ESA to UC losing income — Scope | Disability forum
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ESA to UC losing income

pjindevon
pjindevon Community member Posts: 6 Listener
edited February 2019 in Universal Credit (UC)
Anyone out there who was on ESA Income based allowance topped up with Severe Disability premiums who has been placed on Universal Credit and like myself have had thier UC benefit leave a huge financial hole in there entitlement payments.
Which has placed you living on the breadline.
My Benefits Entitlement has been cut by over £4100 per year.
£344 pcm or ££79.40 per week.
Im getting very ill and feel like my future is looking grim and trying to continually escape from those MH thoughts which tell me its not worth living.
I feel i now face threat of being evicted from my new council bungalow at sometime soon in the future.
There just is not enough monies coming in to live in my own home as an independant disabled person

I feel im free falling being trapped into the money saving Universal Credit and screaming out for help where there is no one to stop this freefall im on.
Please get in contact.
My Aim is to get a Group Action Legal Case against the DWP who have removed my hope of being able to get by and live with dignity.
PJ

Comments

  • steve51
    steve51 Community member Posts: 7,153 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi @pjindevon

    Good Evening & Welcome it’s great to meet you today.

    I am one of the Community Champion’s on our Community.

    I’m very very sorry to hear about your current situation/problems.

    We have got a number off “Benefit Advisors” on our site.

    I will forward your post onto them for there help/advice.

     Hi @BenefitsTrainingCo

    Can you please help with this post ?????

    I feel that it requires your professional help support.

    Many thanks.

    @steve51
  • pjindevon
    pjindevon Community member Posts: 6 Listener
    Im afraid that my situation as a Disabled person is a known one to ur help line team and even though they are aware of the issue for the disabled who have recently moved onto UC , there is nothing that can be done.
    Its up to the Govt to adjust the figures they have come up with for UC entitlments and to fix the problem by increasing the severe disability entitlments to a rate that does not cause such ineqality and forced poverty on the most vulnetablw in society.
    But it seems Brexit has taken priority over everything else.
    How many will self harm in the meantime.
    Is there anyone monitoring the effects UC is having on disabled people and the MH cost.
    I am falling.
    I will fall without something happening fast.
  • pjindevon
    pjindevon Community member Posts: 6 Listener
    Do they want rid of us.
    Im not convinced they care

  • steve51
    steve51 Community member Posts: 7,153 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi @pjindevon

    Yes what can we the disabled doooooooo.

    Sorry but do you receive any other “benefits”

    @steve51


  • Pippa_Alumni
    Pippa_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 5,793 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi @pjindevon, and a warm welcome to the community. 

    I'm sorry to hear about your circumstances. I'm sure many of our community members will be able to empathise.

    You are a member of our community and we appreciate you. If you are having thoughts of suicide, it is important that you discuss them with someone who is qualified to help. Please call the Samaritans on 116 123 (free) or email them at jo@samaritans.org. You might also benefit from reading MIND’s information on how you can help yourself.

    If you feel that you may be an immediate danger to yourself, please call 999 or go to your local hospital right away.

    Are you claiming PIP at the moment?

  • BenefitsTrainingCo
    BenefitsTrainingCo Community member Posts: 2,621 Pioneering
    pjindevon,
    I can tell you that if you were getting the SDP when you claimed universal credit, you will get some money back. I can't tell you when, but there are regulations being discussed by Parliament and once these are passed, the DWP say you will have some backdated money within 6 months. 

    I can also tell you that there is continued legal action being taken by the charity Child Poverty Action Group against the government because even with the planned transitional payments you will eventually get, some people will still not get as much money as they did in their old benefits.

    I would urge you to get in touch with an advice organisation such as CAB so that they can add your case to the evidence being used in the legal action. And/or get in touch with your MP to put the pressure on so that the regulations are not only passed but improved to give proper protection.

    I would echo all that has been said about getting support, and I hope that you can see you are not alone. There are things we can do and you will eventually get some actual financial help. Please add your voice if you can by contacting your MP/CAB - they can help to press for change.

    Will
    The Benefits Training Co:

  • AlexNY
    AlexNY Community member Posts: 17 Listener
    edited February 2019
    Hi, I'm Alex

    I have been dealing with the DWP myself while out of work due to a large corrective operation. I was signed off for 6-8 months by the team looking after me and gave all evidence concerning the issue to the DWP. I was sent for an assessment and have since learned that the assessor had repeatedly lied and had made assumptions on the assessment.
    This is a breach of the Nurses Code of Conduct, is a dismiss-able offence and can be considered fraud in some cases. 
    This is a gross neglect of anybody in a situation like many are by the DWP and this needs to change.
    I have been in contact with a reporter from a nation news channel who is collecting stories like yours and mine to make a detailed report on what is happening to people like you that need help.
    These companies that run the assessments are a profit based company working for the DWP, this is what your tax money has been paying for.
    If you would like to tell your sorry I can forward you on to this reporter so she can gather information so we can stop this from happening.
    [removed by moderator]

    I am just someone, like you, who has witnessed first hand the state of the DWP and has decided to join the fight.
    Please get in contact, the more stories we have the more chance we have to fight this.

    Good luck
    Alex
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 53,333 Disability Gamechanger

    Please edit your comment and remove the email address. As a scope community champion here on the forums, your safety is important and it's against scope rules to put personal information on the forum.
    I would appreciate it if members wouldn't tag me please. I have all notifcations turned off and wouldn't want a member thinking i'm being rude by not replying.
    If i see a question that i know the answer to i will try my best to help.

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