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Moving to new area while on old style esa

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6 years 7 months ago #195148 by ratty1960
Hi there ,I hope you can help.I have been in the support group for 3 years anxiety and deppression and a few weeks ago had a face to face reassessment and have been placed back into to the support group.I have been on the en titled to website and it says I am not in a full universal credit area so old rules current claim esa apply.I am shortly moving to the west midlands and going back to the calculator for that area I am told I am now in a full universal credit area and I have to apply for universal credit.I hope I don't need another work capability assessment having just passed one.Also I saw that a different rate applys, and also permitted work rules are different. In my area a person can earn £120 a week and up to 16 hours while in the support group ,while in the universal credit area once you get past approx working 8 hours at living wage the dwp take 60% of every pound earned over that amount which does not give anyone any incentive to slowly increase their hours to build up their tolerance to their Ilness and get back to more hours.I would be so grateful if you could clarify these points before I make the decision to move which is to be closer to my new partner,thanks Gary

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6 years 7 months ago #195172 by Gordon
Replied by Gordon on topic Moving to new area while on old style esa
Gary

I would recommend that you get face to face advice before proceeding, Universal Credit is significantly different in its operation from most of the benefits it replaces. Do an internet search for "welfare advice" with your postcode, town or county.

UC should only effect Income Related benefits such as ESA(IR) and Housing Benefit. So if you are receiving Contribution Based ESA only and no HB then it should have no effect. As you have an award there should be no requirement for you to be reassessed in order to receive UC.

However, if you are then you your moving will trigger a transfer to UC of your existing benefits, one important thing to be aware of is that there is no Transitional Protection under these circumstances so if you receive, as an example; the Severe Disability Premium, this will be lost completely under UC.

Permitted Work does not exist under UC, as a positive this removes the 16 hour and earning limits, on the negative it could mean due to the taper that you receive less for doing the same.

Also, whilst your post suggests that you will initially be living separately from your partner, if you do start to live together then they will become part of your UC claim, this is different from how this operates under ESA(IR) where the partner is very much a secondary claimant, under UC they will be a full claimant and will also need to fulfil any requirements placed upon them.

Gordon

Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems

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