Completely confused!!!! Help please.

I wrote on here last week to say I was still being given my benefit.
Of course it is now ESA.... Ok all good!

Today, have received a letter saying I have to go to the job centre next week for an interview.

I rang the benefits agency and they said they had not note of it, it must be a mistake.

I rang the job centre plus office and they said it was informal!

At least they paid me this week....

So, I haven't a clue what is going on.

Help please.

dribble wrote:

I wrote on here last week to say I was still being given my benefit.
Of course it is now ESA.... Ok all good!

Today, have received a letter saying I have to go to the job centre next week for an interview.

I rang the benefits agency and they said they had not note of it, it must be a mistake.

I rang the job centre plus office and they said it was informal!

At least they paid me this week....

So, I haven't a clue what is going on.

Help please.

Hi D,

If you have been awarded ESA in the Work Related Activity Group (WRAG), the interview you speak of may be the first of your Work Focussed Interviews (WFI's).

cheers

bro58

If you were placed in the work-related activity group when you were migrated from IB to ESA, you will have to attend work-focused interviews and eventually have to take part in work-related activity in order to help you prepare for a return to work. The WFIs are mandatory but they can be deferred or held over the telephone in certain circumstances.

If you were placed in the support group however, you will not have to attend for WFIs, but claimants can choose to do so on a voluntary basis if they so wish?

More information on WFIs (Work Foclused Interviews) in the B&W guide.

Go to the members area here: www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/help-for-claimants/esa

Click on link: Understanding Employment and Support Allowance. See page 31.

Thanks for everyone's advice and help.

Yesterday I went to the job centre.

I was told to apply for DLA again as I didn't appeal.

They can't find me work and said I wasn't fit and they would call me again in a year to go through all this process again.

I have written asking to be put into the support group but have been told few are being put into this group now.

Relieved for now but dreading going through it all again in a year.

They also told me they had no idea what is going to happen when the Universal Benefit system comes in.

I am on two benefits that are for life, so that will be very interesting.