ESA And UC Questions

Keith

If you stay within the same Local Authority then there should be no requirement for you to claim UC.

If you change LA and the new area is a UC Full Service area, then Housing Benefit is only available via a UC claim, if your ESA is Income Related then this will also be moved to UC. Your DLA is not effected by UC.

This would be a Natural Migration to UC and there is no Transitional Protection available, so if you receive any ESA Premiums then these may not be payable under UC.

Gordon

KeithW wrote: So transitional protection is only available when they essentially force you to move over to UC?

Effectively yes.

Gordon

Keith

If you are changing Local Authority then you will have to make a new claim for Housing Benefit then this should result in you having to claim Universal Credit and this will also result in a migration of any ESA(IR) that you receive to UC as well.

The Government have announced, in anticipation of their losing a court case for discrimination, that they will be putting in to effect changes to UC so that claimants do not lose any EDP or SDP that they are receiving, however, as at today, we do not know when and how this will be achieved.

So it may be that by the time you need to claim UC, you will either be able to stay on what are now called legacy benefits of you will receive Transitional Protection for the Premiums.

See

www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/3777-majo...-esa-to-uc-transfers

Gordon