Atos Medical Query

[wolf63]

I was in receipt of Incapacity Benefit and then it was changed to ESA. After a year it stopped. This happened in April 2013.

I have now received an ATOS questionnaire to complete.

Is there any benefit to me filling this form in? I realise that my NI conts are being paid for me - but I suppose that I could make payment direct for those myself.

Yours

A confused wolf

[themas]

It may have stopped because you had been getting contribution based ESA (i.e. based on past NI contributions). The rules changed & limited that to 12 months.

If that was the reason you could still get ESA (assuming you are accepted as medically unfit to work) on a means tested basis. In other words entitlement would depend on your (& any partner's) other income & savings.

If you want to pursue it you could go to your local CAB for advice.

[wolf63]

No, I am not ent to any means tested benefits as I have a civil service pension. I also have income protection which will pay out until I am 60 - another ten years.

My brain doesn't work very fast these days and I would much prefer not to have to phone DWP and ask for help.

[themas]

If you know your NI conts. are being paid I think that is probably based on the ESA you had - in other words, the payments stopped for the reason in my last post, but the Ni went on.

If you have now had an ATOS form it is probably because they want to re-assess your entitlement to ESA. If they do that & conclude you are still entitled to it, there will still be no payments but the NI conts. will continue. However, if you don't complete & return the form, or if you do & they conclude you are not now entitled to ESA, then I think the crediting of NI conts. will stop.

If I've got this right, it is up to you which way you want to go. If the NI conts. are stopped I believe there is still a means of making voluntary contributions. You would need to sort this out with HMRC NI unit.

[wolf63]

themas

Thanks

I will fill up the form and see what happens. In a previous life DWP was my employer but the system has changed so much since I escaped. Early retirement at 40 was nice but being Bipolar is not very nice at all.