AIBU to cancel my benefits claim.

[Housingcraze]

I have 45k in savings from several inheritances, and am out of work off ill, my partner has moved in with me to my home i own from an inheritance (no mortgage), and earns in excess of 30k a year roughly.

i applied for ESA for my national contributions to be paid, not expecting any money from it to today receiving a letter - to be paid 125.25 per week, which i was pretty shocked tbh, and feel a bit guilty in accepting the money, and even phoned informing them i have savings which im assuming i need to use firstly.

My partner disagrees and says i should openly accept the money and use it?

It doesn't stop without warning, you get assessed and if you don't score enough points then it gets stopped and you have to go onto JSA instead.

I know someone who gets the higher element of both aspects of Pip and works full time in a theme park, maintaining rides and walking miles a day.

Then there's me who can't walk at all, living in my bedroom, in extreme pain, doesn't qualify.

It's backwards.

Hi OP,

Something has definitely gone wrong with your claim.

Firstly, your savings probably don't matter - you will be claiming contribution-based ESA, which isn't means-tested. There are parts of ESA that can be contribution-based or income-based, and other parts that are only income-based. Because of your savings, you definitely aren't entitled to any of the income-based parts.

Now the contribution-based parts that you should be entitled to are:

Personal allowance of £73.10/wk
Support component of £36.55/wk

For a total of: £109.65/wk.

Now there is another part of ESA called the Enhanced Disability Premium which adds some extra money onto an ESA claim if the claimant is put in the support group. This is (for a single claimant) £15.90/wk, which would make your total £125.55/wk, close to the amount you said in your post. But this part of ESA is income-based only, and you aren't eligible.

So I would get on to the DWP fairly soon because they do seem to be overpaying you at the moment.

And in my opinion - stop beating yourself up for claiming. You've paid into National Insurance, and now you need it, you should claim on it. Would you feel guilty about claiming on your car insurance after an accident even though you could probably afford the repairs yourself?

I get the higher element of PIP, both aspects. It's opened up fuck all for me. Getting DLA for 15 years prior to that didn't either.

PIP is not an out of work benefit and is completely different to ESA. No reason why someone shouldn't work in a theme park and claim it

Fairy - Yes it does depend on the situation. The people who benefit most from a Pip/DLA award are single people who rent and live alone. The again the enhaced rate of both components of PIp is £141 a week which isn't bad.

My son did have an assessment but still wasnt notified it would be stopping, even though his legs were bad, and still has that, but not earning enough to live on and pay his rent
As soon as hes home he has to rest and he has a back problem, waiting months for an appointment and scan,
Also has arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome

"No reason why someone shouldn't work in a theme park and claim it"

This is correct although if they are able to walk miles in a day then they really shouldn't be getting any Mobility component.

Of course I've never known anyone who comes out with these "I know this bloke who gets" stories to have the full facts.

Hont . From my experience there just doesn't seem to be any logic in who gets awarded PIp !! I help people fill out the forms and sometimes I think they are bound to get awarded it and they come out with zero points. Others I think " why are you even applying" ( obviously I don't say that ! ) and they come out with enhanced on both and I am totally gobsmacked . I think it purely depends on the assessor on the day.

What is ESA? Reading this thread, I can sort of see, I suppose, why people might occasionally be a bit sceptical about benefits sometimes....

I agree, when I fill in the forms the descriptors I think will apply are rarely the ones awarded.

sooty

Really? So the first element is for daily living. People who need help with preparing food, washing, dressing, understanding things. The second element is for mobility and based on how far you can walk.

This person has no mental health problems, no conditions other than arthritis in the knees and has a first class degree in engineering.

Why on earth would they need to claim pip?

My husband has to dress me, wash me, prepare all food and I use a wheelchair which I can't push myself. I don't qualify.

ESA is an income replacement benefit for people who are too sick to work. people claim it when their sick pay comes to an end. there are 2 types. One is contributions based which you receive based on NI contributions you have paid over the past few years. The other is income related which is the means tested one and is for people who can't claim the contributions based one or who have no other income such as a working partner or savings. It sounds like op is getting the contributions based one and with this you could be a millionaire and still get it !

Pip is meant to be a benefit that people I work can claim but really when you look at the descriptors it's hard to find many situations where people could hold down a job and get it. Someone who is paralysed below the waist for example and is in a wheelchair might qualify for PIP on the basis of needing help with washing , dressing, toileting etc but could do an office job using a computer for example.
However I fail to understand how someone could work in a theme park walking miles each day an qualify for Pip unless it was because of mental health issues but even then I would have thought if they were severe enough to warrant Pip they wouldn't be able to do that job. the system really is a joke.

It's interesting, if the OP had paid for all her working life into a private insurance that pays out if she's unable to work, would posters be suggesting that she is wrong to claim on it?

That's what national insurance was set up to do. You pay in when you're earning, you take out when you aren't.

Missy - Exactly.

missy

No. That is not in any way what National Insurance was set up for

They have no mental health issues.

I think check the amount is right, and keep the ESA.

You are not able to earn money in your own right. You have a man moving into your house that you have not lived with before. It would be in your interest to have your own income and have your NI paid. At this stage in your relationship, it's best to keep your independence.

If you have no income, and anything goes wrong with the house you will have to use your savings to fix it. Getting things put right with a house usually costs thousands. Especially anything that involves scaffolding.

Migraleve

Are you saying National Insurance isn't supposed to fund unemployment benefits? Because that's exactly what National Insurance was set up for.

Are you saying National Insurance isn't supposed to fund unemployment benefits?

No I'm saying it wasn't intended to be a pay in and take out scheme the way it has been suggested on this thread. Just because someone has paid NI doesn't mean they should claim ESA when they have a household income of 30k, no mortgage and £45k in savings. I have paid my national insurance for years but I hope never to need to claim anything from the benefit system, and I certainly don't think because I have paid in I should take out. As I keep repeating, it's about the bigger picture. But most people only seem to think about themselves.

Migraleve - I'm sure you will claim you state pension when you are too old to work, in the same way that people can claim ESA when they are too ill to work. That's what NI goes to pay towards. And towards contributions based JSA when you lose your job.

In fact I'm sure pretty much every pensioner who had paid into the NI system claims their state pension despite some of them having thousands of pounds of savings and fantastic occupational pensions.

My friends Grandad lived off his occupational pension quite comfortably and saved every penny of his state pension. he lived to be quite a ripe old age and when he died he had £260, 000 in his bank account !

baby not with £45k in the bank and a household income of £30k. I wouldn't be claiming anything. I'm not naive enough to think my future is paved with gold though, in the event where I actually needed to claim then yes, of course I would.

My point throughout has been that OP doesn't need the money. Does not need.