Any advice gratefully recieved

Following the budget review i found your site on google and joined immediately. I've read everything you've been saying, but am still unsure as to what effect this is all going to have both on myself and my husband, so really i need some advice on what to expect.

My husband is 63, currently on pension credit, SDA and higher rate DLA for both components; my benefits have come under his umbrella and i think i've been being paid incapacity benefit as i've had to fill in the forms every year for the last 4 yrs. I am on DLA as well, middle rate for care and full rate for mobility and both of us have been awarded our DLA indefinately within the last couple of years (i had to fight for 13 yrs to get this).

Will i now get transferred onto this new Employment and assistance benefit? If so, how long will it be paid for? I did your online questionnaire and got 57 points so i'm assuming that they won't try to force me back to work, but if that's the case this new 'benefit' is only payable for 12 months what happens after that???

Also, will our DLA indefinate awards be taken from us???

I'd be grateful for any advice you can give

Claimants who reach pensionable age before the end of March 2014 will not be migrated to ESA, they will stay on their current benefits, so your husband would not be transferred to ESA.

You don't say how old you are, so I can't say whether the transfer to ESA ill affect you.

The government is planning to start some sort of medicals or assessments for everyone on DLA in 2014. They have said that they want to reduce the number of people getting DLA by 20%, but we don't yet know how they will do this.

The Govt say they will review DLA awards in the next few years, not starting for a couple of years but they say they will do this

The move to ESA will not of itsedlf influence this, unless the findings of the ESA report are potentially adverse to your DLA claim and gets shared with the DLA Unit

ESA is not yet time limited, and that when it comes in will be for those who qaulified on the basis of nation al insurance contributions. When the one yeae time limiot evebntually begins the claimant will be able to keep ESA (as long as they still are over the medical threshold ) afterwards, subject to a means test of savings and partners earnings where there is a partner

The benefits system is under reform, and we simply do not know what it will look like in the future butfor the time being I would not worry too much as it is sometime before major changes and we do not know whether or not some things will be less harsh than we presently fear It is unknown territory

I'm 48 and have been disabled since i was 33 following major surgery for a severely prolapsed disc. The op itself went well but then i had complications of severe neuro-fibrosis of L4/L5 nerve root.

At 48, you can expect to be assessed for ESA sometime over the next three years. The self-test on the homepage will give you an idea of whether you would be likely to get it.

There has been some confusion over the government's statement that ESA will be means-tested after a year as to when that year will begin for people currently on IB, i.e. whether before or after transfer. However, once that year is up, your ESA will be subject to means-testing and if your husband is on a full pension, you may well find that you get no ESA.

Well thank you for all your advice, my husband will only be on a state pension so hopefully if we're means tested i won't lose my ESA.... looks as though i'm in for another round of filling in forms and proving my medical conditions, luckily i've got the MRI scans etc to back it all up