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Automatic entry to Support Group?

  • Sickofit
  • Topic Author
12 years 5 months ago #71283 by Sickofit
Automatic entry to Support Group? was created by Sickofit
In June 2011 I went into hospital as an in-patient for an operation to have a metal plate fitted in a fractured shoulder. I went into hospital at 7am one morning and was discharged at lunchtime the following day.
The fracture has not healed and I have just been told that I will need further surgery and have been put on the waiting list for another operation.
I read on the B&W website that this should mean automatic entry to the Support Group. Please let me know if this is true. I am 62 years old and
I am currently in the WRAG.
Any information/ideas would be most welcome.

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  • pete17971
12 years 5 months ago #71285 by pete17971
Replied by pete17971 on topic Re:Automatic entry to Support Group?
Sickofit
wrote:

In June 2011 I went into hospital as an in-patient for an operation to have a metal plate fitted in a fractured shoulder. I went into hospital at 7am one morning and was discharged at lunchtime the following day.
The fracture has not healed and I have just been told that I will need further surgery and have been put on the waiting list for another operation.
I read on the B&W website that this should mean automatic entry to the Support Group. Please let me know if this is true. I am 62 years old and
I am currently in the WRAG.
Any information/ideas would be most welcome.



Hi,

The grounds for being placed into the Support Group are on page 15 onwards of the guide called ''Employment & Support
Allowance claims on Physical Health Grounds'' accessible from this page:

www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/help-for-claimants/esa

To be honest from what you have said, I am struggling to find an automatic reason why you should be placed into the SG, as waiting for surgery is not an automatic classification.

Can you expand on where you have read (or the reason why) you believe you should be in the Support Group?

Pete

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  • Sickofit
  • Topic Author
12 years 5 months ago #71286 by Sickofit
Replied by Sickofit on topic Re:Automatic entry to Support Group?
Hi Pete,
Many thanks for your reply.
I got the idea about hospital treatment from pages 10 & 11 of the 70-page PDF file: ESA claims on physical health grounds: a guide to the WCA.
Please put me right on this, as I have obviously jumped to the wrong conclusions.

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  • Sickofit
  • Topic Author
12 years 5 months ago #71287 by Sickofit
Replied by Sickofit on topic Re:Automatic entry to Support Group?
There are a number of grounds on which claimants can be exempted from the limited
capability for work assessment and placed in the support group.
If you are exempt you do not have to complete an ESA50 questionnaire or attend a medical.
You automatically pass limited capability for work assessment and you may also pass the
limited capability for work-related activity assessment - the support group test - as well.

Hospital treatment
You will be treated as having limited capability for work on any days in which you are an inpatient
in hospital or recovering from in-patient treatment. The same applies if you are
attending residential rehabilitation for the treatment of drug or alcohol addiction. This does
not need to be medical treatment. It could, for example, be a residential centre run by a
religious organisation.

The above 2 paragraphs are from the B&w website.

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  • pete17971
12 years 5 months ago #71288 by pete17971
Replied by pete17971 on topic Re:Automatic entry to Support Group?
Sickofit wrote:

Hi Pete,
Many thanks for your reply.
I got the idea about hospital treatment from pages 10 & 11 of the 70-page PDF file: ESA claims on physical health grounds: a guide to the WCA.
Please put me right on this, as I have obviously jumped to the wrong conclusions.


Hi,

Those exemptions are conditions/circumstances/exemptions that get one into the Work Related Activity Group (WRAG) which is where you already are.

Sadly they do not passport you into the Support Group.

Pete

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  • pete17971
12 years 5 months ago - 12 years 5 months ago #71290 by pete17971
Replied by pete17971 on topic Re:Automatic entry to Support Group?
Sickofit wrote:

There are a number of grounds on which claimants can be exempted from the limited
capability for work assessment and placed in the support group.
If you are exempt you do not have to complete an ESA50 questionnaire or attend a medical.
You automatically pass limited capability for work assessment and you may also pass the
limited capability for work-related activity assessment - the support group test - as well.

Hospital treatment
You will be treated as having limited capability for work on any days in which you are an inpatient
in hospital or recovering from in-patient treatment. The same applies if you are
attending residential rehabilitation for the treatment of drug or alcohol addiction. This does
not need to be medical treatment. It could, for example, be a residential centre run by a
religious organisation.

The above 2 paragraphs are from the B&w website.




Hi,

In your circumstances as stated, re the hospital admission and recovery from it,
it states:

You will be treated as having limited capability for work on any days etc etc.

Limited Capability for work means in effect you would automatically qualify for the WRAG (not the Support Group).

You would need to find a ground that not only gives you exemption from 'Limited Capability from Work', but also exempts one from 'limited capability for work-related activity' to get into the Support Group.

In your stated circumstances and without knowing all your case it is difficult to find an exemption from limited capability for work-related activity' which may fit your case.

However that is not to say there isn't one, which is where getting face to face advice, where an adviser can go through your claim in depth, maybe beneficial.

Pete
Last edit: 12 years 5 months ago by pete17971. Reason: clarity

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