ESA Awarded!

Well I got my phone call from the DWP this morning.  A very softly spoken man called Mike rang me and told me that I had been awarded ESA and would be getting the Support Component - WOOOHOOOO!!

This decision has been hanging over my head since August and it has been horrible.  But I have now been told that I will continue to receive the payment I currently receive under the Long Term Incapacity Benefit, but it will be called ESA.  This means I won't lose any money, which is something I worried about until the Internet came to my rescue.  I found an page created by the Disability Alliance which told me that I wouldn't lose money by being transferred.  However, I have just read (item 16 on the previously linked document) that the benefit payment I receive will be frozen until ESA payments catch up.

I was also told that I wouldn't be reassessed for another 2 years, which is nice.  However, if Cameron gets his way I'll only be receiving ESA for 12 months before being moved to means tested benefit.

However, I am not going to worry about that right now, I have a whole 12 months before I could lose my benefits.  By my reckoning, that means I'll probably not worry too much for the first 6-8 months and then I'll become a nervous wreck about how I'm going to manage.

Isn't the current Government wonderful at helping us manage the stress and strains of living with a disability?