Can't believe it, I was told in January 2013 that I was being put in the Support Group after a long wait of 5 months. I was on Incapacity and migrated over without a medical. I had a real shock today as I opened the post and saw to my horror yet another ESA50 to fill in. I immediately phoned the DWP and they said my claim had expired on June 27, to be honest she was a complete b****h and told me not to get uppity, even though I wasn't.
The letter said "If you currently receive incapacity benefit, income support or severe disablement allowance" you will be converted to ESA. I am already on it so I don't understand. I was told I had 12 months in the support group on my ESA85. So by rights I should have had until February 2014.
Am sitting here in floods of tears and I don't know what to do or who to call. If I am already on ESA then why is this form seeming to say that this questionnaire is to migrate me over to a benefit I am already on. Please help.
It has not been a year, I filled in my first ESA form around this time last year, so it looks like instead of giving me a a year in the support group from February this year the b*******s have only let me have 5 months.
I feel for you I really do. The people you speak to at the DWP can be really horrible people. I think what you need to do is gather up all of your letters that you have. The one where you were told in January you were being put in the support group and then the one from today. Then either speak to someone at the CAB or do you have a place that deals with employment and benefit enquiries? I don't know where you live but if you are in the Wirral or near the Wirral I do have a number for someone who can help you. The other thing you could do is ring the DWP again and speak to another adviser or perhaps your local job centre can help you. Sorry to hear that its upset you. I make my husband ring and speak to those people because I have a panic attack as soon as I see the dreaded 'brown envelope'. Take a deep breath hun. Do you have a family member that could ring up on your behalf? That may make things easier for you. I'm not sure my answer helps you, but come back and talk to me whenever. All of us here are stronger together. Gentle hugs xxxx
Hi
Thanks, my hubby isn't very good on the phone and anyway I doubt they would speak to him about my claim. I just don't get why I have to fill out another form for a benefit I am already on. I am going to try and contact someone about it but as you know the help agencies are so bogged down with people needing help. I only have 1 month and not even that. Otherwise they will stop my benefit. I just feel like telling them to go stuff themselves. It's so much hassle for £160 a week.
We understand the difficulties you all are having with the current benefit system especially since the recent changes from DLA to PIP & IB to ESA.
FibroAction can provide you with the Benefits & Work Guides and these may be of help for you in the whole process of applying for these benefits. Please email info@fibroaction.org and we can send the guides from the Benefits & Work site for FREE. We hope these will help with the claim and the stress you are experiencing at this time.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news. The clock starts from the time you first filled in the form, June 2012, not when they notify you of the result. I have had the same thing myself after winning on appeal, took nearly 12 months to get to tribunal, was awarded ESA then another ESA/50 arrived 2 weeks later and I was back to square 1.
It is ridiculous, why do they bombard you with dates and tell you one thing and then tell you something else. I was told re-assessment should in theory happen after you were migrated over to ESA. This didn't happen for me until February 2013. I dare not even ask if people who are being re-assessed end up with a different decision next time.
It is possible to get a different decision every time you fill in an ESA/50, I have been awarded ESA by tribunal and the DWP, this time round the DWP have refused to award me ESA so its off to tribunal again.
Hi Mdaisy
Luckily I am a member of B&W myself so will be using their guides once again. My membership expires in about 3 weeks so hopefully I will try and as much filled in as I can. Thanks anyway.
I filled in my form exacly the same word for word and put on the form NO CHANGE due to no new cure yet and i expect to to only get worse. I got put straight back onto esa support group.
I thought the same as there has been no change, just a worsening if anything. However the form changed in January of this year and some of the descriptors for the support group are not the same as they were last time. I will have to compare the old and new forms and see the differences and then fill it in accordingly. Feel like giving up at the moment.
Hi there,I have just had an assessment to get help from "family mosaic".I have had help from them in the past.They can help you with benefits and getting the right benefits you need amongst other things as well.They are lovely people and its all free.You get allocated a support worker who comes to your home every week to help and support you with a variety of issues such as benefits,debts and other things.They can liaise with benefits on your behalf,might be worth contacting them x
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ESA50 
ATOS / ESA50 questionnaire
got my esa result
