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Hello - my first post,
i claimed ESA contributory in December 2012. I was on long term sick from work and coming to the end of my statutory sick pay and so was advised to claim ESA. I made the telephone application and was awarded it (ESA C ) without any problem - I had long term health issues, 39 bowel ops and a ileostomy, plus arthritis and depression. By the January I had been medically retired from a job I loved and had worked at for 25 years, I had a modest ill health pension. Herein lies the problem. I have onky just realised that ESA contribution is not actually just based on contributions as the name suggests - it is also partially means tested. I never formally wrote and told them about my private pension as I wrongly assumed at the time it wasn't relevant. I remember asking about savings and income and was told it was not means tested, no body mentioned the exception of the pension. I did phone them several times in 2013 to ask them about wither or not ESA was taxable and so must have mentioned the pension in the phne calls to them ( I was worried about my tax and had received conflicting info from HMRC which necessitated several phone calls to both organisations ). No one in the DWP picked up on it - also the fact I had worked for the council for 25 years and was being medically retired did not prompt anyone intheDWP to advise me about the relevance of a pension and ESA.
so I am now faced with a massive problem. I found out about my error 6 weeks ago whilst in hospital recovering from a perforated Bowel. I phoned them and told them immediately I realised my mistake, i have also sent several letters plus 2 emails. I have had one letter in response which makes no sense and has resulted in a £10 xmasbonus being paid into my account (no idea). My ESA has been suspended which is good. I may still qualify for some ESA as my pension isn't that big.
I am so depressed and seeing a psychiatrist ( my bowel perforated last year too - another long story which would require a separate thread ). My health has been ruined and I now have to wear several stoma bags. Around the time I applied for ESA back in 2012 my mother had a massive brain haemorrhage and is now very disabled. I had to deal with all of that but it's not as if I forgot to tell them about my pension, I genuinely didn't realise it was counted. I never tried to hide anything and am absolutely mortified at all if this, tryng to deal with the DWP Is a complete nightmare and I wondered if anyone has any advise for me please. Apart from long walk off short pier as that's what I feel like doing.
Thank yiu .
i claimed ESA contributory in December 2012. I was on long term sick from work and coming to the end of my statutory sick pay and so was advised to claim ESA. I made the telephone application and was awarded it (ESA C ) without any problem - I had long term health issues, 39 bowel ops and a ileostomy, plus arthritis and depression. By the January I had been medically retired from a job I loved and had worked at for 25 years, I had a modest ill health pension. Herein lies the problem. I have onky just realised that ESA contribution is not actually just based on contributions as the name suggests - it is also partially means tested. I never formally wrote and told them about my private pension as I wrongly assumed at the time it wasn't relevant. I remember asking about savings and income and was told it was not means tested, no body mentioned the exception of the pension. I did phone them several times in 2013 to ask them about wither or not ESA was taxable and so must have mentioned the pension in the phne calls to them ( I was worried about my tax and had received conflicting info from HMRC which necessitated several phone calls to both organisations ). No one in the DWP picked up on it - also the fact I had worked for the council for 25 years and was being medically retired did not prompt anyone intheDWP to advise me about the relevance of a pension and ESA.
so I am now faced with a massive problem. I found out about my error 6 weeks ago whilst in hospital recovering from a perforated Bowel. I phoned them and told them immediately I realised my mistake, i have also sent several letters plus 2 emails. I have had one letter in response which makes no sense and has resulted in a £10 xmasbonus being paid into my account (no idea). My ESA has been suspended which is good. I may still qualify for some ESA as my pension isn't that big.
I am so depressed and seeing a psychiatrist ( my bowel perforated last year too - another long story which would require a separate thread ). My health has been ruined and I now have to wear several stoma bags. Around the time I applied for ESA back in 2012 my mother had a massive brain haemorrhage and is now very disabled. I had to deal with all of that but it's not as if I forgot to tell them about my pension, I genuinely didn't realise it was counted. I never tried to hide anything and am absolutely mortified at all if this, tryng to deal with the DWP Is a complete nightmare and I wondered if anyone has any advise for me please. Apart from long walk off short pier as that's what I feel like doing.
Thank yiu .
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