On income based JSA, is it worth applying for ESA if all going under Unviersal Credit?

I'm on income based JSA and planning to apply for ESA. Is it worth doing so if this will also go under UC umbrella?

In addition, if ESA application/appeal are unsuccessful will I automatically be put on UC?

Anyone?

Hi, sorry no-one has replied. You have asked 2 quite complicated questions that do not have easy answers.

If you claim ESA and UC full service in your area is a long way off then yes it would be worth it. You'd stay on ESA assessment rate until you got an assessment interview. If you failed the WCA and UC is still not full service then you could go back to JSA pending an appeal etc. Equally, if you pass the assessment and you are, say, put in the WRAG then you will stay in that group on ESA until the DWP starts to transfer old legacy claims sometime next July (this is not set in stone and it could be sooner). When the DWP transfers an old legacy claim (such as ESA) to UC then transitional protection will be included. What that means is you won't be any worse off financially, but you might be if they persuaded you into closing your claim and switching to UC voluntarily.  

As for being automatically forced onto UC following a failure/appeal, I honestly do not know. I would treat UC full service as the cut-off point and treat it as a "no going back" to JSA red line. I have read that some claimants have been able to claim JSA even in a UC area if they are appealing a failed WCA, but I don't know if that is true and I would be very cautious about it.

I'm sorry I can't help more than this.

Absolut wrote:Hi, sorry no-one has replied. You have asked 2 quite complicated questions that do not have easy answers.

If you claim ESA and UC full service in your area is a long way off then yes it would be worth it. You'd stay on ESA assessment rate until you got an assessment interview. If you failed the WCA and UC is still not full service then you could go back to JSA pending an appeal etc. Equally, if you pass the assessment and you are, say, put in the WRAG then you will stay in that group on ESA until the DWP starts to transfer old legacy claims sometime next July (this is not set in stone and it could be sooner). When the DWP transfers an old legacy claim (such as ESA) to UC then transitional protection will be included. What that means is you won't be any worse off financially, but you might be if they persuaded you into closing your claim and switching to UC voluntarily.  

As for being automatically forced onto UC following a failure/appeal, I honestly do not know. I would treat UC full service as the cut-off point and treat it as a "no going back" to JSA red line. I have read that some claimants have been able to claim JSA even in a UC area if they are appealing a failed WCA, but I don't know if that is true and I would be very cautious about it.

I'm sorry I can't help more than this.

Thank you Absolut, very informative :-)