need any more NI credits for my State Pension which is due in September.

Well, she never rang and I have no intention of ringing them and if I receive anything else from them to which I should respond I will not do so. My benefit ceased on 11th April because I have a partner (of 43 years I might add) I do not now get the ESA so after 17 years on Incapacity the government have taken the rug from underneath me. It appears to be totally irrelevant that I worked for 30 years contributing to the system and yet youngsters who do not wish to work get benefits no trouble.

Today the government announced a reduction in unemployed - well, I sincerely do not believe that, because what list do I appear on now? I am unable to work due to my health but do not qualify for any benefits, so I reckon myself and hundreds of others just slip right through all the loopholes which gives the government false figures which they want the public to believe.

Guess the next hurdle will be when they chase me to take me off DLA ah happy days not.

I can see from the number of posts this has been a long ongoing saga for you. I assume, therefore, you've already been through the whole do I qualify for IR ESA or the Support Group.

You are right that it is in their interest to end your claim as it is one less person on ESA which improves their statistics. I agree with you that the unemployment figures are likely to be misrepresented. They do not contain all the people who have been 'scared off' benefits.