Forced ESA migration when it was only meant to be tax credits

[Scaredofdwp]

I’ve been on Contributions Based ESA in support group since 2014 and was on incapacity benefit before that. I get PIP ERC

We were recently told to migrate tax credits to UC but I was assured my legacy ESA SG would remain the same. They’re now saying (just this evening) I have to attend an ESA commitment interview which is on Saturday while I also have take my disabled son to a child’s party (he never gets invited to parties and now he has to miss this one). At the ID interview I was told we had no commitments because of my ESA status. I’ve had no notification of status change, my health has only got worse and will never get better.

Why am I being told to attend this interview when my ESA should remain untouched and the same? My partner works full time so he has no commitments. I’m terrified that we’re going to lose the tax credit support as we won’t be eligible for UC and also I lose the esa money I had which gave me the tiniest bit of personal independence (even although it was only ever spent on food and my kids clothes). My partner doesn’t earn enough to support four and I am genuinely not well enough to work - god knows I wish I was as I wouldn’t want to anyone to have to go through this stress and anxiety.

Don’t they let you use Relay services anymore? If you can type, you can use the telephone with a relay service.

I have tried to use the relay system today but was hung up on twice by dwp because the system was delayed and once by the the relay guy because he couldn’t type fast enough to keep up with the automated voice, even though I had my settings set to hear and type.

Ive left 3 messages on my journal since last night when I was informed of this meeting- 1 explaining yet again I can’t speak on the phone, one asking about what’s going on re esa and the third to ask if they can call me using the relay system but they haven’t replied to any of the messages.

I feel so despondent. It shouldn’t be this difficult or confusing.

Just an update. Managed to get a decent relay person and managed to communicate via my writing to a guy at dwp who helped me out loads and explained stuff clearly. It would’ve been easier to be able to communicate with hiM directly in writing rather than through a third party

I have to just accept the ESA is changing but my commitments weren’t huge just to sort of changes which I’d do anyway. The guy did it via relay when I called to ask so it didn’t happen on the Saturday. Unfortunately I didn’t make the party as I got ill but my son still got to go.

We’ve still had a bit of a nightmare communicating re childcare costs and nobody really answers journal questions unless you’re replying to them directly. Woman today didn’t even know what she was talking about and apologised when I pointed out she might be mistaken. It’s an awful system and when migrating from something as “simple” as tax credits and legacy esa it’s terrifying. There’s so much administration and believe me
if I was capable of this much admin I’d go back to work to sack it all off!