I had a heart attack and stents fitted in May this year, and have been on Statutory Sick Pay since it happened. It's been a really tough five months. My employer has now been in touch, saying they think I may not be capable of doing my job role anymore, and they don't have any other job to offer me. Sadly, I'd only been working for them for two weeks when I had the attack, so I have no work rights whatsoever! I work as a Kitchen Porter, so I'm on my feet all shift, in a very fast-paced environment, with lots of lifting involved. I'm not up to it at the moment, if I'm honest. I wish I was! I'm having an assessment interview with their Occupational Health team on Monday, but HR have told me to start looking at what benefits I can claim - so I think their mind's are made up! I've worked full-time for the last 47 years (I'm 63 now), and have never claimed any benefits in my life before. Had a quick look on line. What a complicated minefield! Went to my local Employment Agency. They wouldn't let me passed the man (guard) on the door. He just said, you need to apply for New Style ESA. Has anyone applied for this and been successful, after a heart attack? Has anybody had any help or support filling in the form and Health Assessment Sheet? I haven't got a clue where to start. They expect you to do so much, when you don't feel well. Any help or advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance...
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BC4ever
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oh you poor man I am in the same position you have to apply for universal credit first which you can do online and then give me three months worth of fit notes before you can apply for esa which is now called Lwrca I worked in Costa which I can no longer do and I was with them for three months on 0 hour contract my kids think it was the stressful job that gave me the heart attack so no way am I going back there I get universal credit and get rent paid I have applied for pip and lwrca but to get that it could take months I am 53 xx good luck xx
I was in the same place 11 years ago. I had very bad angina and 14 months before stents and sone improvement.
I was on temp contracts. I went to my local MP as I was years from my state pension - Waspi. He recommended PiP, and his office helped. it was a strange process but it was granted and you will get it permanently, you GP will be contacted to update them but Cardio vascular disease is permanent.
You should be entitled to unemployment right now, so you send fit notes usually for a year.
I did have a small private pension which I could draw on because of poor health your consultant fills out the form and you will get it early,
I hope like me you will get better after cardio rehab and I then was offered an easier role which was permanent.
Citizens Advice or Welfare Rights would be best to advise long term.
Universal Credit - can submit fit notes as I believe they are called now from your GP to be assessed for LCWRA (an added amount if assessed as unfit for work. (You can claim UC if you have rental costs also)
If you claim UC and New Style ESA the New Style ESA payment is deducted pound for pound off any UC entitlement
Personal Independance Payment (England & Wales) or Adult Disability Payment (Scotland)
Information I’ve provided can be viewed on gov.uk website :).
You’ve been given correct advice - New style ESA is the first benefit you should look at applying for. It offers better NI credits than UC does and you will get paid while waiting for assessment.
Benefits and Work (website) offer a good guide to how to fill the forms in but there is a subscription fee to access them. CAB are not always reliable, some advisers are better than others. The last one I spoke to just told me to read their online guides.
You could also apply for UC to help with living costs but if you do apply for New Style ESA it is deducted £ for £ from UC. It’s still worth getting both though.
The other benefit you should consider applying for is PIP. It’s not means tested and you can still claim it if you do go back to work. The qualifying criteria is you have to have had your condition for 3 months and be likely to still be suffering from it for the next 9 months.
For all disability benefits you have to consider whether you can do the descriptors (different activities in the questions) safely, in a timely manner, to an acceptable standard and repeatedly/reliably for the majority of the time. If you can’t you should be awarded points for it.
Citizens advice are certainly the best option, but depending on where you live, there can be aa waiting list to see someone. A useful website I use is Turn2Us it very clearly sets out about benefits and any grants available. Good luck
Hi. I too was in the same position and not a clue where to go for advice. This site is marvellous and Benefits at work website will give you as much advice as you need for free. I found age uk really helpful. They advised to apply for New style ESA. If you are put in the support group , there is no end date. Also apply for PIP, the website mentioned is really useful to guide you through the questions. Help is out there, please engage with Age UK and good luck!
yes you should claim new style esa, you make a claim online , it’s quite straightforward. You will need a fit (sick) note from your gp. Is there any other income in the house such as your wife earnings? you maybe able to claim universal credit which is means tested. New style esa is based on your national insurance contributions and some private pensions are taken into account but other than that isn’t based on your other means.
Universal credit is also an online claim .
You may also be entitled to personal independence payment depending on how your condition affects your daily living
Local council often have welfare rights advisers who could guide you through the minefield
I’m really sorry to read about predicament. In preparation for the meeting on Monday, I refer you to the ACAS website. It’s an excellent tool for employees in understanding how things should work and what you can ask them to consider. In your case, rather than writing you off completely, if you feel up to doing a phased return, it’s something you can raise at the meeting. This would mean doing fewer, and/or shorter shifts for an agreed period to allow you the chance to build yourself back up to full capacity. All of course subject to you feeling up to this and medical advice that supports it.
Good luck with the meeting - I really hope they are kind and compassionate to your circumstances.
I don't know what ESA is but you are entitled to universal credit get in touch with your job centre and book an appointment they are lovely . They will send for a heath form can't remember the correct title you can have a phone assessment or face to face . Have a face to face one. I found the universal credit people treated like human beings.
As you are entitled to PIP but make an appointment with Citizens advice and get them to fill in the forms for you . As the PIP people are robots and treat you like dirt.
I had to fight for disability benefits for 35 years and I was born disabled with a rare hereditary neurological condition. I finally got my diagnosis because my new neurologist had my whole genome genetically tested in 2022 I was 63. The bloody PIP after my phone assessment gave me zero on everything. Luckily the Brain Charity got me a solicitor pro bono and went to PIP tribunal 29th August 2023 and they couldn't have been kinder . I was awarded enhanced PIP for living and enhanced PIP for mobility indefinitely. As the tribunal is really a court has a judge and your decision comes on crown court paper. And they back dated until I ask for the PIP form 7th March 2022.
I got my state pension this year and 3 months before went to citizens advice and they helped me call DWP and helped me fill in the phone form which they logged. She wrote down exactly what I had to say when I phoned them on my birthday . I get £70.04 pension credit a week . Which means I get the winter fuel allowance and Eon let me know I had the £150 warm home discount added to my credit . Plus you get money off glasses at Specsavers .
So don't forget to get in touch with CA and they can help you get everything you are entitled to.
I was in the same place 11 years ago. I had very bad angina and 14 months before stents and sone improvement.
I was on temp contracts. I went to my local MP as I was years from my state pension - Waspi. He recommended PiP, and his office helped. it was a strange process but it was granted and you will get it permanently, you GP will be contacted to update them but Cardio vascular disease is permanent.
You should be entitled to unemployment right now, so you send fit notes usually for a year.
I did have a small private pension which I could draw on because of poor health your consultant fills out the form and you will get it early,
I hope like me you will get better after cardio rehab and I then was offered an easier role which was permanent.
along with what’s been said. Until recently I volunteered for my local foodbank. Many people in your sort of position go to their foodbank for help, the volunteers are all friendly and used to people in your sort of position.
Many of the foodbanks under the umbrella of The Trussell Trust also offer financial advice and your local foodbank might be one of these. They have direct access to Citizens Advice bureau.
So sorry to hear of your situation.There is an non profit organisation that is amazing...fightback4justice...they are available online or over the phone...they are lawyers who became ill themselves and were disgusted at the way the system treats disabled and ill people...honestly they are truely amazing.
I do hope you can get some help as I know the worry this situation can cause.
no matter what you claim,it won’t be enough to feed a cat ,I tried months ago,I wouldn’t be able to live on that ,so I carry on with my job,regardless of my health,and will probably die doing it ,believe me no one cares least of all your government
As others have suggested, the CAB & AGEuk are both excellent at helping you with advice, completing forms etc & have the advantage of being free to use. Good luck 🤞
There's a small annual charge but do pay it and join the Benefits and work website. It will give you all the advice you need on how to word your application, what details to include ( or not), how to appeal against their decision etc. It really is invaluable. Citizens advice can help for free but honestly I've never found them that good. You shoudl expect to be turned down at first so do appeal or even go to tribunal. Benefits are based not on what condition you have but how much they prevent you from living a normal life. You need to do very detailed explanations and will need to list every doctor or specialist you've seen. Don't stick to the little boxes when writing- add everything on extra sheets of paper. My application had 11 extra pages all cross referenced back to he original question and three pages of doctors with contact details. You could also look at he requirements for PIP.
Sorry to hear about your situation and illness. If you worked full time for 47 yrs have you got any work pension? because you can start taking them now you’re 63 in fact you can take them from 55, I think, if you become ill. You might find you have a good income from them. All the best.
Sorry to hear your scenario, you've come to the right place for advise. It's definitely a mine field. I found the best advise I got was from ACAS they will explain everything you are entitled to and they were very supportive. Take care ❤
Hello there. So sorry to hear that you have been unwell, I hope that in time your condition improves. Your organisation will be obligated to pay SSP for six months and, usually, at that point they are looking for a return to work date which is why they will be wanting an Occ Health report on the likelihood of a return to work date.
If Occ Health agee that there is no likely return to work date any time soon they will look to set up a meeting to end your employment due to capability, ill health. This is an important step as it allows the organisation to end your employment rather than you resigning your position which is better to be able to claim any benefits you are entitled to. They will confirm the outcome of any meeting in writing.
If the outcome is that they terminate your employment you are entitled to notice pay and any holiday entitlement that you have accrued over the last months but won’t have taken as you have been away from work ill. You haven’t been in work but your contract of employment is still intact and you are entitled to.
As you are over 60 age UK would be able to help you. They are a great organisation and cover all kinds of things.Citizens advice bureau are also very good but there might be a longer wait.
citizensadvice.org.uk/about... will advise you on Universal Credit, but will also assist with NEW SYLE ESA, which you may be able get regardless of your savings or other income. You will initially be put in the assessment phase, and will in time be assessed as to whether you have limited capability for work as a result of your health issues. You will be required to complete an assessment form called an ESA50. It is best completed with the help of someone like Citizens Advice.
It won't be straightforward, and the assessment will not be about being a kitchen porter, and it will be blind to how many years you have worked. It will be about whether you could do lighter paid work in the light of your heart condition. This might be difficult for you to swallow. If you don't get classified as having Limited Capability for Work, you will be entitled to New Style Job seekers allowance in stead but you will be expected to actively seek work that you can reasonably manage.
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