ESA - disability premia entitlement

Hello: My sister, whose benefits I advise about, receives the LIMITED CAPABILITY FOR WORK ADDITION of £73.10 and EXTRA MONEY BECAUSE YOU ARE IN THE SUPPORT GROUP of £36.20 'which gives you a total income related amount £109.30. However, because you are entitled to contribution based esa we will pay you £110.85.' So far, so clear.

She also receives PIP enhanced care and standard mobility (and has received both benefits for a few years).

Because of the PIP award, I think she should receive either enhanced or severe disability premium in ESA. She lives alone, and I thought there was a simple form in which to declare this in order to receive one of the premiums.

Querying this with her benefits office, they ignored the request for the form and advised that she needed to complete a whole new ESA claim to be considered for the premia.

Can you kindly advise if this is correct? A whole new application just for premia which as far as I know are paid in virtue of the PIP award...?

Many thanks,

Marcus

Gordon: Many thanks for the kind and helpful reply. Now I know what she needs to do - but I'm irked that the DWP (Wolverhampton) didn't advise this as you do, though I set the facts out similarly.

Her household income is her benefits only (ESA and PIP); she receives full HB and CT Support, having no capital/assets; she's unable to work and lives alone.

She MAY have converted from IS to ESA - that sounds right, but it was a few years ago.

I'll do as you kindly suggest.

On another matter, I've just helped her do (well, I did it as she's too ill) a PIP review - along the lines you newly suggest with that shortened form. Her PIP (enhanced care; standard mob) award was a four-year, to Jan 18, so a review a full year earlier was unexpected... By my reckoning she should score more points now than in the initial application (which was a bit arbitrarily done by a social worker, after she'd been 'sectioned' under the Mental Health Act). I decided not to challenge as I was satisfied with the outcome and, of course, one risks the chance of a reduced outcome.

Nothing will surprise me about the outcome of the review - but I followed the very helpful members' guidance advice... so finger crossed....