ESA worries

[lornadoon]

I went to my first esa meeting on Friday did not understand much as brain fog was bad,

What i did understand is that money only lasts for a 11 months then stops.

He gave me forms to appeal then said i need not go down that line.

Can anyone tell me what happens then as i am so stressed i do not know what to do, i cannot work as i have sle, arthritis, brittle bone disease.ibs, and lots of other health problems, now i am not sleeping and the stress is making my stomach bad.

Please can anyone tell me what happens when my money stops.Do i go onto job seekers allowance or is that it.

I have worked for 35 years and paid my dues i have not been a scrounger and would work if my body would let me.

Sorry for the rant but i am so low at the moment,

Lornadoon

[mstr]

Hi Lorna, I have been on ESA work related conribution group for 1 year now and the money stops. You are right the money stops after one year if you are in this group. I am just applying for JS allowance and have an appointment on Tue. Apparently I am entitled to this for 26 weeks whilst looking for work. Like you I have worked for 30 years and find the system difficult to understand. Don't worry about having a rant on here as I think it's good to let of steam. Good luck with the esa.

[lornadoon]

Hi mstr thank you for leaving a message,the stress has not done my hand joints any good also my ibs has been bad this weekend.

The thing that is annoying is jsa means we are fit for work and this looks like we are telling lies about not being able to work then all of a sudden we can.

It gives the message that we have been scrounging from the government all along,

It annoys me when 15 years ago i went back to work after back surgery and a brain tumor when i could have stayed on the sick a lot longer,

My principles were a lot different then, as we were brought up not to scrounge from the government when work was plenty and some people did not want to work at all.

I am a little calmer today as worrying is making me more ill.

It is annoying though that we have paid our debt to society in years gone by and this is how we are treated now.

If lupus does not mean we are sick then why is it that most employers will finish you as soon as you are diagnosed with this disease.

Thank you for the rant i think i just need to let off steam as they say.

Take care

Lorna

[fabwheelie]

After the 12 months of "contribution based" ESA you can apply for "income based" ESA which may be an option rather than JSA

Income based ESA is the means-tested version of ESA. If you have an income from an ill-health retirement pension or a partner who works, you are unlikely to qualify (unless any such income is an extremely low one).

[anne59]

I don't know if anyone else has done this ; my brother in law(age 62) was totally refused any esa after being on incapacity benefit for the last 12 years and told to apply for jsa, however when he went back to his GP his GP said this was ludicrous as he was clearly unfit to work and promptly gave him a sicknote for 12 weeks. This is only for standard ssp but is higher than job seekers and there's no pressure to look for emlployment. Meanwhile he is thinking about appealing the decision.

[fabwheelie]

It is definately worth doing an appeal These blogs are very usefull -lupusuk.healthunlocked.com/...

lupusuk.healthunlocked.com/...

Reply to this

[lornadoon]

Hi Anne when the time comes for me to go on jsa i will do the same as i cannot work.

Your brother in law was right why should we be forced to do something we clearly cannot do.

Thank you for the help it was much appreciated.

Lornadoon

[lornadoon]

Hi fabwheelie

I have to go for another meeting in October i will try and take in what the guy say's and ask him about possibly appealing.

I just wish i could take in what people say to me as at the moment my brain just does not seem to function at all, and as i cannot hold a pen it is even more frustrating.

I am doing a lot of reading blogs at the moment and i am getting more used to what is happening with people who are having the same trouble as me.

I hate this government for what it is doing to the sick and disabled people.

Sorry for rant just need to get it off my chest.

lornadoon

[Lupo30]

Hi

I've got the same problem. I also hate this government and the way it is treating all of us who have worked hard and now need some help. It is good to get it off your chest. I'm appealing after being put in the work related activity group, but I don't if it is going to get me anywhere. All they say, is 'let your husband keep you'. But what has been the point in working so hard all these years? Good luck and let us know how you get on.

[teecayc]

I just got put on income related automatically after my contribution based stopped. At the appeal rate at the moment though

[lornadoon]

Hi Lupo

Thanks for the response at the moment i am not on this planet as my husband has been rushed to hospital after being ill for 5 weeks.He has respiratory problems and the stress is making me ill.

I feel that a lot of us have been let down by the government.Everybody tells me do not worry but i cannot stop worrying.

My husband when he is working does not make a big wage and we are just keeping our heads above water if my money stops we might as well give up.

At the moment if anything happens to my husband i will not be long following him as i have no family here so what will be the point in staying on this earth.

He tells me not to go and see him in hospital as we are counting the bus fares let alone other things.

We moved into the bungalow in Feb to help me with my illness but the rent alone is £100 per week and then we have all the rest to pay.

We do not even go out as the petrol is too expensive,i cannot drive so car is standing on the drive.

My husband and i have worked since we were both 15 years old and we are no better off if we had never worked a day in our life.

Sorry for the rant i am just so low at the moment and cannot stop crying,

Thank you for your response and take care.

Lornadoon