Confused about ESA entitlement

I've recently received the dreaded letter and phone call about transfer from IB to ESA. I've been getting IB for the last 9 years.
While I wait for the ESA50 I'm confused as to my entitlement if I get awarded WRAG or support group. I understand the moves afoot to make contribution based entitlement limited to a year but am totally confused about the income based entitlement.

I can see immediately that WRAG group members will face the means test after a year but I'm unclear as to whether the means test is applicable to those in the support group. Can anyone tell me?

At the moment my ill health pension and capital would make me fail the means test so do I have to plan for having no ESA income after a year if the bill goes through unamended?

BrianSkye wrote:

I've recently received the dreaded letter and phone call about transfer from IB to ESA. I've been getting IB for the last 9 years.
While I wait for the ESA50 I'm confused as to my entitlement if I get awarded WRAG or support group. I understand the moves afoot to make contribution based entitlement limited to a year but am totally confused about the income based entitlement.

I can see immediately that WRAG group members will face the means test after a year but I'm unclear as to whether the means test is applicable to those in the support group. Can anyone tell me?

At the moment my ill health pension and capital would make me fail the means test so do I have to plan for having no ESA income after a year if the bill goes through unamended?

Hi BS,

Claimants who are given support group status will not be subject to the 1 year time limit, and therefore will not face a means test.

cheers

bro58

I should also say that my partner is also on long term IB. This is looking like, whatever the result of both our re-assessments, we can look forward to losing all our IB income after a year. We may have tiny sickness pensions but we do not live like lords, life is very expensive on the Scottish islands.

bro58 wrote:

Hi BS,

Claimants who are given support group status will not be subject to the 1 year time limit, and therefore will not face a means test.

cheers

bro58

That's encouraging. Now I've just got to make sure I get into the support group. It also means that if I get stuck in WRAG I won't have to attend any WFI's because I wouldn't get any money even if I did.