WRAG reduction in payment.

skitti wrote: I Know the prospect of a £30 reduction in the amount of money paid to ESA in the WRAG is going scare claimants, but if it is definitely going to go ahead, those claimants must be able to benefit from, council tax benefit, council tax benefit, free prescriptions and free dental & optical care. Plus free transport to and from hospital appointments etc.

claimants of ESA and Incapacity benefit before it, could not claim any of those because of the extra money paid. but rent alone is more than the £30 a week so new claimants of WRAG ESA will be considerably better off.

skitti wrote: Surely that would have to change because both income & contribution based would be paid at the same rate? The reason income based qualify is because the rate they are paid is lower than contribution based. If they lower contribution based to the same rate as income based and don't give the same entitlement to housing benefit etc they would in many cases be making more people homeless, denying them the right to free medicines etc.

I have a real bee in my bonnet about benefits, having had to fight for benefits.I struggled for years on Incapacity Benefit and ESA contribution based. & had to go to appeal to get into support group, which I won They also tried to stop my ESA 5 months before I was due to start receiving state pension when they moved the goal posts on how long C/B could be paid, so I know what shameful tactics IDS is employing against sick & disabled, but it would certainly be worth fighting for those extras once they reduce ESA WRAG.

Gordon wrote:

skitti wrote: Surely that would have to change because both income & contribution based would be paid at the same rate? The reason income based qualify is because the rate they are paid is lower than contribution based. If they lower contribution based to the same rate as income based and don't give the same entitlement to housing benefit etc they would in many cases be making more people homeless, denying them the right to free medicines etc.

I have a real bee in my bonnet about benefits, having had to fight for benefits.I struggled for years on Incapacity Benefit and ESA contribution based. & had to go to appeal to get into support group, which I won They also tried to stop my ESA 5 months before I was due to start receiving state pension when they moved the goal posts on how long C/B could be paid, so I know what shameful tactics IDS is employing against sick & disabled, but it would certainly be worth fighting for those extras once they reduce ESA WRAG.