Action Blog
Viewing entries tagged with 'esa'
A bolt out of the blue - 12 month limit on Contributory Employment and Support Allowance
The government keeps sending thunderbolts to hit people of working age who find they have to resort to welfare benefits. The latest bolt came out of the blue and caught everyone by surprise. Suddenly, without warning, letters started dropping through peoples’ doors to say that their Contributory Employment and Support Allowance would end on 30 April. So what is Contributory Employment and Support Allowance, what’s happening to it and what action can be taken?
Moving from incapacity benefits to Employment and Support Allowance and the ESA50 assessment form
Many people with a visual impairment have now been contacted by the Department of Work and Pensions with a view to transferring from incapacity benefits to Employment and Support Allowance. The first part of the process, after initial contact, is to send an ESA50 form for completion. This blog looks at how to complete the sight related sections of the form.
Moving from incapacity benefits to Employment and Support Allowance
The Government is transferring people claiming Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance and Income Support on incapacity grounds to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) by 2014. These changes began in March 2011and have now gathered pace.
Work capability assessment - infuriating!
Have you ever wished you could be the sort of person who remains calm and level headed no matter the adversity? Perhaps you are. I’m not. It’s not in my DNA. When staring into the face of blatant injustice I become infuriated, so I beg you to let me have a rant.
Moving off incapacity benefits - the Burnley pilot
As the Welfare Rights Officer for Action for Blind People North West Region I am braced for a major benefit change that will eventually affect everyone who is claiming working age incapacity benefits. For some people in Burnley and Aberdeen the change has come sooner rather than later.
Can you see my arms now?
The Work Capability Assessment for people claiming Employment and Support Allowance is supposed to be a thorough test to establish levels of capability for work. It involves a long questionnaire and a medical examination performed by a 'healthcare professional'. This person often has only a basic knowledge of visual impairment. So how professional are the tests that are carried out to establish degrees of sight loss?
Justice brings satisfaction
Last week I represented Joseph - see blog 'Employment and Support Allowance - Good concept, Shame about the Support' - at his appeal tribunal hearing.
I am a person!
‘The Prisoner’ was a fascinating 60’s television series. It portrayed a culture where people no longer had names, just numbers and were under the control of Number One. At one point the Prisoner, Number 6, cries out ‘I am a person... I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed, or numbered! My life is my own!’ Cut backs in service provision, euphemistically called ‘streamlining’, often result in the removal of personal contact in favour of cheaper less time consuming methods. A recent home visit re-iterated the need to meet and listen to a person.
Employment and Support Allowance - Good concept, Shame about the Support?
Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) is a new benefit introduced in October 2008. It is radically different from Incapacity Benefit in that entitlement is based on a person’s limited capability to work or to undertake activities to improve one’s chances of getting back into work. Incapacity Benefit entitlement depends on a person’s incapability to work. Whilst the concept behind ESA is good, there is a real danger that people will be pushed into seeking work before they are ready, or at an unrealistic pace. Failure to comply can result in loss of benefit as happened to ‘Joseph’ (not real name) recently.
Tag cloud
accessibility, apple, assistive technology, beauty, benefits, big society, burnley, carers, christmas, coping, digital inclusion, disability, disclosing disability, discrimination, dla, dwp, employment, esa, family, fashion, grieving, happiness, holidays, human rights, ignorance, inclusive design, inclusivity, independence, iphone, life, living with sight loss, love, pension, people, registration, respect, rp, sailing, shopping, sight loss, social inclusion, stereotypes, style, technology, travel, vi people, web accessibility, welfare rights, white cane, work capability assessment,
Browse by date
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
