JSA and ESA

I have recently been awarded ( after an ATOS assessment) PIP at enhanced rate for mobility. I got 6 points in care and have asked for a mandatory reconsideration with help from this site. I also had to issue a SAR that I downloaded from here as DWP lied about sending my assessment report and so I had to submit the MR without benefit of the report.

I was extremely annoyed to then go to my job centre as I claim CB JSA, only to be told I am not allowed the disability premium of JSA. I have therefore decided to claim ESA. I will not qualify for means tested benefit.
I'll get to the question now - When I have made the initial phone call for ESA do I then tell the job centre when I go to sign on I have made a claim for ESA?
Question 2 please. The decision maker at the DWP for my PIP claim stated he agreed I could not walk more than 20 metres. Can this be used as evidence in the ESA claim to help me for support group? Or as I suspect will the DWP not take their own evidence (and presumably ATOS') into account?
Thank you very much.

Hi Suze,

You cannot have live claims for both ESA and JSA at the same time. Once your JSA claim haas closed you willl no longer need to report to the local JobCentre.

ESA and PIP claims are totally seperate although you can use paperwork from one as evidence for the other. Don't assume that DWP know anything about you even if you believe that you have already provided everything they need to know, there is no crossover between PIP and ESA departments. Don't forget that the ESA descriptor relates to 'mobilisation' rather than 'walking', they will also consider whether they think you could use a self-propelled wheelchair - whether or not you have one or have ever had the use of one suggested to you.

As always, you should make full use of the guides when filling in the ESA50. I'm afraid that the system is grinding to a halt at the moment and claimants are waiting many months to hear about a face2face assessment, never mind a decision!

If you have further questions please reply to this post and we will do our best to help, you will find it easily in future if you bookmark it, or make it a favourite, on your web browser now

Thank you. When I next go to sign on for JSA should i tell them I have made an ESA claim? I will have made the eSA claim by then by telephone.
Or will they know. I' m not sure how to go about this to ensure no monetary gap.

I think your JSA claim will automatically be closed when your ESA claim is accepted. Maybe one of the other mods will confirm, or refute, this for us.