New Style ESA

Hi.

In April 2020 I applied for New-Style ESA on the basis of credits-only since my record wasn’t up to date for actual payment. This continued until April 2021 when I made a claim for Universal Credit (I was awarded LCW from ESA whilst waiting for the LCWRA assessment). However, I never got payment from UC as I was assigned some work coach who gave me a hard time for the first week of me claiming asking me why I never claimed before if I wasn’t so poorly so I closed the claim deciding I could reasonably live on my PIP money since I do get quite a bit from them. In August 2021 I had the LCWRA assessment on the phone (even though the claim ceased) and it taken about 10 minutes with a lovely lady who couldn’t understand why they didn’t do paper-based, I participated just so DWP had in record why I didn’t think it was reasonable them keep referring me for assessments.
Fast forward to 2022 and last week I applied again for New-Style ESA (on the basis that this time I was doing it to maintain my NI record and could help me in future if my savings went low enough for me to claim Universal Credit with the additional money element). I have today received a letter saying ‘Your Claimant Commitment’ and every box is ticked on it saying ‘This activity does not apply to me’ for the work coach appointments, work related activities and work preparation. The covering letter does say ‘Please find enclosed your commitments, you do not need to sign or send these back to us, for records only.’ I have received no further correspondence.

Sorry for the long post (I’m sure you know that’s how I am from my previous posts ha!) but does this mean they have awarded me LCWRA on the basis of my assessment from August 2021. I do believe when you reclaim they can use previous claim details?

All the best and thank you for your support, keep up the brilliant work!

I will contact ESA tomorrow when I feel well enough and ask them what’s going on groups-wise as I think I’ll be making a Universal Credit claim in the coming months since with price increases and my Gas & Electricity bill going from £95 to £180 a month every extra penny counts! I know my credits-only claim will cease once again when I do but as long as I’m in the support group I understand I will get awarded the element in my first payment which will make me feel so much better.

Thank you for your kind response and I wish you well.

bgregg

Hi bgregg

I received the same letter as you regarding the 'Claimant Commitment' but then a week later received the ESA50 to complete. I did this and returned it on 02 December 2021 and haven't heard anything more. I have had no further correspondence or contact from DWP. I did telephone to ensure that they have received my form as I had submitted rather a lot of supporting evidence this was on 13 December 2021 and was told it was with the assessors.

I am not sure of the current timescales for the process?

Hi

it seems to me that there is some sort of priority going on. My review went in end October, within 6 weeks I had the award letter, without assessment. Our sons went in end Nov, same area and address, they received it the following day and he has not heard anything yet about assessment or other.

It's a bit of a conundrum because if they are looking at applications to determine who get assessed or looked at first, who goes to the decision maker by bypassing the assessment providers and so on, they will be wasting an awful lot of time and resources. Also unless its actually people who have been trained to 'triage' applications, following a written process of elimination, how will they know whose application goes where and when. I also wonder about confidentiality.

Makes you wonder.