Waiting for Assessment decision and confusing letter received.

Hi, I had an assessment for Esa six weeks ago and have just recieved a letter from Jobcentre pluls Beginning: "Your Claim for Employment and Support Allowance - Changes to Social Security Benefits." It goes on to say that from 12th April 2024 to 18th October 2024 my ESA will be £90.50 a week and it will end after this because I will have reached the limit of 365 days for contribution based ESA.

It also gives a breakdown of how the ESA has been worked out and says that I can apply for a Mandatory Reconsideration within 28 days if I disagree with their decision.

Is this effectively a letter saying I have been placed in the WRAG group, or is this just a standard letter, due to the yearly uprating of benefit amounts. The fact that they say I will be on ESA for the 365 days makes me feel that the former situation is most likely.

I am very confused and don't want to telephone them unless I absolutely have to.

thanks,

Nathan.

HI gary, thank you for your reply.

while I was waiting for someone to respond, I searched the site and found two other posters in a similar situation with the same letter:

www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/forum/10-dla-e...-esa-letter-confused

www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/forum/10-dla-e...rity-benefits-letter

The consensus here was that it was a standard Annual Uprating of Benefits letter and the time of year corresponds to that. Are you sure it's an actual decision letter as I am extremely stressed by the prospect of contacting them unless I absolutely have to?

Many thanks,

Nathan.

Thank you Gordon. The letter is dated the 20th February and only arrived on the 28th. Nothing at all about a decision on it and no decision letter yet. I guess I will have to bite the bullet and ring them as no doubt they will be counting the 28 days from the 20th Feb even though I got is 8 days later.

It's really ridiculous, without this forum I would have just left it and waited for an actual decsion letter and then have lost my right to a Mandatory Reconsideration. How do they expect people to understand what to do when they "imply" things and don't state them. No mention of LCW anywhere on their letter and no menion of assessement outcome whatsoever. No doubt, no point in complaining either... I feel thoroughly sick.

As soon as I get through to them and establish that I have been deemed LCW then I'll ask for an ESA85 as you advise.

Many thanks for your help,

Nathan.