Disability Alliance has reported that, from 15 February 2010, the DWP will start a four week exercise to contact the 17,000 lone parent claimants it has identified as having been moved off income support incorrectly following the introduction of ESA. The claimants will be given the choice of either staying on their current benefit, moving back to IS or having their IS reinstated if they are no longer receiving benefit.

Here's a link to the Disability Alliance report - http://www.disabilityalliance.org/loneparent.htm

I called the helpline but they were unable to answer one specific question - if someone moves from ESA back onto IS, will they have to go through the whole medical assessment (questionnaire etc) again? I am currently representing a client with her ESA appeal and she doesn't want to move back to IS if it means the possibility of having to go to another medical, appeal etc. Also if she fails her ESA appeal can she still reclaim IS?

Thanks
Jo

One of my clients has had one of these letters and it mentions that she will need to provide medical evidence that she is unable to work at the present time and that once on IS she will be subject to a medical assesment but it isn't clear whether this is the PCA or the WCA.

In my client's case she stopped getting IB credits in 2004 after failing the PCA . She did not appeal and simply claimed as lone parent from then on. I cannot see how she could claim anything other than ESA as she was not deemed incapable of work after 2004 and did not claim on those grounds again until 2009 - can anyone offer any explanation of how she might be entitled to IS, I've tried the helpline but they were not able to enlighten me (perhaps I've missed something?)

My client only ever claimed as a lone parent so if she decided to move back to IS on disability grounds would she have to face the PCA or LCW?

Have just spoken to our local IS unit and they think it will be the PCA as lone parents in these circumstances are in effect returning to Incapacity Benefit,although they have nothing in writing to confirm this. It isn't clear how they decide who to send the letters to, if your client had never claimed any sort of IB how did they know she was potentially too sick to work?