Please can I ask, regarding a previous question I asked on 20th March 2024, about WRAG.
I had a reply from Gary then, which contained the following sentence : “Note that since 3rd April 2017 the WRAG element was abolished for new claimants”.
Please can I ask to clarify what that means? As my claim for ESA was made in Sept 2018, and I was never told if I was in the WRAG or Support Group. I didn’t ask, and It has simply been referred to as ‘ESA’ for the past 6 years. But it has always been the lower paid rate (which I assumed was a WRAG rate) and not the Support Group rate. But nothing ever specified this. Am I correct in assuming that what it means is, there were no more ‘work related activities’ being carried out after April 2017? But were there two rates from that point onwards or just one?
I'm really sorry but Gary isn't here at the moment and this is not my area of expertise.
The government cut the Work Related Activity Component from the WRAG Group, which had previously been in place from 3rd April 2017. As your claim was not made until 2018 you would not have been aware that if you were in that group you may have received £29.05 less than anyone whose claim was before 3.04.17. All new claimants received the same rate as people on Job Seekers Allowance.