Confused over IB to ESA

My Incapacity Benefit is due for review March 2011. From what I can read at that date I will be sent forms to swop to ESA. How promptly are these things being done? Does anyone know if I am just going to be waiting around for ages. I am so confused by it all.

We don't have specific timescales for anything yet. It does appear that people will be transferred to ESA when their IB comes up for review, but that's not guaranteed.

There are pilot schemes, but they don't involve all the new software, they don't use the new WCA due to come in later this year (subject to further possible changes), they aren't handling the number of claims per week that will be processed, and they're happening before the massive staff cutbacks. All this means that it's anybody's guess how the transfer will go.

Sorry that leaves you up in the air.

So in the meantime does that leave me just hit in receipt of my incapacity benefit beyond on my review date until they decide what they are doing ? Is there any way to find the new descriptors being brought in? sorry to throw questions I just feel confused and dont understand.

You'll keep getting your IB until you're assessed for ESA, we just can't predict exactly when that will be.

I'll try and find a link to the revised descriptors, but they might still be amended. There'll be detailed information about them on this site in due course.

Here are the revised descriptors - but remember, the government may still change them.

Proposed revised descriptors

Thank you so much. They seem to be making quite a pickle of it all.