IB and Pathways to Work

SJ Halstead wrote:

pata1 wrote:

No, Pathways to Work applies to those in receipt of Incapacity Benefit as well as ESA. This an extract from the link I provided.

When you make a claim for Employment and Support Allowance or incapacity benefits, you will automatically be considered for Pathways to Work.

Only people aged between 18 and the age when you are eligible to receive Pension Credit will automatically be considered. This applies if you are claiming for the first time, or are claiming again after a break in receiving benefit.

Thank you. This is the part I fail to understand - I am neither claiming IB for the first time nor have I had a break in receiving IB. So I have to go through six Pathways to Work Interviews. At the last one I was told it was to check all my details were the same. Was my address the same? - yes. Was my date of birth the same? - erm, yes that hasn't changed!!!

More information about WFIs can be found in this publication HERE.

Hi all
Pata1 wrote

Only people aged between 18 and the age when you are eligible to receive Pension Credit will automatically be considered..

Bear in mind that the Welfare reform act 2009 changed the rules for WFI's . The act states that WFI's for those under pensionable age ..ie Men under 65 and women under their state pension age , Not 60 (eligible to receive Pension Credit)as it was prior to this.

Although i havent seen this enforced yet , as i'm presuming they have enough on their plate ....and then we get into the realms of being "parked and creamed".. wonder which one of those a sick 63 year old will be ...:O

Rich

Addendum...
Just re-read the above and thought i'd better add, that this is down to the increase in retirement age for women , phased in slowly over the next 10 years .

This also means that eligibility age for Pension Credit is going up at the same rate , and is tied , since this month, to the sliding scale of retirement age for women , no matter what sex you are .

So yes the rules are correct , that you don't have to do WFI's if you are eligible
for Pension Credit, it's just that the age of eligibility is now the minimum state pension age for women, which is rising .(and NOT 60 as it was prior to April this year)

If in any doubt go-
Goverment retirement calcultor

and put your sex as female ..and that will give you your date that you no longer have to do WFI's and the date is also your eligibility for Pension Credit.

Hope this helps and allays any panic that the above post might have caused.
Rich

I can fully understand the confusion and i think distress felt by the original poster who has been asked to attend a Pathways interview having recently completed an IB50 and then received a letter saying they did not have to attend a medical.

Does the letter specify if you were in an exempt category or that you met the threshold based on the point system?

I cannot see how it could possibly be mandatory for someone in an exempt category?

Compulsion is likely to be counter-productive for anyone in receipt of IB or ESA who fears the process would have a detrimental effect on their health and wellbeing.

Am new to this and missed Crazydiamond's link to information that states claimants in the IB exemption catagories do not have to attend work focused interviews.

I also understand from Mind's work that ESA claimants cannot be sanctioned if they have a good reason for not attending. Also, despite original government proposals, one cannot be forced into accepting medical treatment of any kind including medication or therapy - thank goodness!