ESA payments missing – claim “being rebuilt” and conflicting information

Hello,

I’ve been having problems with my ESA payments over the past month and can’t seem to get a clear answer from the DWP helpline.

Depending on who I speak to, I’m told different things. Some advisers say they can’t see anything unusual and that payments simply haven’t been issued due to tech issues. Others say my claim is being “rebuilt”, and one person even said they couldn’t see any record of me ever receiving ESA at all.

I did receive one overdue payment from last month, but I’m still waiting for the payment that was due last week.

Each time I call, I’m told someone will call me back within 24 hours, but that hasn’t happened. I’ve also asked for the issue to be escalated, although the last adviser I spoke to was quite dismissive and unhelpful, so I’m not confident that request was actually actioned.

For context, I migrated from ESA to UC around 10 months ago. I was also receiving NS-ESA, and there hadn’t been any problems with the ESA side of things until now. I’m currently waiting for the outcome of a Mandatory Reconsideration for UC after Help to Claim identified that I may have been underpaid.

Has anyone experienced something similar or had their claim “rebuilt”? What does that actually mean, and how long did it take to resolve?

Also, Mods: is there a way to contact an area manager or make a formal complaint online? I’m severely ill and bedbound, so attending an office in person isn’t possible for me.

Thank you.

Hi David,

Thank you. The issue here isn’t UC or the MR , I only mentioned it for context.

The problem is with ESA, and at the moment it isn’t making sense what’s happening or how to resolve it.

Help to Claim can’t assist with this because they only deal with UC. (Yes, they gave me a figure but could not help beyond recommending a MR which I am waiting to hear about.)
Thanks.