ESA

does anybody know how long ESA takes to come through, it says 8 days on direct gov but i've been walting for over 2 weeks now, and the lady at macmillan said that i would get it, so any help would be greatfuly recieved thanks,

rose xxx

[Hidden]

Hullo, Lindie. Could you tell me what ESA stands for - you mentioned in the same breath as Macmillan. I am interested because husband is embarking on chemo, and it might of interest.

love Annie80x

[Gordon57 in reply to Hidden]

gov.uk/employment-support-a...

Benefits & credits

Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

it means what gordon said, and i went to see the macmillan team, for some help on what i could claim, and to ask them about a macmillan grant to help me out basically,

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Yes, I read Gordon's reply. Keep us posted how you get on, lindie rose. Might drop in FB for a cuppa with you.. Love Annie80

[Gordon57]

I've just gone through similar. Here's how it worked out for me.

I applied over the phone, a couple of days later I got a load of paperwork through to say I'd got it and to send in 'evidence', details of my private pension and my medical certificate. A few days after that I got a small payment in the bank covering 2 days ESA, they disallow the first 3 days.

2 weeks after the first payment I checked with them. They say that the first 7 days they assume you have self-certified as sick, they then need to have the doctors note before they will pay any more.

I had posted mine in the envelope provided, they seemed to have lost it in their system ! They said that this may have been due to more than one type of document being sent in, the pension stuff would go to one department, the fit note should have gone to another - but they may have kept it all together.

I have also had a ESA50 to fill in, 20 page form for ATOS. That went back at the same time but I've not heard from them yet.

I finally got my first full payment last week, about 4 weeks after the original application by phone. I had to chase it up and send copies of my medical certificate via email. I still don't know if they got the original, or if I'll ever see the original documents for my pension I sent in

Obviously, it's takes them a while to sort a new claim out. You get lulled into a sense of false security when they send a payment out within a few days, but until they have your paperwork and process it, you don't get any more....

You prompted me to check mine, ah, today is my due date... I just looked and... yes, it's in the bank today

[Hidden]

Hi

I think you need to chase the claim up - by calling the Jobcentre Plus claim-line 0800 055 6688. I would have thought you should have heard by now.

Mark

[Hidden]

I applied about 4 weeks ago, was told to do so by disability adviser at Jobcentre Plus.

I received the initial form & signed & returned it with fit note etc, haven't received a penny yet! Tho I did get a fat form from ATOS today so they must have received my application.

The adviser said I would definitely get ESA and almost certainly DLA too but so far, zilch.

Thank goodness, although we're on a tight budget I am not dependent on this money like so many are, or I'd have starved by now. What a system.

ff x

[Gordon57]

They seem to have problems arranging initial payments, but once you are in the system it should get paid every 2 weeks. Call them and yell if you've not had anything within a reasonable time, like a couple of weeks from being told you've been awarded the benefit.

It could be, like me, that they have not received the medical certificate - I had copied mine and was able to forward that via another DWP office, so they then cleared the payment and it was in my account later that day.

Remember, the people at the DWP are there to serve you, like in a shop - they get paid to do that, don't be put off thinking you're being a pest, it's your money you are chasing after all.