My overall Benefits journey from 2013 to date - and on going still!!

[Guest]

How I miss the security of knowing that my IB would be in the bank on time, at roughly the same time on the due date......not so with ESA, the first payment was there just like the old one was...but now the second isn't in the bank at all on the due date, and I read its a hash of a payment system, if someone forgets to "press the button" it doesn't get done? what the hell?.....stressful phonecall to see whats happened and a delay in payment....tell that to the electric meter, fridge and food cupboard.

 

A friend had these problems when put on ESA recently, completely new claim etc as they had never claimed for any benefits before, we thought that was the reason for her delayed payment 3 times in a row she had to ring up to hear the button wasn't pressed fgs..then it settled.

 

so much for this smooth transfer over from IB to ESA.

[Guest]

so they open at 8 in the morning and after waiting for ten minutes and paying for this 0845 call, I get a guy who is pleasant enough, ensuring me its a blip in the system, and a payment will be made today....then I ask how a blip can happen and he then looks into my claim after asking the security questions, and says its due to another benefit and asks if I have claimed pip or anything and I said no, and he says he cant even see another benefit on the system but that's what it was saying, he then said its nothing to do with me or anything its a system thing, and to ring next time 2 days before my money is due and they can check if its been set up, as they do this .....so next time if its due on Friday for example, ring on weds to check its been released.........so now he will try and get payment in by lunchtime but it could be 5 pm depending how quickly the bank clears it..........he couldn't guarantee it wont happen again..what a system.

[Guest]

well the money went in about an hour after the phone call....so they were quick to rectify the situation and the bank very quick to clear the payment. my daughter is going to write and complain if this happens again, the thought of having to ring them every other week to check if the payment is being released is just too ridiculous for me with my anxiety, am already worrying about the next time as it is.

[Guest]

well I got the esa85a this morning....it lists all the evidence supplied and the opinion of a registered nurse who was the health professional in this case. she has listed several dates of reports and several regs which helped her make her decision plus the comments etc which I put on the esa50. one sentence stood out for me in particular,

 

"The evidence suggests improvement is unlikely in the longer term"

 

In the prognosis section she has put that she advises work is unlikely within 2yrs. Hence dwp giving me 2yrs peace.

[reallymadwoman]

Keep it safe and include a copy with your next ESA50, if and when you get one.

[Guest]

yeh the next review date is jan 2016 so I will do that, thanks rmw

[time4change2]

glad you got it sorted then do call them blips in the system but one do wonder but then again it is the DWP

[antone]

The computer system that pays ESA is...um...well, "antiquated" would be a kind word for it. It is supposed to withhold payment if a change of circumstances is recorded but not fully updated, which is fair enough. The problem, though, is all the "phantom" changes of circumstances that stop payments for no reason that anyone is ever able to determine.

 

And as a processor, you have to go looking for these things - they're not obvious. There were times I spent the entire day simply plodding through a computer list of everyone who hadn't received their payment and trying to determine what had happened. In some cases, sure, there was a valid reason. But about half of the time I couldn't see anything that was causing the problem. I'd just override the computer and issue the payment.

 

The trouble was, doing that task took time. In the meantime, the med certs were piling up, the mail was accumulating in a huge pile on my desk, and the phones were ringing off the hook. Sadly, that means that the people who were most likely to get paid when the computer screwed something up were the ones who called in to complain about it. Even for those of us with the best of intentions, keeping ESA running properly was like juggling flaming clubs while riding a unicycle and swallowing swords.

[Guest]

this in itself is stressful to me, the thought I have to ring them to see if its being paid ok ....I find phonecalls so distressing at the best of times, and they wont speak to my daughter on my behalf, at least with atos there was a customer email to use, which my daughter did on my behalf during the esa50 millarkey...although of course I am glad that bits over for now. from making the phonecall last Friday, even with it all being sorted very quickly I am still in the anxiety mode that this set off, and by the time it settles I will be having to ring them again to see if its going through on the Friday.........sleepless in between. if I could use the phone and sort this out I wouldn't be needing the damn benefit I would be looking for work. its too much already.

[Guest]

Hi......my brother is claiming esa and is in the support group, he receives the £72 living amount plus the £35 sickness amount and also the disability income guarantee £15. He doesn't claim any dla or pip at all.

 

His son is also recently become ill and has returned to live with him, the son is newly claiming esa and is expected to need it for at least 6 months due the illness he has. Does the son moving in with him alter my brothers esa claim entitlement?

[estellyn]

No it doesn't. The thing it might affect is any housing benefit or mortgage interest help.

[Guest]

Thankyou estellyn........it was the disability income guarantee part that confused me. I also am in the support group and get this too. I was read on one info sheet that it comes with the support group anyway, and on another that it comes with dla and pip which neither me or my brother receive, and then I read that its paid to those in support group living alone, which he isn't now, so that's why I wanted to check here, as what I find to read elsewhere is just baffling to me I am afraid.

[Nystagmite]

He may lose his single person council tax discount if he receives that.

[antone]

Thankyou estellyn........it was the disability income guarantee part that confused me. I also am in the support group and get this too. I was read on one info sheet that it comes with the support group anyway, and on another that it comes with dla and pip which neither me or my brother receive, and then I read that its paid to those in support group living alone, which he isn't now, so that's why I wanted to check here, as what I find to read elsewhere is just baffling to me I am afraid.

 

Do you perhaps mean the disability premiums rather than disability income guarantee?

 

If so, there are two different premiums that apply to ESA:

 

Enhanced Disability Premium, paid to:

 

• ESA claimants in any group who also receive Higher Rate Care DLA (or the PIP equivalent)
  
• All ESA claimants in the Support Group, whether or not they receive DLA/PIP
  

The EDP is not affected by the claimant's situation re. other household members.

 

 

Severe Disability Premium, paid to

 

• ESA claimants in any group who receive DLA at Middle or Higher Rate Care or any PIP Care Payment
  
• Who live alone
  
• And for whom no-one receives Carers Allowance
  

When deciding whether someone lives alone, there are a few types of people who don't count as part of the household, such as children, other disabled people, registered blind, joint tenants, resident landlords or tenants, and probably a few more.

[Nystagmite]

Antone - on my award letter, the enhanced disability premium of £15.55 per week is called the disability income guarantee.

[antone]

Antone - on my award letter, the enhanced disability premium of £15.55 per week is called the disability income guarantee.

 

Now that I did not know. Thanks.

[estellyn]

I know this sounds nutty, but you can't really rely on what the letter says the amount is for, they're notoriously inconsistent - though most have the right amounts, the descriptions are often totally off. I should dig mine out, had something quite mad on it, but the numbers were right so I don't mind, but really confusing to a layman.

[antone]

I know this sounds nutty, but you can't really rely on what the letter says the amount is for, they're notoriously inconsistent - though most have the right amounts, the descriptions are often totally off. I should dig mine out, had something quite mad on it, but the numbers were right so I don't mind, but really confusing to a layman.

 

I have, for years, wanted to throttle the person who wrote the software that creates those automated letters. The number of inquiries I had to deal with which were caused entirely by those things....

[**Margaret**]

: Disability Income Guarantee:

 

'I have ......' You n me both.

 

'Disability income guarantee' is an historic umbrella term (circa 2000?) for extra financial support for the most severely disabled. Long since superceded by the enhanced disability premium in IS, JSA, and more recently, ESA. Clearly the budget doesn't stretch to updating either the antiquated JSAPS computer system, or the sometimes gobbledegook letters it churns out.

 

For anyone trying to make sense of an award letter for employment n support allowance, the terms 'disability income guarantee' and 'enhanced disability premium' are interchangeable.

 

Margaret.

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

well now I am more baffled.......so ignoring my brothers situation now, as he has informed HB and CT of the change.

 

I also receive ESA in support group, as you will all know from my previous posts etc..........I was transferred from incapacity benefit. I never had any disability benefits whatsoever at all. The change to ESA support group has given me this extra £15 and they have called it disability income guarantee. Which takes my benefit payment to £121 per week. I have no idea what its for or why I get it. I have read that its paid to support group claimants. But if its meant as some kind of disability benefit like dla or pip or depending on those being paid then its a mistake? maybe I should ring them?

[Guest]

Just read antone's post back a few lol and seen that I don't need to ring them, re the its paid to all esa support. Also I recall ringing them with my daughter when the second esa payment didn't get into the bank and the dwp guy couldn't see what was wrong and queried if I was getting dla or pip which I wasn't, he then went off to speak with his manager and sort it out for me. The payment went in within the hour so am guessing they checked it all then and any mishaps would have flagged up. Am breathing now.

[Guest]

Am not sure this is the right place to put this, please move if necessary and apologies in advance.

 

My local council sent me a letter re my HB and CT benefit, which I found out had gone to the wrong address ( I have since found out this has also happened to others), I rang to find out where the letter was as I hadn't received it and was told it had been sent to an old address due to their system not being updated, apparently this happens when people move home? as with the other person I know who this happened to it seems to occur when there has been a mutual exchange within the council ....

 

so that was one letter gone astray that I didn't receive, wasn't forwarded on to me and could have been read by someone else. I emailed to complain but no reply was received.

 

I did get a replacement letter last Friday, sent to the right address with handwritten envelope.

 

Yesterday .......at 3pm a lady was at my door, my son was here and answered it, the lady was from a house in the next row, she had a letter addressed to me but with her house number, she had rang the council and said she wasn't me etc and they told her to open it......?.......and when she did she saw inside on the first page MY street number, she was then given the job of delivering it. Again the envelope was hand written and it was the same letter I got on last Friday, with all my entitlements and details in it.

 

I feel so angry and am wondering how many other people the council would like to inform of my situation.

[silverfox1961]

Hi

This, to me, is a serious breach of data protection so possibly a two pronged approach here.

 

1 A formal written complaint and sent by snail mail to the benefits section outlining what they have done wrong (not updating addresses-sending to wrong address)

 

2 Another complaint to the Data Compliance manager detailing what the benefits section has done.

 

I say two pronged because it is usual for one department to have no communication with another.

 

Include photocopies of the envelope and ask your neighbour if she will agree to back up the statement:

 

they told her to open it

[Guest]

Thankyou I will do that.

[DIZZYNITA]

Hi

This, to me, is a serious breach of data protection so possibly a two pronged approach here.

 

1 A formal written complaint and sent by snail mail to the benefits section outlining what they have done wrong (not updating addresses-sending to wrong address)

 

2 Another complaint to the Data Compliance manager detailing what the benefits section has done.

 

I say two pronged because it is usual for one department to have no communication with another.

 

Include photocopies of the envelope and ask your neighbour if she will agree to back up the statement:

 

Hi

Good I took photos of a letter sent from DWP to my address last week addressed to someone who's never lived here. After a search, thanks to social media, I found out who he was.

It turned out to be a brother of a tenant who lived in my block of flats two years ago!

I'll now make a complaint!