general understanding needed.

I recently joined your site. I wonder if anyone could please clarify for me, or point me in the right direction regarding the following. I have been receiving various benefits, eg Incapacity Benefit, DLA and Industrial Injuries Benefit. I am completely unsure of the procedure for changing to the differently named benefits, ESA and PIP. Is it possible someone could explain them to me because it is causing me a lot of stress worrying about what is coming. I will be 60 in July this year. DLA wrote saying they would contact me after 2015 but I have heard nothing else about the other benefits. I am registered 15% disabled. Will I have to go to more medical assessments etc?
Thanks.

Hi babnic and Welcome to Benefits and Work

Everyone who is currently on IB will be migrated to ESA at some stage, there is no set timescale for this to happen, the fi thing you will know about it will be a letter from DWP warning you to expect a phone call soon, an ESA50 form will soon follow for you to fill out. There may, or may not, be a face-to-face assessment for this.

When the time comes, you should make full use of our guides to claiming ESA.

ESa claims

Meanwhile it would be worth reading the FAQs relating to the transfer process

IB/IS/SDA transfer FAQs

Likewise, everyone on DLA who is currently under the age of 65 will be asked to apply for PIP at some stage. For people on indefinite awards this process will not start before 2015 at the earliest. If you have a time-limited award you should expect to be asked to apply for PIP when it is next due for renewal (as long as you would expect to get the renewal forms after October of this year).

These are links to what we know about PIP at the moment, we will be able to tell you more when it is actually up and running.

PIP guide

Latest information on PIP

I hope this helps.