SDA to ESA transfer success

Many thanks to B&W for the insights and reassurance provided by your Guides and Forum replies from your remarkable moderators/experts.
They were invaluable, and I'm sure were an important factor in our success.

I'm pleased to report that I received a phone call this morning on behalf of my sister telling us she won't be called for an ATOS medical, and has been placed in the Support group, next reassessment in 3 years, confirmation letter to follow next week.

Timeline: exactly 100 days since the date on the initial contact letter sent to us regarding the transfer process; 52 days since the ESA50 return deadline date.

ESA Support group money is more than SDA money, which will be useful offsetting any ensuing downgrade when being moved from DLA to PIP next year, or whenever.

Anyway, feeling relieved rather than jubilant - another problem negotiated for the time being!
So there it is. Many thanks again to B&W, and now I better start tooling up for the DLA to PIP ordeal, which could begin at any moment from the start of 2015, I believe.

Cheers!
Winterchild.

winterchild wrote: Many thanks to B&W for the insights and reassurance provided by your Guides and Forum replies from your remarkable moderators/experts.
They were invaluable, and I'm sure were an important factor in our success.

I'm pleased to report that I received a phone call this morning on behalf of my sister telling us she won't be called for an ATOS medical, and has been placed in the Support group, next reassessment in 3 years, confirmation letter to follow next week.

Timeline: exactly 100 days since the date on the initial contact letter sent to us regarding the transfer process; 52 days since the ESA50 return deadline date.

ESA Support group money is more than SDA money, which will be useful offsetting any ensuing downgrade when being moved from DLA to PIP next year, or whenever.

Anyway, feeling relieved rather than jubilant - another problem negotiated for the time being!
So there it is. Many thanks again to B&W, and now I better start tooling up for the DLA to PIP ordeal, which could begin at any moment from the start of 2015, I believe.

Cheers!
Winterchild.

Hi Wc,

Many congratulations on helping your sister to gain entry to The SG with the maximum prognosis of 3 years !!!

Thank you for returning to let us know, and for your comments regarding B&W, they are much appreciated.

If your sister has an Indefinite Award of DLA, she should not be invited to claim PIP until "sometime after October 2015".

We have a General Election before then, so who knows ?

bro58

Hi Winterchild!

I didn’t read your post until after 4 pm yesterday so please excuse this tardy note of congratulation on helping your sister towards the only just decision.

Thanks for including your SDA-ESA timeline.

All the very best to you and your sister,

Mari

Hi MariW,

Thank you for those very kind words. I sincerely hope you will reach a swift and satisfactory conclusion to your transfer too. I'll keep an eye on your thread, to cheer you on!

I thought the timeline might interest some - it seems to suggest that the SDA transfers are being handled quicker than the IB transfers and ESA retests - I've seen one or two other fairly quick examples on other benefits websites. Very small sample though. Could just be a lucky fluke.

I restrained myself from calling ATOS or DWP to find out progress. (Do not poke big scary beasts with the pester stick! lol)

Thanks again, and cheers,
winterchild

So, when the DWP lady telephoned to inform me of the Decision, I took the opportunity to ask for the ESA85a to be sent, and it duly arrived two days later.

It was short, just one page, and used the information I provided for Question 1 as the basis of the Support Group recommendation from the ATOS nurse to the DWP Decision Maker.

The thing is, I supplied information for three other questions which I believe would also have triggered a Support Group recommendation, but there was no mention of them.

My query is: do you think they just start at Question 1 and continue until a Support Group descriptor is "tripped", then simply stop on the basis that time is money, and "job done" whether they read to the end of the ESA50 or not? Just interested, that's all.

Thanks.
winterchild