ESA50 - Completion of questionnaire.

Hello. I'm new to all this. I am to be transferred from IB to ESA and the dreaded white envelope has now landed on my doormat. I have joined this site for advice and to gain the benefit of the experience of others. From a cursory glance at the ESA50, it appears that the questions and qualifying criteria are now designed to confuse rather than assist a claimant.

The cynic in me thinks that this is intentional and will inevitably deter people from jumping through the relevant hoops to get what they are entitled to receive. In effect ' a weeding out process' by stealth.

That said, there appears to be so little space on the ESA50 to adequately describe medical conditions and the way in which they effect me (or any other applicant) that the form is hardly fit for purpose.

I intend to answer every single question as fully as possible, giving every bit of information I can and answer every question by means of a separate sheets of paper. I am determined that these 'decision makers' fully understand how my various complaints affect me on a daily basis.

Is this the best course of action, or am I likely to incur the wrath of some scribe in the Atos office who has neither a true interest nor a real inclination to deal with the application properly ?

Some of the stories I have read thus far beggar belief. Needless to say, I am now fearful for the future and would appreciate all the advice I can get. I am utterly dreading the next few weeks and months.

Tom_Cobbley wrote: Hello. I'm new to all this. I am to be transferred from IB to ESA and the dreaded white envelope has now landed on my doormat. I have joined this site for advice and to gain the benefit of the experience of others. From a cursory glance at the ESA50, it appears that the questions and qualifying criteria are now designed to confuse rather than assist a claimant.

The cynic in me thinks that this is intentional and will inevitably deter people from jumping through the relevant hoops to get what they are entitled to receive. In effect ' a weeding out process' by stealth.

That said, there appears to be so little space on the ESA50 to adequately describe medical conditions and the way in which they effect me (or any other applicant) that the form is hardly fit for purpose.

I intend to answer every single question as fully as possible, giving every bit of information I can and answer every question by means of a separate sheets of paper. I am determined that these 'decision makers' fully understand how my various complaints affect me on a daily basis.

Is this the best course of action, or am I likely to incur the wrath of some scribe in the Atos office who has neither a true interest nor a real inclination to deal with the application properly ?

Some of the stories I have read thus far beggar belief. Needless to say, I am now fearful for the future and would appreciate all the advice I can get. I am utterly dreading the next few weeks and months.

Hi TC,

Welcome to Benefits and Work

The paper ESA50 that you receive through the post is quite small.

If you have received the "new" ESA50 01/2013 (which should be indicated at the bottom right of page 20) you might wish to consider :

Using The PDF Version Of The ESA50 Questionnaire

Whilst referring to the ESA Claims Guides under the heading of :

"New ESA50 form"

On this page :

ESA Claims Guides

If it is the "old" ESA50 03/11, (indicated at the bottom left of page 1, please advise, and I will post you a link to that PDF)

See also :

How long do I have to complete the ESA50?

ESA50 too big for the envelope

From our : ESA FAQ’s

See also : Sending Documents to the DWP or ATOS

As you have been transferred over from IB, you may also wish to have a look at our : IB, IS, SDA, Migration to ESA FAQ’s

It may help if you bookmark this page for ease of future reference.

As you are working your way through the process you can then post any queries that may crop up, by replying to this topic.

bro58

Thanks for the information.

The form I have is the ESA50 01/13 version. As you say, quite small - 20 pages.

From what I can gather from reading other parts of this site, the 'scoring charts' and the various questions asked, my score SHOULD be well in excess of 15 points. Of course others have thought the same, only to find themselves shocked by the resulting outcomes.

I will try to read all the relevant stuff you've directed me to and see where I am after that.

What a nightmare !!

Tom_Cobbley wrote: Thanks for the information.

The form I have is the ESA50 01/13 version. As you say, quite small - 20 pages.

From what I can gather from reading other parts of this site, the 'scoring charts' and the various questions asked, my score SHOULD be well in excess of 15 points. Of course others have thought the same, only to find themselves shocked by the resulting outcomes.

I will try to read all the relevant stuff you've directed me to and see where I am after that.

What a nightmare !!

Hi TC,

Yes, it can seem quite daunting.

Many of our members have been successfully transferred though.

The download link on the page that I provided is for The ESA50 01/2013, so that's fine.

Don't forget, entry to The WRAG is point based, in that you must obtain a minimum of 15 points, however entry to The SG is reliant on you fulfilling any one of The SG descriptors.

These links may also help :

DM GUIDE LCW & LCWRA :

DM Guide LCW & LCWRA

&

DM Guide ESA Amendments from 28/01/13


WRAG (LCW) Descriptors

ESA Reg 29 for entry to The WRAG (LCW)

SG (LCWRA) Descriptors

ESA Reg 35 for entry to The SG (LCWRA)

As previously stated, you now have your own reference topic, and can bookmark it, and return to it as necessary.

bro58

Thanks for that clear explanation. I understand better now - it's points PLUS descriptor for the SG.

Tom_Cobbley wrote: Thanks for that clear explanation. I understand better now - it's points PLUS descriptor for the SG.

Hi TC,

Just to clarify it, scoring 15 points or more in the WRAG descriptors will place you in The WRAG.

To gain access to The SG, you must fulfill at least one of The SG Descriptors.

As you may notice, some of the SG descriptors are the same as the corresponding ones that score 15 points in The WRAG descriptors.

This is all explained in our ESA Claims Guides, I would advise that you mainly reference those, and use the other information to compliment the guides.

bro58